The Research Impulses programme (Forschungsimpulse, FIP) is part of a comprehensive package of DFG measures that explicitly calls on UAS to submit proposals. FIP are intended to specifically strengthen research networks with particularly promising research ideas and thus support UAS in further developing their research strengths and sharpening their scientific profile.

In the first round of the programme, 70 applications were submitted, ten of which were now approved. The projects are to start in April 2024 and will be funded with a total of 49 million euro for five years. Detailed information on the successful applicants and their projects can be found in the DFG press release.

The funding decision shows that universities of applied sciences are establishing themselves as centres of cutting-edge research. The number of approvals in the new “Research Impulses” programme underlines the special potential and excellent quality of application-oriented research at German UAS.

The second call for FIP proposals is to be launched in December 2023; the deadline for submitting the letter of intent is 29 January 2024. One application can be submitted per university. The funding period comprises two phases: a first funding period of five years and a potential second funding period of three years.

Research at UAS has developed considerably in recent years. The DFG has taken this into account by reviewing and expanding its funding portfolio. FIP complements the existing DFG programmes for UAS on major instrumentation and internationalisation.