Priority Programme “International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)” (SPP 1006)
In September 2024, the Senate of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) extended the Infrastructure Priority Programme “International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP)” (SPP 1006) for another six years, from 2025 to 2030. The present call invites proposals for the first up to three-year funding period beginning 2025. The programme will run a call for proposals each year.
Drilling is an indispensable tool for modern geosciences addressing a large variety of topics from deep-time Earth processes and their interaction with an early atmosphere, to understanding the entire full chain from geohazards to the processes shaping the Earth’s present condition. The benefit of continental scientific drilling for helping us understand these processes is well documented by the long-running International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP). The main research questions driving SPP 1006 are shaped by the key themes summarised in the ICDP Science Plan 2020–2030, which include:
- geodynamic processes,
- geohazards,
- georesources and
- environmental change.
Another important future development is the realisation of land-to-sea (L2S) drilling campaigns that include, for example, the holistic assessment of natural hazards, the interplay between fresh and seawater along coastlines, the transition between continental and oceanic crust, ice-sheet dynamics or the formation of sustainable georesources.
The SPP 1006 provides opportunities for cutting-edge research on ICDP drilling data and samples, basic research on core material, development and preparation of scientific drilling projects, pre-site surveys, development and use of ground-breaking drilling devices and logging tools, and innovative experiment techniques for long-term measurements. Proposals submitted under SPP 1006 must have a very clear link to an ongoing, past or future drilling campaign.
The ongoing projects are presented at the annual joint ICDP/IODP colloquium. Networking is the key element of the colloquium. The next colloquium will take place from 18 to 20 November 2024 at the Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) in Bremerhaven.
Proposal Submission
Proposals must be written in English and submitted to the DFG by 23 October 2024. Please note that proposals can only be submitted via elan, the DFG’s electronic proposal processing system.
To enter a new project within the existing Priority Programme, please go to Proposal Submission – New Project – Priority Programmes and select “SPP 1006/30 (ICDP)” from the current list of calls. Previous applicants can submit a proposal for the renewal of an existing project under Proposal Submission – Proposal Overview/Renewal Proposal.
When preparing your proposal, please review the programme guidelines (DFG form 50.05, section B, see link below) and follow the proposal preparation instructions (DFG form 54.01, see link below). These forms can either be downloaded from our website or accessed through the elan portal.
Applicants must be registered in elan prior to submitting a proposal to the DFG. If you have not yet registered, please note that you must do so by 14 October 2024 to submit a proposal under this call; registration requests received after this time cannot be considered. You will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day. Note that you will be asked to select the appropriate Priority Programme call during both the registration and the proposal process.
The DFG strongly welcomes proposals from researchers of all genders and sexual identities, from different ethnic, cultural, religious, ideological or social backgrounds, from different career stages, types of universities and research institutions, and with disabilities or chronic illness. With regard to the subject-specific focus of this call, the DFG encourages female researchers in particular to submit proposals.
Further Information
More information on the Priority Programme is available at:
More information on the joint German ICDP/IODP colloquium 2024 is available at:
More information on the International Continental Scientific Drilling Program (ICDP) is available at:
The elan system can be accessed at:
DFG forms 50.05 and 54.01 can be downloaded at:
For scientific enquiries, please contact the Priority Programme coordinator:
- Professor Dr. Sebastian Krastel, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Otto-Hahn-Platz 1, 24118 Kiel, phone +49 431 880 3914, sebastian.krastel@ifg.uni-kiel.d
Questions on the DFG proposal process can be directed to:
- Programme contact: Dr. Iris Sonntag, phone +49 228 885-2253, iris.sonntag@dfg.d
- Administrative contact: Beatrix Stuch, phone +49 228 885-2719, beatrix.stuch@dfg.d