New Funding Program for Collaborative Research Projects

Bringing together specialists in a field to address complex questions in basic research as a team makes sense – giving groups of researchers the opportunity to work closely together often leads to outstanding research results. The aim of the new funding program Specialized Research Groups is to strengthen support for collaborations at Austrian research institutions. The focus is on increasing the number of cooperative research projects, each dedicated to a single research objective and being conducted at one or more locations. Based on its many years of experience with the Special Research Areas and Research Groups programs, which are now being phased out, the FWF has created a flexible and scalable follow-up program that is open to all disciplines. The new program will offer groups of researchers even more attractive opportunities to join forces and open up new areas of research..

Specialized Research Groups: More flexibility, more funding

The program’s flexibility makes it open to both larger and smaller groups of three to twelve outstanding researchers at Austrian research institutions. Groups can include both established and early-stage researchers (R2 and R3). In contrast to the previous Special Research Areas and Research Groups, projects do not need to be organized into subprojects, but can be adapted to the individual requirements of each research project at one or more research institutions. Groups can apply for €3 to 9 million in funding for a term of five years; one follow-up application for a further project term of four years can be submitted.

The call for Specialized Research Groups is aimed at all disciplines and interdisciplinary teams, including art-based basic research.

The first call will open on May 27, 2025 and pre-proposals will be accepted until mid-September 2025.