Up to EUR 1.3 million for a groundbreaking research idea with no predefined topic – that is one of the flagship programmes of Volkswagen Stiftung, one of the largest independent science foundations in Europe. There are no rigid thematic restrictions here: the foundation actively seeks projects that lie outside the mainstream, with the freedom to explore what has never been explored before.
This article is a detailed profile of Volkswagen Stiftung: who they are, what they fund, on what terms, and how to apply. It also covers three active open calls with confirmed deadlines in 2026 where Ukrainian researchers can participate. All information verified as of April 2026.
| Annual budget ~EUR 200M/year |
Founded 1962, Hanover |
Nearest deadline 5 May 2026 |
Open calls now 3 programmes |
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Who is Volkswagen Stiftung: an independent foundation with no connection to cars
The first important clarification: Volkswagen Stiftung is not the charitable arm of the Volkswagen AG car manufacturer. It is a fully independent legal entity – a science foundation established in 1962 by a joint decision of the German federal government and the State of Lower Saxony. The name originates from the Volkswagen company, which transferred a shareholding package to form the foundation’s initial endowment. Since then, the foundation has lived on dividends from that holding while remaining entirely autonomous and non-partisan in its decisions.
Headquartered in Hanover, Volkswagen Stiftung is one of the largest private science foundations in Germany and Europe. Its annual budget for research support amounts to approximately EUR 200 million. Since its establishment, the foundation has invested over EUR 6 billion in research projects, supporting more than 33,000 projects in total.
The foundation supports primarily academic researchers at German institutions and their international partners. Unlike DAAD or the Humboldt Foundation, Volkswagen Stiftung does not provide money directly to individuals. Instead, grants are awarded to projects administered through a university or research institute, which manages the budget and serves as the official applicant. This is a critical detail for anyone planning to apply.
Funding philosophy: risk as a value
The most distinctive feature of Volkswagen Stiftung is its high tolerance for scientific risk. The foundation deliberately seeks projects that might fail: unconventional hypotheses, new methodologies, research at the intersection of disciplines, questions for which no answers yet exist. The guidelines for the foundation’s largest programme state explicitly: “the possibility of not achieving the envisaged project goals is not a reason for rejecting a project”.
The second key principle is the connection between science and society. The foundation actively promotes the idea that researchers should not merely generate knowledge but transform it into practical responses to societal challenges. This is particularly visible in its transformation-focused programmes.
The third principle is the exclusively academic applicant requirement. The foundation funds only universities and research institutions in Germany. NGOs, businesses, and private individuals cannot be lead applicants. For Ukrainian researchers, this means: to access Volkswagen Stiftung funding, a German university or research institute is required as a partner and official applicant.
Four thematic areas: what the foundation funds
The entire Volkswagen Stiftung portfolio is structured around four profile areas, each containing specific programmes with different conditions and deadlines.
1. Societal Transformations
The broadest and most socially oriented area. It covers research on how societies, institutions, values, democratic processes, and the global order are changing. It supports interdisciplinary teams of researchers working together with partners outside academia – NGOs, public institutions, media. The key emphasis is on knowledge that moves from academia into practice. This is where the Change! Fellowships programme is housed, as well as programmes on security, peace, and the transformation of the global order.
2. Exploration
The most open-ended area – supporting radically new ideas with no thematic constraints. The motto of this area is “Exploring the Unknown Unknown”: investigating what we do not even know we do not know. Projects may be fundamental, interdisciplinary, and carry a high degree of uncertainty. The flagship programme here is Pioneering Research, with budgets up to EUR 1.3 million. The Freigeist Fellowships for unconventional early-career postdocs also fall under Exploration.
3. Understanding Research
A niche but highly relevant area: the meta-level of the research system. The foundation funds projects that critically analyse science itself – academic career paths, publication evaluation systems, peer review methods, academic freedom, equality and diversity. The Opus Magnum programme (support for writing a major scholarly monograph) is also housed here.
4. zukunft.niedersachsen – regional funding
Programmes specifically for universities and researchers in the State of Lower Saxony. For most Ukrainian researchers this area is not directly relevant, as it requires a connection to this region. It includes the Lower Saxony Impulse Professorship and Seed Grants. If your German partner institution is based in Lower Saxony, it is worth reviewing the specific conditions separately.
Funding conditions: what is covered and what is not
Before applying, it is essential to understand the baseline rules that apply across all Volkswagen Stiftung programmes.
| ✅ What is typically covered | ❌ What is not funded |
| Salaries for researchers (postdoc, assistant, PI) | Continuation of projects previously funded by the foundation |
| Equipment and research infrastructure | Supplementing stipends from other funding sources |
| Travel, conferences, fieldwork | Covering the base budget of an institution |
| Publications and open access costs | Textbooks, edited volumes, translations (Opus Magnum) |
| International partners in the project | NGOs or businesses as lead applicants |
| Equal opportunities / diversity funds | Applicants without a link to a German university or institute |
An important clarification on international partners: costs for partners from Ukraine or other countries can be included in the project budget when this is justified by the research needs. These funds are channelled through the account of the German lead institution.
Open Volkswagen Stiftung Calls in 2026
Three programmes with confirmed deadlines where international participation and collaboration with Ukraine is explicitly welcomed
Navigating a Transforming World Order
1. “Navigating a Transforming World Order”: Fellowships on Security and Technology
Profile area: Societal Transformations · Target group: Postdocs and early-career researchers up to 5 years after PhD
A fellowship programme for the next generation of security researchers with a distinct European perspective. Eligible research topics include the role of artificial intelligence in security and defence, new technologies and arms control, space in the security context, deterrence and strategic stability, and security ethics. The foundation is looking for researchers who can synthesise knowledge across disciplines and translate it into evidence-based recommendations for policy and practice.
This programme is particularly relevant for Ukraine: researchers studying armed conflict, the technological dimensions of modern warfare, security in Central and Eastern Europe, or hybrid threats represent exactly the profile the foundation is looking for. Fellows participate in a dedicated coordinating programme with leading European think tanks and academic partners.
| Amount: | up to EUR 450,000 per project |
| Duration: | up to 3 years (24 months research + 12 months outreach) |
| Who can apply: | Postdocs up to 5 years after PhD; all disciplines; through a German institution |
| Deadline: | 5 May 2026 at 14:00 (via Volkswagen Stiftung Funding Platform) |
Pioneering Research
2. Pioneering Research – Exploring the Unknown Unknown
Profile area: Exploration · Target group: Postdocs and professors at German institutions; international collaboration welcomed
The flagship programme of Volkswagen Stiftung for truly groundbreaking ideas – those for which there are not yet even established methods. The programme deliberately avoids all thematic restrictions: applications are accepted from all academic disciplines. Projects are expected to demonstrate high scientific significance, an unconventional approach, and the potential for major discoveries or paradigm shifts. This is where the foundation most clearly states: “the possibility of failure is not a reason for rejection”. In 2026 the programme introduces Distributed Peer Review for the first time – a system in which applicants anonymously evaluate each other’s proposals in the first selection stage.
For Ukrainian researchers, this programme is relevant as a mechanism for building an international research group in Germany. The official applicant must be a researcher or institution in Germany, but international collaboration, including partners from Ukraine, is explicitly permitted and anticipated.
| Amount: | up to EUR 1,300,000 per project |
| Duration: | up to 3–5 years |
| Who can apply: | Postdocs and professors at German universities or research institutes; international partners permitted |
| Deadline: | 27 August 2026 at 14:00 (short proposal); full proposal: early 2027 |
| Q&A sessions: | 11 June and 16 July 2026 (no registration required) |
Opus Magnum
3. Opus Magnum – support for writing a major scholarly work
Profile area: Understanding Research · Target group: Professors in the humanities and social sciences at German universities
A unique programme: it funds the replacement of a professorial position to free a leading humanities scholar from teaching duties and provide dedicated time for writing a fundamental scholarly book. The concept is direct: in a system where academics are overwhelmed by teaching loads, major monographs are often delayed for years. Volkswagen Stiftung addresses this directly by financing a replacement lecturer and providing up to EUR 5,000 per semester in additional costs related to the writing project. The programme is exclusively for the humanities and social sciences. For Ukrainian humanities scholars who hold a chair at a German university, this is a highly attractive opportunity.
| Amount: | up to ~EUR 220,000 (funding for replacement professorship + up to EUR 5,000/semester additional costs) |
| Duration: | 6–18 months of teaching relief |
| Who can apply: | Professors in humanities/social sciences with a permanent chair at a German university |
| Deadline: | 18 November 2026 |
Volkswagen Stiftung and Ukraine: a sustained commitment
The foundation has a long tradition of supporting science in Central and Eastern Europe that predates 2022. After the full-scale invasion, Volkswagen Stiftung was among the first major European foundations to respond: within one week of 24 February 2022, it had already launched an emergency support programme for researchers who were forced to flee Ukraine.
The most emblematic result of this commitment is the foundation’s funding of the Virtual Ukraine Institute for Advanced Study (VUIAS) – the world’s first virtual scholarly institute specifically created to support Ukrainian researchers during the war. The foundation contributed approximately EUR 960,000 to a three-year project coordinated by the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin. VUIAS brought together over twenty leading Ukrainian scholars in its first cohort and continues its work. A dedicated annual VUIAS call for researchers in Ukraine typically opens in the autumn, with a November deadline.
The foundation is also a founding partner of Foundations for Ukraine (F4U) – an international network of philanthropic organisations for Ukrainian civil society, which Volkswagen Stiftung co-established with the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation in 2025.
Summary Table: Open Volkswagen Stiftung Calls 2026
| Programme | Amount | Deadline | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navigating World Order (Security & Tech) | up to EUR 450,000 | 5 May 2026 | Postdocs (up to 5 yrs after PhD), security + technology |
| Pioneering Research – Unknown Unknown | up to EUR 1,300,000 | 27 Aug 2026 | Postdocs and professors in Germany; international partners permitted |
| Opus Magnum – monograph | up to ~EUR 220,000 | 18 Nov 2026 | Humanities professors with a chair in Germany |
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