General Research Grants: Projects is sponsored by Gerda Henkel Foundation. General Research Grants: Projects is a grant from the Gerda Henkel Foundation that funds research in the Historical Humanities, with particular focus on Archaeology, History, Historical Islamic Studies, Art History, History of Law, Prehistory and Early History, and History of Sc…

Research Projects | Gerda Henkel Foundation General Research Grants: Projects Application Payment Deadlines Form Publishing Aid Within the General Research Funding Programme of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the focus lies on the Historical Humanities, in particular Archaeology, History, Historical Islamic Studies, Art History, History of Law, Prehistory and Early History, History of Science.

Applications from neighbouring disciplines are possible if the core research question is historically oriented. Please note: Within the General Research Grants programme, the Foundation distinguishes between three types of funding: research projects, research scholarships, and PhD scholarships. The decisive factor is who is being funded and in what form the funding is provided.

Select this funding option if – you are applying for a personal scholarship to finance your own working hours, – and if the grant is intended to support you exclusively. Travel and material expenses may be requested in addition.

This funding option is required if – additional scholarship holders (e.g. staff members or doctoral candidates) are to be supported – regardless of whether you apply for a scholarship for yourself, – or if you are not applying for a personal scholarship but are requesting travel and material aid only. Doctoral candidates are not eligible to apply for research projects or research scholarships.

They may, however, apply for a PhD scholarship. For postdoctoral researchers the same eligibility criteria apply to all scholarship holders, regardless of the funding type. Please make sure to use the correct application form.

Below you will find all the information on submitting an application for teams of researchers. What to consider when applying for research project funding Type and scope of the funding The grants for research projects involve, depending on the type of project, the assumption of costs for personnel, travel, materials and/or other costs. Applicants must be actively involved in the research work underpinning the project.

Project staff on research projects may only be financed by PhD or research scholarships. Please note the stated criteria for the award of research scholarships under the terms of the General Research Grants as these also apply for staff members of research projects. A fundamental prerequisite for receiving a scholarship is that project staff conduct their own research, which is published under their name.

A scholarship is paid for full-time involvement. The simultaneous receipt of salary or retirement pension and a research scholarship is not possible. Funds for assistance can be calculated according to the applicable institutional hourly rates.

The Foundation can generally cover the costs of enrolled student assistants, with or without a bachelor’s degree (SHK or WHB). From now on, it is only possible to apply electronically for the general research grants. The necessary application documents can be uploaded in the electronic application form.

The following documents must be included in an application for a research project (in German or English): description of the research proposal (max. 8 pages) plus bibliography if necessary (in addition to the max. 8 pages) at least font size 11 and line spacing 1.

5 please choose a readable font, e.g. Arial 11 pt. or Times New Roman 12 pt. time schedule, travel itinerary (if needed) detailed cost calculation specific funds being applied for must be precisely defined.

Please indicate all costs in euros. scholarships and possible allowances must be listed in the cost plan. Please note our fixed monthly rates no salaries for project staff no college or tuition fees curriculum vitae and list of publications of the applicant(s) (We would ask that these are given only for the person(s) who are the applicant(s).

The number of applicants stated should only in justified special cases exceed three persons. Additional associated scholars can be named in the application documents.)

if needed, curriculum vitae and list of publications of the proposed project participant(s) if needed, academic certificates of the project participant(s) (Masters, PhD, professorship, etc.; please do not send Bachelor certificates) (We would ask that only those project staff members be mentioned in the application form for whom you are applying for grants / stipends.

Other participants in the project can be named in the application documents.)

If also a scholarship for the applicant is planned: one letter of recommendation signed personally by the author upload via the online recommendation form possibility to submit more than one letter of recommendation (Please note that the Gerda Henkel Foundation will not contact any referees and the applicants are responsible for requesting the letters of recommendation themselves.)

academic certificates of the applicant (Masters, PhD, professorship, etc.; please do not send Bachelor certificates) Please do not additionally send the documents by email or postal mail. Overview of our scholarship rates The approved scholarships are usually paid directly to the scholarship holders on a monthly basis. Alternatively, the scholarships may be administered via a third-party account at your institution.

Applies to new permits from 1 January 2024. Monthly scholarship award: 1,920 euros • each further child: EUR 120 The family grant is awarded for children who have not yet turned 18. Monthly endowment for scholarships abroad: 480 euros Material aid: as required Research scholarships for postdocs Monthly scholarship award: 2,760 euros • each further child: EUR 120 The family grant is awarded for children who have not yet turned 18.

Monthly endowment for scholarships abroad: 690 euros Material aid: as required Research scholarships after post doctoral lecture qualification Monthly scholarship award: 3,720 euros For classification under the stipend rate “after post doctoral lecture qualification”, the following applies: In higher education systems in which a formal second academic qualification beyond the doctorate (e.g. habilitation or an equivalent procedure) is required, this second qualification will be treated as as the determining qualification.

In higher education systems in which a second qualification of this kind is not part of the academic structure, the Foundation will as a rule regard the holding of a permanent (normally tenured) professorship or other permanent higher education teaching position at a mid-level or senior rank (e.g. Associate/Full/Distinguished Professor, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor) as an equivalent qualification to the habilitation; comparable positions may be recognised as equivalent in individual cases, in line with the respective national ranking system.

A positively evaluated junior professorship is likewise recognised as equivalent. Positions such as Assistant Professor or Lecturer, as well as fixed-term junior professorships without a positive evaluation, are not regarded as equivalent to the habilitation. • each further child: EUR 120 The family grant is awarded for children who have not yet turned 18.

Monthly endowment for scholarships abroad: 930 euros Material aid: as required Contracts for work may be awarded for smaller research activities. The Foundation specifies no rates in this regard. Such contracts cannot be used as a substitute for staff positions over longer periods of time.

Please note the stated criteria for the award of research scholarships under the terms of the General Research Grants as these also apply for staff members of research projects. The Foundation committees meet twice a year to consider the applications and decide on funding grants. The application deadline for the Foundation committees spring meeting in 2026 is 28 May 2026 .

Applications have to be in the Foundation’s office by this day. The Foundation committees are holding their meeting in November 2026. If your application is successful, funding can start at the beginning of December 2026 at the very earliest.

The subsequent deadline will end in November 2026. The exact date will be announced once the next deadline has passed. The deadline is not valid for smaller funding amounts (max.

30,000 euros). Smaller funding amounts are granted by the Foundation through a simplified procedure with a deliberation time of approximately three to four months. Please follow the exact same application procedure for smaller funding amounts as for regular research projects.

Information and link to the Foundation’s electronic application form Electronic Application Form for the Foundation: Please ensure that you are using the correct application form and that you complete it in full. When filling in the form, please follow standard rules of capitalization and avoid using exclusively uppercase or lowercase letters.

For technical reasons, the Foundation recommends completing the form in one session and keeping it open in only a single browser window. It is possible to reopen and continue editing the form for ten days via a personal link once it has been created. The ten-day period begins when the form is first generated; subsequent changes do not extend this period.

After the ten days have expired, your data will be deleted from the server. Once you have completed the form, you will receive a summary that you must confirm separately before submitting it electronically. When you submit the form, your data will be transmitted electronically to the Foundation.

The application can no longer be viewed or modified thereafter. You will receive a confirmation of receipt at the email address you provided. Please follow these rules when uploading your application files: All documents need to be uploaded as pdf-files.

Please do not upload protected PDF documents. A single file may not exceed a file size of 6 MB each. You cannot upload more than one document per upload field.

The application can only be sent, if all necessary documents are included. Please note the following additional information: Your data will be stored by the Gerda Henkel Foundation for the purpose of processing your application and will not be passed on to third parties. The Gerda Henkel Foundation will be happy to provide you with information about the data that we have stored on your person at any time.

If so required, personal data can be changed or deleted. This form may only be used to make an application to the Gerda Henkel Foundation. The Foundation reserves the right to delete application data without prior notification, if necessary.

If you are carrying out the research project as a single scholar and are applying for a scholarship payment for yourself, please use the form for General Research Grants: Scholarships and take into account the specified criteria for the awarding of Research Scholarships .

Information on applications for printing subsidies Publishing aid is currently only awarded to especially successful projects already being supported by the Foundation.

Please include the following documents: two-page summary of the academic merit and innovativeness of the monograph/collection cost calculation by the publishing house (if you are working with a German publisher, please use the form made available by the Foundation ) manuscript on which the calculations are based (digital) A copy of the (preliminary) PhD certificate should be included in proposals submitted for the publication of PhD theses supported by the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

Applications can be submitted at any time. As an alternative to applying for a printing subsidy for the publication of a monograph or an edited volume in book form, applicants may request funding for Open Access publication costs. The Foundation does not, however, cover Open Access fees for the publication of individual articles.

Important note on submitting applications Please take a look at the information provided in this section and under General References . We would of course be happy to assist you should you have any further questions. Project Manager General Research Grants kuschmann@gerda-henkel-stiftung.

de PhD Scholarships and Research Grants, Publishing Aid, Fellowships Questions regarding the application General questions regarding the applications for scholarships Specific questions regarding research scholarships Specific questions regarding research project grants Specific questions regarding Special Programmes Questions regarding grants in general Does the Foundation provide funding for master students?

No, the Foundation does not provide support for studies under PhD level. Can I apply for a research project also if I have not received my PhD yet? No. Applications for research projects can be made by universities, other research institutes or comparable institutions as well as by one or several Postdocs or scholars with Post Doctoral Lecture Qualification.

It is necessary to provide a (preliminary) PhD certificate. Can I apply with one and the same research project for support from several of the Foundation’s programmes? A simultaneous application with different research projects is in principle possible as long as no scholarship is earmarked for the applicant him/herself.

What is the difference between a research project and a research scholarship? The Gerda Henkel Foundation distinguishes between research scholarships and research projects in its different funding programs. The decisive factor is who is being funded: Select this funding option if - you are applying for a personal scholarship to finance your own working hours, - and if the grant is intended to support you exclusively.

This funding option is required if – additional scholarship holders (e.g. staff members or doctoral candidates) are to be supported – regardless of whether you apply for a scholarship for yourself, – or if you are not applying for a personal scholarship but are requesting travel and material aid only. Can I apply if my project belongs to another field than the academic disciplines cited on the website?

In the General Research Grants programme, only applicants from the specified disciplines or from related fields pursuing a predominantly historical topic are eligible. Applications from other disciplines are possible within the special programmes ‘Democracy’, ‘Forced Migration’ and ‘Lost Cities’, provided that the proposed topic fits the scope of the respective call.

What shall I do if I’m not sure whether my subject is eligible for funding from the Foundation? Please send us a short project summary by email ( info@gerda-henkel-stiftung. de ).

We will be in touch within a few days to let you know whether you can apply. Are foreign academics allowed to apply for funding programmes? The funding activities concentrate basically on German and foreign academics in the fields of historical humanities.

Candidates can apply regardless of their nationality and place of work. In which languages does the Foundation correspond? Should application documents and references be submitted in English or German?

At present, applications may be submitted in either German or English in all funding programmes except the Special Programme Forced Migration, in which all application documents must be submitted in English. Should application documents and references be submitted in English or German? The Foundation accepts both, although German is preferred where possible.

Are there formal requirements on how the application documents should be compiled? The project description should not be longer than 8 pages. Documents should have at least font size 11 and line spacing 1.

5. Figures, bibliographies and endnotes are not included in this page count. Please read carefully all instructions in the section general references .

Are there any substantial requirements for the structure or form of the description of the research project? No, there are no substantive requirements. Should the proposal include a bibliography or is it enough to note the cited references in footnotes?

Is an additional bibliography of literature relevant to the project necessary? It is sufficient to note the references in footnotes. A bibliography of literature relevant to the project can but must not be submitted.

If added, it must be included in the PDF file of the proposal, but it does not count towards the eight-page limit. What should my working plan and schedule include? They should include detailed information about the work stages planned for the period of funding, including research trips and their planned duration.

What do I need to consider when preparing a budget? All the necessary information for preparing a budget can be found in the General Information for Applicants and Beneficiaries in the section Calculation of Travel and Material Expenses . Please also take into account the information sheets for projects and scholarships provided there.

Do I have to include the scholarships for the staff members in the cost calculation of the research project or do they have to apply separately for a PhD or research scholarship? Please budget the scholarships as part of the research project funding. The staff members do not have to apply separately for a PhD or research scholarship.

Can project staff be funded via posts? No. Project staff can only be financed by doctoral or research scholarships. A fundamental precondition for receiving a scholarship is that project staff conduct their own research, which is published under their name.

Can I apply for financing for my own post instead of a research scholarship? No. The Foundation is not providing funding for posts at research institutions. What do you require for travel and material expenses claims?

We require a list of costs with each individual expense in as much detail as possible. Please have a look at the information provided under http://www. gerda-henkel-stiftung.

de/calculation_travel-material-expenses . Does the Foundation pay for childcare during the funding period? Doctoral and research scholarship holders receive a flat-rate family allowance, which is granted upon submission of the child’s/children’s birth certificate(s).

The family allowance is provided until the child reaches the age of eighteen. Individual childcare costs cannot be reimbursed and are not eligible for funding. Does the Foundation cover overhead costs?

No, the Foundation does not cover overhead costs. Can anyone request funding for printing? Publishing aid can only be claimed for projects which are already receiving funding from the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

However, not all projects will be awarded funding for printing as the current budget for publishing aid is extremely limited. Can funds for conference travel be requested from the Foundation? At present travel expenses are only paid for larger research projects or PhD and research scholarships.

Conference travel may be included in applications for project or scholarship funding. Independent applications focusing solely on the support of indivudual conference trips by persons who are not project partners are not possible. Can I change anything in my electronic application form after having sent it to the Foundation?

No, unfortunately this is not possible. In such cases, please inform us by e-mail after submitting your application about any information that deviates from the form, or complete a new form and indicate in an e-mail that a new version has been submitted. If a confirmation of receipt includes a request for missing documents, will I be sent another confirmation once these missing documents have been submitted?

No, you are responsible for making sure that all the necessary documents and references are properly submitted. Due to the number of applications we receive, we regret that we are not in a position to send further confirmations after the initial confirmation of receipt. What happens to my submission if it is incomplete?

Incomplete submissions will not be considered and will be put back to the next selection round. Incomplete applications for PhD scholarships will not be considered any more after the expiration of one year. Does the Foundation provide reasons for refusing applications?

Due to the high number of applications handled by a small team in the Foundation’s office and the confidentiality guaranteed to our reviewers, the Foundation is unable to provide a detailed explanation for the rejection of an application. Can I resubmit a project that has already been rejected by the Foundation under a different programme?

No. As a general rule, the Foundation does not permit the resubmission of projects that have already been rejected, neither in another programme nor in a revised form. Can I submit an application in parallel to several funding programs? No, the Foundation does not allow parallel applications to multiple programs.

May I use generative AI when preparing my application? The use of generative AI is generally permitted. It is important that you take full academic responsibility for all contents of the application and adhere to the principles of good scientific practice.

Please document transparently in the application form which stages of your work involved the use of generative AI (e.g. topic development, literature research, structuring, drafting, or revising individual sections of text). The complete preparation of an application using AI without your own academic review and control is not permitted. Can I continue to work during the time of my scholarship?

No, the simultaneous receipt of salary and a scholarship is not possible. I am employed part-time. Can I apply for a part-time scholarship for the remaining hours?

No. The Foundation awards only full-time scholarships. A combination of part-time employment and a part-time scholarship is therefore not possible Can I continue to draw a retirement pension during the time of my scholarship? No, the simultaneous receipt of a retirement pension and a scholarship is not possible.

In which case can I apply for an overseas bonus? Should a recipient of a scholarship leave the country of her/his principal residence and spend more than four weeks abroad for research purposes, the Foundation shall grant a flat-rate overseas bonus. This should be seen as an extension to the scholarship, intended to cover the extra costs of food and accommodation.

The Foundation shall not cover any accommodation costs for that period if an overseas bonus has been granted. Can I apply for funding of college or tuition fees? No, the Foundation does not cover college or tuition fees.

If I am given a doctoral scholarship, do I have to start my doctorate immediately? Doctorates must be started within twelve months of the grant being agreed. Please take note of our criteria regarding the applications for a research scholarship.

The criteria also apply to research scholarship recipients within larger research projects (General Research Grants: Research Projects). Can I apply for a research scholarship when I have not yet finished my PhD? No. Applications for research scholarships can only be made by Postdocs or scholars with Post Doctoral Lecture Qualification.

Do the criteria also apply to applications for short-term research scholarships (max. 30,000 Euros)? Yes, the criteria also apply to applications for short-term research scholarships.

Does the rule that candidates must have received their doctorate no longer than ten years ago also apply to academics with a German ‘habilitation’ qualification or equivalent qualification? No, this rule does not apply to academics with a postdoctoral lecturing qualification or an equivalent qualification. What is the definition for "Post Doctoral Lecture Qualification"?

For classification under the stipend rate “after post doctoral lecture qualification”, the following applies: In higher education systems in which a formal second academic qualification beyond the doctorate (e.g. habilitation or an equivalent procedure) is required, this second qualification will be treated as as the determining qualification.

In higher education systems in which a second qualification of this kind is not part of the academic structure, the Foundation will as a rule regard the holding of a permanent (normally tenured) professorship or other permanent higher education teaching position at a mid-level or senior rank (e.g. Associate/Full/Distinguished Professor, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor) as an equivalent qualification to the habilitation; comparable positions may be recognised as equivalent in individual cases, in line with the respective national ranking system.

A positively evaluated junior professorship is likewise recognised as equivalent. Positions such as Assistant Professor or Lecturer, as well as fixed-term junior professorships without a positive evaluation, are not regarded as equivalent to the habilitation. Must my dissertation be published even though I obtained my PhD outside Germay?

Yes, the dissertation must have been published at the time of application, including in the case of doctorates completed outside Germany, even if publication is not required in the respective academic system. Which forms of publication are accepted? The dissertation should be published in full as an electronic or printed monograph.

Individual published articles based on the dissertation, printed sample copies, microfiche publications or the mere existence of a publishing contract are not sufficient. My dissertation was not published as a monograph but as a cumulative thesis. Is this sufficient?

No, the Foundation only accepts applications from postdoctoral researchers whose dissertation has been published in full as a monograph, either in print or as a digital book. I have received only a research scholarship fo a few months in the area of “smaller grants”. Does the same time span of five years also apply to me?

Yes, you can only apply for another research scholarship after a period of five years. The relevant date for calculating the timeframe is the date on the final report. An application I made for a research scholarship for only a few months in the area of “smaller grants” was rejected.

Must I still observe the waiting period of three years? Yes, you must wait three years before submitting an application for a regular research scholarship. The relevant date for calculating the timeframe is the date on the rejection letter.

Is the resubmission of my application for a smaller funding amount (max. 30,000 Euros) possible, although my application was rejected in the general research grants category? No, a resubmission of the application for a smaller funding amount (max.

30,000 Euros) is not possible, if the same research project was rejected in the general research grants category. An appliation I made for a research scholarship within the programme "Scholars At Risk" was rejected. Do I still have to observe the waiting period of three years?

Yes, you must wait three years before submitting an application for a regular research scholarship. The relevant date for calculating the timeframe is the date of the rejection letter. I have previously received a research scholarship within the programme "Scholars At Risk".

Does the same time span of five years also apply to me? Yes, you can only apply for another research scholarship after a period of five years. The relevant date for calculating the timeframe is the date of the final report.

I previously received a research scholarship within a Special Programme or a project funded under one of the Foundation’s other funding programmes. Does the same time span of five years also apply to me? Yes, you can only apply for another research scholarship after a period of five years.

The relevant date for calculating the timeframe is the date of the final report. Can project staff with a Magister or Master’s degree who are not pursuing a doctorate be employed? No. This is not possible.

The awarding of a PhD scholarship requires that the candidate intends to pursue further academic qualification in the form of a doctorate. May I be listed as project staff in an application for a research project if my previous application for a research scholarship was rejected?

No. If you yourself were the applicant for a research scholarship that was rejected, you may only be considered again for a research scholarship after a period of three years has passed. Unfortunately, I do not meet one of the criteria for applying for an individual research fellowship. Is it possible instead to apply for a research project and receive a fellowship within that framework?

No. The relevant criteria also apply to fellowship holders within a research project under the G eneral Research Grants: Research Projects programme. This applies regardless of whether the individual concerned is designated as the applicant or as a project participant together with another applicant.

In such cases, only the application for research-related funds is possible (e.g. travel and material costs or expenses for other project participants); funding to compensate the applicant’s own work is not available. For applications submitted under the General Research Grant scheme, it is essential that the proposed project is fundamentally historical in its approach.

In contrast, the Special Programmes are not subject to disciplinary requirements. An application may be submitted regardless of disciplinary background or methodological orientation, provided that the project fits within the thematic framework of the respective programme.

Under the Special Programmes, only scholars who have completed their doctorate are eligible to apply; doctoral candidates are not entitled to submit applications of their own. The application criteria that apply to postdoctoral researchers in the General Research Grant scheme do not apply. In addition, no recommendation letter is required.

There is no procedure for applications requesting smaller amounts of funding. Applications may only be submitted by the annual fixed deadline, irrespective of the amount of funding requested. Do the criteria also apply to the special programmes "Democracy", "Forced Migration" and the two funding programmes "Democracy" and "Lost Cities"?

No, the criteria only apply to applications for a general research scholarship. Questions regarding letters of recommendation Questions regarding grants in general What should I do once I have received the letter of approval? Please send us an informal letter, signed by hand, in which you confirm your acceptance of the grant/funding award and acknolowegement of the general terms and conditions.

In the case of acceptance, you must also provide your current bank details (IBAN and BIC) as well as the desired start date for payments. You will find the corresponding information on your account statement and possibly on your bank card. Please also refer to the information provided in our guidelines for newly funded applicants.

What are my obligations if I accept the funding? You must inform the Foundation of any changes which have a bearing on the payment of the grant or the amount paid. Teaching positions and other employment must be agreed with the Foundation if they exceed an average of 5 hours a week.

How should references to the Foundation be made in my work? Can I work during the grant period? Yes, as long as the employment does not exceed an average of five hours a week.

Activities that exceed this limit must be agreed with the Foundation in advance. What does the Foundation consider a secondary activity requiring approval? All activities planned during the scholarship period that exceed an average of five hours per week must be agreed upon with the Foundation in advance.

As a rule, smaller academic tasks are usually eligible for approval, such as teaching duties or other activities related to the funded project. Such secondary activities should usually be limited to short periods within the funding term. By contrast, it is uncommon for the Foundation to approve cases in which unrelated employment with reduced working hours is to be continued in parallel to the scholarship.

Can the grant or parts thereof be used for other purposes? No. The grant is only to be used for the purposes detailed in the letter of approval. Can grants be transferred to overseas accounts?

Yes. Please