​​Lower Saxony Professorships Funding Programme: The Lower Saxony ERC Impulse Professorship​

2. Funding opportunities

Funding is available to researchers who have secured an ERC Starting Grant and wish to establish a professorship, including a tenure-track position where applicable, at a university in Lower Saxony with their research project. The grant must have been secured no more than one year ago. To ensure the long-term impact of the funding, the university must confirm the availability of a tenured professorship (W2 or W3) at the time of application. The position must be made permanent upon the expiry of the funding or following a possible evaluation.

Eligible to apply are the state-funded universities listed in § 2 of the Lower Saxony Higher Education Act (NHG). Applications must be submitted by the respective university management.

Applications may be made for additional funding beyond the basic funding, such as staff costs and/or equipment costs of up to EUR 500,000 over five years.

Alternatively, an application may be submitted under funding line 2a “Lower Saxony Impulse Professorship” in accordance with the applicable framework conditions.

Lump sum for administrative and infrastructure expenditure (VIAP)
The grant is subject to the payment of a 10 per cent flat-rate allowance for administrative and infrastructure expenditure (VIAP). This is automatically added to the expenditure set out in the submitted financial plan.

3. Application process

Applications may be submitted at any time, subject to prior consultation with the Foundation. The application must include the following details:

1. the strategic integration of the grantee within the university,
2. the necessity of the additional funding and how it complements the funds secured from the ERC as well as the basic funding of the professorship.

Applications are reviewed internally. A decision on the application can usually be expected four weeks after the application documents have been submitted in full. Funding can only be approved before the appointment is accepted.

4. Application

4.1 Explanatory notes on the application portal
Applications must be submitted by the university management exclusively via the Volkswagen Foundation’s funding portal. Please search the overview there for the relevant call for applications relating to this information sheet.

If you have any technical questions regarding the use of the portal, please contact support@volkswagenstiftung.de.

4.2 Explanatory notes on the application documents

• Application format: Please use the template available on the website or in the funding portal (download, docx)
• Budget: Please use only the Excel template available for download on the funding portal. Note: Please only enter the funds required directly for the project in the expenditure plan. The VIAP will be calculated upon approval by the MWK.
• Curriculum vitae: Please use the template on the website or in the funding portal
• Letter of confirmation from the university management stating that the post will be available after the funding period ends, provided the appointment is not to a permanent post.