Opportunities for High-Risk Research: New Call for "Pioneering Research – Exploring the Unknown Unknown"
Through this funding programme, the Volkswagen Foundation supports radical, unconventional research ideas that lie outside the mainstream. New in 2026: Distributed Peer Review (DPR) will be used to select the best short proposals. Pavel Dutow and Theresa Kratzsch explain the process and offer tips for applicants. Deadline: 27 August; Online Q&A: 11 June and 16 July
Wolfram Pernice is researching how computers based on neural networks could in future compute even faster and more efficiently – using light instead of electronics. And real nerves instead of optical fibres.
Academic Freedom Index: The Autonomy of Universities in the USA Falls Far Behind Peer Group
The new Academic Freedom Index (AFI) report provides an overview of the state of academic freedom worldwide. The data suggests a link between the institutional autonomy of universities and the individual freedom of researchers. In the US, a comparative analysis reveals a dramatic decline in university autonomy.
Becoming a Change! Fellow: What Matters in your Application
In the face of innumerous crises, expectations placed on the scientific community are growing: it is expected to develop fact-based courses of action and contribute towards shaping workable solutions. The Foundation’s Change! Fellowships are designed to facilitate transdisciplinary research projects. But what counts when submitting an application, and which projects have already been approved? The programme directors Annabella Hüfler-Fick and Mona Weyrauch explain the requirements.
With the new funding program, the Volkswagen Foundation supports scientists who conduct research on transformation processes and, with the help of their network, put their knowledge into practice. Next deadline for Fellowships in 2027
This is about the future of your research area: What is the current status? What prospects are there for further development - and how can they be realised? With the "Scoping Workshops" the foundation offers space for discussion and intensive exchange. Online Q&A (in German) on 12 February, deadline: 17 March 2026.
Manganese Nodules and Microorganisms: Life Fuelled by Radioactivity?
Radioactivity is generally considered harmful to life. Yet in manganese nodules in the deep sea, microorganisms might benefit from it. Or even live off it? This is the intriguing hypothesis that geoscientist Walter Geibert hopes to prove.
Climate Research Using Old Ship’s Logs: the Wind Leaves no Trace on the Sea
Did a volcanic eruption in 1783 shift the tropical rain belt? Old ship’s logs could provide the answer – and also shed light on the future climate for millions of people living around the equator.
