Funding conceptResearch Innovation // Networking // Knowledge Transfer
Funding Impulses for Peace and Conflict Research
The German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF) is an independent research funding institution for peace and conflict research in Germany. It supports academic projects addressing thematically relevant problems in disciplinary and interdisciplinary research contexts.
In its funding concept, the foundation explains its strategic funding objectives under the key concepts of research innovation, networking, and knowledge transfer. It defines the individual funding areas and formats and determines the evaluation criteria that form the basis for the review and decision-making processes.
Strategic Funding Objectives
The foundation sees itself as a catalyst for the further development of the research field, particularly by supporting thematically and methodologically original research projects. This is intended to strengthen both the innovative capacity of peace and conflict research and the opportunities for cooperation with related research areas and with international research.
The DSF considers knowledge transfer an integral component of its funding programs. It supports the dialogue between peace and conflict research and politics and society in a variety of ways.
The Foundation tailors its funding programs to the specific conditions of the research field. The funding concept is based on the following strategic goals:
- The DSF provides impetus for the structural and content-related development of peace and conflict research.
- With its funding programs, it encourages the development of original research ideas, crosses disciplinary boundaries, and utilizes existing knowledge for political and societal action.
- The Foundation creates spaces for networked academic work in research and teaching. It promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and research cooperation at the national, European, and global levels.
- It focuses on the sustainable impact of its funding, which is why it attaches central importance to supporting young researchers.
- The DSF promotes equal opportunities and a reflective approach to issues of diversity and plurality in peace and conflict research.
- As a mediator in the exchange between science, politics, and society, the DSF contributes to knowledge transfer through its funding and its own initiatives.
Funding Areas
In line with the DSF’s strategic objectives, the funding concept offers three funding areas with different focuses for applications:
Funding Area 1: Research Projects
In Funding Area 1, funding can be applied for for original research projects that address relevant topics and Research perspectives for peace and conflict research. The call for proposals is thematically open and offers researchers at different career stages, disciplines, and specializations an opportunity to realize their research ideas.
Funding Area 2: Networking and Knowledge Transfer
In funding area 2, the DSF supports scientific projects from the research field that are dedicated to international and interdisciplinary collaboration, networking, and knowledge transfer. The funding offer is also thematically open and creates space for creative project ideas.
Funding Area 3: Thematic Funding Line
In funding area 3, the foundation sets a specific thematic framework with each call for proposals. This provides impetus for peace and conflict research to explore new research fields, further develop existing research priorities, and establish interdisciplinary forms of collaboration.
The funding areas are complementary to one another, meaning that funding does not preclude applications in the other area. The DSF Board of Trustees sets annual funding budgets for the funding areas.
Funding Area 1: Research Projects
The funding program aims to initiate innovative research projects and enable exploratory research. Originality and innovation can be conceived in various ways: in the development of new research topics and perspectives or the testing and further development of research methods, but also as a synthesis of knowledge in a thematic field or as a targeted orientation of the research concept towards application-oriented questions.
The DSF offers two formats in this funding area:
- Profile project with a standard duration of 30 months and a funding volume of up to €190,000
- Pilot project with a standard duration of 12 months and a funding volume of up to €75,000
For profile projects, the DSF offers the additional option of developing project-related cooperation, networking, and transfer projects during the funding period and applying for subsequent funding for these projects.
Applications for research project funding are subject to fixed deadlines.
Funding Area 2: Networking and Knowledge Transfer
The offerings in Funding Area 2 are aimed at (conference) projects that, in particular, develop new research perspectives and collaborations or establish and expand networks in research and teaching. The project formats are primarily intended to support international and/or interdisciplinary collaboration.
In addition, the DSF supports knowledge transfer projects that use creative ideas to present peace and conflict research findings to a specialist audience outside of academic research or to a broader audience. Funding is available for projects that address information and consulting needs, as well as projects that initiate a dialogue process between science, politics, and society.
In Funding Area 2, the foundation offers the following four formats:
- Research network with a standard duration of 24 months and a funding volume of up to €25,000
- International symposium with a funding volume of up to €20,000
- Networking project with a funding volume of up to €10,000
- Transfer project with a funding volume of up to €10,000
For transfer projects of particular importance for peace and conflict research, a higher funding amount can be requested in consultation with the DSF.
Applications for funding for networking and knowledge transfer projects can be submitted on an ongoing basis.
Funding Area 3: Thematic Funding Line
In contrast to the other two funding areas, in Funding Area 3 the Foundation provides targeted thematic input to a selected research field in the field of peace and conflict research. It advertises this funding line in a separate framework. The DSF pursues the following goals:
- To provide impetus to develop research contexts on promising thematic areas of peace and conflict research.
- To strengthen interdisciplinary research collaborations and create interfaces with research fields adjacent to peace and conflict research.
- To support projects that establish or expand national and/or international research collaborations.
- To initiate research projects with high potential for knowledge transfer to politics and society.
- Submitted projects should preferably address central issues in the new or developing research area and examine them from different perspectives. With this objective in mind, the Foundation also expressly supports research syntheses that bring together existing (interdisciplinary) knowledge, identify further research needs, and generate practice-relevant action knowledge.
- The DSF concludes each thematic funding line with a symposium at which the results of the funded projects are presented in the context of international research and further research perspectives are discussed.
- The DSF determines the funding formats in conjunction with the selected topic. They always include larger research and collaboration projects.
- If the thematic calls do not stipulate specific application requirements, the funding criteria of the DSF funding concept apply.
- The Foundation sets separate application deadlines for thematic funding. The call generally extends over two application deadlines.
Funding Criteria
The DSF funding criteria, which are divided into core criteria and more specific additional criteria, are decisive for the evaluation of project applications in the review and decision-making process:
The core criteria define the foundation’s basic qualitative requirements for project applications. The following criteria are a prerequisite for a positive funding decision by the DSF:
- Scientific Relevance
Economic relevance for peace and conflict research, originality and coherence of the research question, integration into the current state of research, potential for new scientific insights, and connectivity to existing scientific research strands. - Quality of the Research Design
Coherence of the theoretical and methodological foundation of the research concept, appropriateness of the selected research methods and techniques, suitability of the comparison and validation procedures, feasibility of the work and time planning, publication concept, and plausibility of the budget planning. - Professional Qualifications of the Applicant/Project Team
Thematic and methodological expertise, research experience and relevant previous work (according to career level), international networking, and language skills. - Potential for knowledge transfer in politics and society.
Significance for current Peace and security policy issues, generating actionable and orientational knowledge, identifying key target groups for knowledge transfer, ideas for transfer formats, and the accompanying utilization of results (digital, print, etc.)
The additional criteria refer to further fundamental funding objectives. Their consideration influences the overall evaluation of the project.
- Support for young researchers
Involvement of young researchers, project-related opportunities for qualification and networking, as well as participation in knowledge transfer - Research Collaborations
Project-related national and international research collaborations, collaboration with local scientific institutions in the study region, and the establishment and expansion of research networks - Interdisciplinarity
Approaching the research topic from different disciplinary perspectives, establishing an interdisciplinary research collaboration, connecting the project with interdisciplinary research contexts - Diversity
Consideration of diversity issues, incorporation of theoretical and methodological concepts of diversity research
The DSF generally requires that all submitted research projects adequately address research ethics aspects and observe these during implementation.
Review Procedure
The DSF relies on peer review procedures that are based on high quality standards for research funding.
It commissions external experts to assess the proposed projects according to the quality criteria defined by the foundation.
All project applications with a funding amount of €10,000 or more undergo a mandatory review process.
The following reviews are planned for the funding areas:
- For applications for research project funding, the DSF obtains at least two expert reviews. If funding recommendations differ significantly, it commissions a third review.
- For applications for networking projects, the foundation generally commissions an expert review.
For funding amounts of less than €10,000, the DSF Board of Directors can decide without an external review. In individual cases, funded projects may be subject to a follow-up evaluation.
Applications for research project funding submitted by members of the Foundation’s Executive Board and the Foundation Council (self-proposals) are subject to mandatory third-party review. For members of the Executive Board, this also applies to all applications for research project funding originating from their own institutions.
The expert reviews are a key basis for the Foundation’s funding decisions. The DSF Executive Board decides on acceptance of funding after reviewing all relevant evaluation criteria.
The DSF also views the review process as an opportunity to further qualify research projects. In the event of a funding application being rejected, it provides the opportunity to resubmit a revised version of the research project as a new application.
The Foundation strives for the greatest possible transparency.