Informational Events and Workshops

Allow us to introduce ourselves: At the event “FWF’s Funding Programs,” you can learn all about the FWF’s basic principles and funding portfolio. The event also covers the most important information about the submission and decision-making processes. The program is aimed at researchers of all disciplines and career stages interested in submitting an FWF application, as well research service staff members. Depending on the date, events are held either in person or online on Zoom and last 120 minutes. All further FWF informational events are based on this introductory session.

Attendance is free of charge, but participants are required to sign up for the event. Please sign up using the link in the calendar entry for the event you wish to attend. Most sessions have a minimum no. of 25 participants.

If you already know which funding program you plan to apply to, or would like to learn more about a specific program and how to submit your proposal, attend one of the program-specific info sessions “Focus on...” These events are held as needed (e.g., at the start of the call for proposals for the respective program). Attendance of “Focus on...” events is free of charge, but participants are required to sign up for the event. Events exclusively for women are also held on a regular basis, on topics such as career advancement for women and gender equality measures in individual programs. Please sign up using the link in the calendar entry for the event you wish to attend. Most “Focus on...” sessions have a minimum no. of 25 participants and are held either in person or online via Zoom.

Some FWF programs (e.g., Special Research Areas, Clusters of Excellence) feature a multiple-stage application procedure. Proposers' Days provide potential applicants with in-depth information specifically on these more complex application procedures. For some programs, Proposers' Days are held exclusively for applicants already in a particular stage of the application process. In this case, principal investigators will receive a personal invitation.

Attendance of the Proposers' Days is free of charge, but participants are required to sign up for the event. Most Proposers' Days are held in person and have a minimum no. of 25 participants. Please see the event’s calendar entry or your personal invitation for the sign-up link.

The coaching workshops "Submitting Your Proposal" give you not only helpful insights into the FWF's funding principles and decision-making procedures, but also advice and tips on how to submit an effective application. These events are aimed especially at researchers with the required qualifications who are planning to submit a proposal in the near future.

These coaching workshops are designed to be particularly practice-oriented: Inputs from the FWF service team are paired with practical exercises using real-life FWF applications. Participants take on the role of experts and analyze and discuss applications, including the reviews that led to the approval or rejection of each proposal. Dos and don'ts when preparing applications as well as important aspects of the review and decision-making process round out the workshops.

The coaching workshop “Submitting Your Proposal” is aimed at researchers who are already familiar with the FWF portfolio and have ideally attended one of the above-mentioned info events. Interested individuals from all disciplines are invited to attend. As important multipliers, we also welcome staff members of institutions’ research service centers to our workshops.

Duration, location, and costs

FWF coaching workshops are usually full-day events (9 am to 5 pm), held at a seminar hotel or directly on location at the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) on Georg-Coch-Platz 2, 1010 Vienna. The attendance fee of €120 includes all course handouts as well as coffee breaks and lunch. Many universities and research institutes refund the attendance fees in full or in part to their participating researchers.

Virtual coaching workshops via Zoom have also been available since 2023. Content-wise, virtual workshops differ only slightly from face-to-face events. However, we do ask all participants to familiarize themselves with sample application documents in advance so that they can actively participate in the group discussions during the virtual workshop. For virtual coaching workshops, these materials will be made available online one week prior to the event date. Virtual coaching workshops last around five hours, and the attendance fee is €80. Again, many universities and research institutions are happy to reimburse all or part of the attendance fee.

The FWF offers researchers a great deal of freedom and flexibility for their research work. However, some guidelines and rules do apply when conducting your project – the webinar “Successfully Implementing Your Project” covers all the most important questions about conducting an FWF project. These events are aimed especially at principal investigators of FWF projects in PROFI mode, project administrators, and research service center staff members. The webinar guides participants through the process of conducting of an FWF project under PROFI mode, from the grant agreement all the way through to completing the project.

Based on the most common dos and don'ts, participants learn about key aspects of handling and accounting for research funds. Attendees also have ample opportunities to ask individual questions about conducting their research projects in PROFI mode. We’ll also be introducing you to additional support options and services offered by the FWF.

Attendance of the webinar "Successfully Implementing Your Project" is free of charge, but participants are required to sign up for the event. Most of these webinars have a minimum no. of 25 participants and last 90 minutes. Please sign up using the link in the calendar entry.

The FWF consulting team would also be happy to offer one of the informational events described above directly in cooperation with your research institution. The inviting research institution bears the costs of organizing the event, including any catering and a flat-rate deductible to cover expenses. We can work with you to customize the duration, scope, and content of the event to create an information session tailored to the needs of your research institution. For these events, research institutions are responsible for handling the sign-up process.

If you are interested in hosting an FWF informational event at your research institution, please first contact the relevant staff member at your research institution (research service center, personnel development office, or similar). FWF will then work together with them to plan your event.