Einstein Berlin/HUJI Research Projects support excellent collaborative scientific projects of the Berlin universities and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The proposed projects must meet the highest quality standards, and must be high-risk in the most positive sense of the word, and must both strengthen the respective research area within Berlin and foster the collaboration with the HUJI.
Detailed Programme Description
I. Objective
Einstein Berlin/HUJI Research Projects support excellent collaborative scientific projects and research projects connected to the arts between one of the Berlin universities or the Charité and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The proposed projects must meet the highest quality standards, and must be high-risk in the most positive sense of the word, and must both strengthen the respective research area within Berlin and foster the collaboration with the HUJI.
II. Eligibility
Only professors at the five eligible institutions (Charité, FU, HU, TU, UdK) are entitled to submit applications to the Einstein Foundation Berlin. Those applications must involve a clear collaboration with the HUJI which is justified on the base of research-related necessities. Further Berlin universities can be included, as well as publicly-funded Berlin-based research institutions. The application must be designed in a way to exclude as far as possible the option of being funded by other funding agencies.
The application must be endorsed by all involved institutions. These statements must confirm that the proposal has the support and approval of the respective institution’s leadership, particularly with regard to the outstanding quality of the proposal and its added value for Berlin as a research location. The amount of financial support provided by each of the institutions involved should also be presented.
III. Funding
Funding will be provided for personnel and material resources. Investments in the form of large equipment can only be made on the Berlin side of the collaboration.
IV. Funding Period
The maximum funding period is three years.
V. Application Process
Applicants are required to fill out the application forms provided by the Einstein Foundation on its website. Please also take note of the additional information for applicants (FAQ). Applications may be submitted in any discipline by the dates posted on the Foundation’s website. If individual host institutions have internal deadlines for applications to the Einstein Foundation, applicants should liaise with the contact person at their institution well in advance.
The application for funding must include:
- A description of the project and its objectives
- A detailed project plan
- A budget plan (using the template provided by the Foundation)
- Evidence of the outstanding quality and originality of the project
- Outline of the high-risk aspects of the proposed project
- An explanation of how the proposal fits into the current research context and the point reached in preliminary work
- A statement on the partners’ role in the project including an outline of the respective partners’ responsibilities, work plans, and risk mitigation strategies
Apart from the overarching criterion of academic excellence, the project’s importance for Berlin as a centre of research excellence plays a crucial role in the evaluation of all applications. The endorsement by the management of the eligible institution enclosed with the application should therefore include a paragraph on the impact the project is expected to have on strategic profile building.
Please note that applications must be submitted in English.
VI. Use of FundS
The approved funds may only be drawn through the main applying institution in accordance with the regulations on third party funding; this eligible institution is also responsible for forwarding respective funds to the collaborating partner institutions. Please mind that the funds allocated to the HUJI or collaborating Berlin-based non-university research institutions must overall not exceed 50 %. The involved institutions will become the employers of the individuals who receive support from the Einstein Foundation Berlin.
Version 1.1, 07/24
Information & Forms
Eligibility
Professors at the five eligible institutions (Charité, FU, HU, TU, UdK). Applications must involve a clear collaboration with the HUJI. Further Berlin universities can be included, as well as publicly-funded Berlin-based research institutions.
Funding period
Up to three years
Funding scope
Personnel and material resources, investments, and major equipment for the Berlin universities.
Forms for Download
Application form (Word)
Budget plan (Excel)
Budget plan attachment (PDF)
Reporting form (Word)
Code for funding recipients (PDF)
Guidelines on Equal Opportunity, Diversity, and Career Support (PDF)
FAQs about the Einstein Berlin/HUJI Research Projects
No. The maximum duration is three years; further funding is not possible.
There is no fixed amount and there is no cap when it comes to the amount of funding you can request. Please keep in mind that the resources of the Foundation are limited, and that research projects should be manageable in a three-year time frame and demand a sufficient degree of coordination between the Berlin and the Israeli partners. On average, applications request around €600k for a three-year project, but might very well vary (especially upwards) depending on the research field with higher sums usually requested by projects with high demand of consumables from the life sciences.
Applicants must be employed as a professor at the applying institution for at least the duration of the requested funding project; the same applies to the employment of collaborating partners (not necessarily as a professor). If it is foreseeable that this cannot be guaranteed for the entire duration of the project (e.g. due to retirement or a limited contract), the implementation of the project must be ensured in another way.
No, applicants and cooperation partners must be funded by their institution. The Foundation expects the time spent on the project by the respective applicant or partner to count as part of the institution's own contribution. It is not permitted to use the Einstein Foundation’s funding to cover part of a PI's salary to release them for the project, or to finance entire positions. Research sabbaticals are exempt from this regulation if it can be proven that the replacement tasks are financed by the applied-for funding.