AEI-DFG Call for Joint Spanish-German Research Projects in the Fields of “Psychology”, “Particle and Nuclear Physics”, “Atmospheric Science, Oceanography and Climate Research”
Second part of the pilot phase for a joint AEI-DFG Lead Agency Procedure
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) together with the Agencia Estatal de Investigatión (AEI, State Research Agency) is pleased to announce the launch of the second part of the pilot phase for a joint Lead Agency Procedure. In this second pilot call, the AEI will act as the Lead Agency and will be responsible for the review and evaluation process.
In the upcoming pilot call, Spanish-German research teams are invited to submit joint research proposals in the fields of:
- Psychology. AEI: Area Psychology (PSI), DFG review board 1.22;
- Particle and Nuclear Physics (FPN Subarea), Physics Area (FIS), DFG review board 3.24;
- Atmospheric Sciences, Oceanography and Climate Research. Subareas CYA and MAR in the area of Environmental Sciences and Technologies (CTM). In both cases DFG review board 3.41.
Applicants should ensure that their project falls within one of these fields, i.e. that it covers the above-mentioned AEI areas and subareas as well as the DFG review boards (“Fachkollegien”) (see links below). Otherwise, the proposal cannot be further processed. If in doubt, please contact the DFG Head Office and AEI office prior to proposal submission.
Applicants should demonstrate how bringing together researchers based in Spain and Germany will add value and advance their research. It is expected that each partner substantially contributes to the common project. Work packages are expected to be delivered with a reasonably equal distribution between the partners and schedules should be well-coordinated. However, the applicants do not have to apply for the same amount of funds from their respective funding agency. The team of applicants should ensure there is a plan for effective delivery and coordination of research across the partners.
Please note that there are no separate funds available for this joint initiative. These opportunities correspond with the general funding lines and budget of the AEI and the DFG. Proposals must succeed on the strengths of their intellectual merit and teams in comparison with other proposals. The funding organisations aim to support the proposals among the top 20 percent in the respective evaluation.
Eligibility
Proposals must address the above-mentioned research fields of the call. Each research project must be jointly conducted by a team of Spanish and German applicants. The principal investigators on each side must be eligible to apply to their respective funding agency. Applicants in Spain must meet the eligibility requirements of the AEI. Applicants in Germany must meet the eligibility requirements of the DFG’s Research Grants Programme (DFG form 50.01). Please note that the rules for funding eligibility apply to all applicants from Germany, including the duty to cooperate for non-university researchers. Any duty to cooperate for DFG applicants at non-university research institutions can only be fulfilled through cooperation with a partner at a German university (see DFG form 55.01).
Please note
Even though stated otherwise in the AEI call text, the duration of the projects on both sides must not exceed 36 months. Proposals with longer project durations will not be accepted.
Proposals must be written in English. Commercial companies cannot be included as research/cooperation partners.
Please make sure to carefully review the call text as well as the AEI guidelines for proposal preparation prior to submission. Respective links can be found under further information below.
Lead Agency Procedure
This bilateral call will be managed via a Lead Agency Procedure. The AEI will act as the Lead Agency in this call, i.e. proposals have to be prepared in the AEI format according to the AEI guidelines, and the AEI will be in charge of organising the review and evaluation of the proposals.
Submission of Proposals to the AEI (Lead Agency)
- Please prepare the proposal according to the AEI guidelines.
- For details, please view the AEI website (see link below).
- The proposal should indicate that it is to be considered under the pilot call by prefacing the title with “AEI-DFG”.
- The proposal should have an acronym which does not exceed 15 characters.
- The proposal must include a description of the whole proposed research programme and research team and the total resources for the joint project (meaning the funds requested for the Spanish and German side). All budget items must conform to the national rules applicable to each applicant.
- Please note that proposals which do not contain a description and explanation for both of the budgets applied for in Spain as well as in Germany can be rejected for formal reasons.
Submission of Copies of the Proposals to the DFG (Partner Agency)
- After the proposal has been submitted to the AEI, the German principal investigator is required to submit a copy of the proposal documents to the DFG (within 7 days after submission of the proposal to the AEI, otherwise the proposal may be declared ineligible) via elan, the DFG’s electronic proposal processing system.
- These documents encompass:
- A CV for each applicant in Germany and Spain (formatted according to the AEI guidelines);
- The application form (a PDF created by the AEI’s system after the relevant information has been entered into the electronic form) under “Other Attachments”;
- The proposal memory under “Project Description”.
- In addition to the documents submitted to the AEI, one further document needs to be filled out and be submitted to the DFG: the “AEI-DFG Project Data Form” (see link below).
- To submit these documents via the elan portal, please select “Individual Grants Programme” à “Proposal for a Research Grant”à Start Online Form à Continueà “Spanien-AEI-DFG Pilot Call 2024-2025 AEI-Lead” as the respective call under “Proposal Data”. Enter the project acronym for your proposal (which must be identical with the one indicated at the AEI and cannot exceed 15 characters).
- For each cost module, please only enter the funds requested from the DFG into elan. Note that only Germany-based applicants should be entered as “applicants”. Spanish applicants (and potential further international partners) should be entered as “cooperation partners”.
- Only one Germany-based applicant should upload the proposal to elan. Please note that this person will have to enter address details and funds for the other Germany-based applicants.
Deadline for Submissions
Proposals must be submitted by 2 pm on 31 January 2025 to the AEI. The applicants in Germany must submit the proposal documents to the DFG within 7 days upon submission to the AEI. Please note that if you are using the elan system for the first time, you will need to register in the elan portal prior to submitting your proposal with your complete personal data and address details by 21 January 2025 at the latest.
Following submission, both funding organisations will conduct their regular formal checks and exchange the results. Please note that proposals can only be processed if all participating applicants fulfil their respective funding agency’s eligibility requirements and if the proposal is within the scope of the defined AEI areas and DFG review boards open for this call/mentioned above.
Evaluation and Decision Process
The AEI as the Lead Agency is in charge of administering the evaluation phase. The proposals will be assessed in accordance with AEI standard procedures. The results of the evaluation will be shared with the DFG. Each organisation will pursue its own decision processes. Only if both organisations decide positively, funding can be granted. If granted, each organisation supports the researchers under its responsibility.
Notification of Results
The AEI will prospectively publish their preliminary results in July 2025. However, please note that these results are not final and subject to the DFG’s review boards’ and Joint Committee’s approval. The final results can be expected as of December 2025. Applicants will be informed in writing of the decision and, where applicable, of the subsequent administrative steps according to the respective national regulations.
Funding will be provided according to the funding rules (incl. reporting) of the respective funding organisation.
Grant holders are requested, where possible, to keep their project components synchronous and initiate their grants in a timely manner.
Equity and Diversity
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.
Ethics Votes
If an ethics vote is required for the German or Spanish part of the project, it must be submitted together with the proposal. However, in exceptional cases, an ethics vote by the responsible local German ethics committee can be submitted no later than three months after proposal submission. Otherwise, the funding organisations may stop processing the proposal. Please note that the submission of an ethics vote by the German ethics committee is also necessary if only the project part abroad is affected, as it is a cooperation project.
Further Information
DFG review boards (relevant for the pilot call are: review board 1.22 “Psychology”, review board 3.24 “Particle and Nuclear Physics”, review board 3.41 “Atmospheric Science, Oceanography and Climate Research”):
The AEI areas and subareas (relevant for the pilot call are: AEI Area PSI, AEI Area FPN, AEI subareas CYA and MAR of the Area CTM):
Proposal preparation:
According to the AEI’s rules, please see:
Proposal submission:
- As a first step, the partners in Spain submit the proposal documents to the AEI.
- A copy of the joint proposal submitted to the AEI together with the “AEI-DFG Project Data Form” must be submitted by the German principal investigator within 7 days upon submission to the AEI via the DFG´s proposal submission system, which can be accessed at: https://elan.dfg.de/e
- AEI-DFG Project Data Form:
www.dfg.de/resource/blob/348234/3ce0891b-78de-48cc-85ec-49e17241c575/aei-project-data-form-data.rt
DFG´s Data Protection Notice:
Please observe the DFG’s data protection notice on research funding, which can be viewed and downloaded at
If necessary, please also forward this information to those individuals whose data will be processed by the DFG due to their involvement in your project.
Good research practice:
Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice – Code of Conduct:
Information on the implementation of the Guidelines for Safeguarding Good Research Practice (Code of Conduct):
Contact of the DFG´s Research Integrity Team (Good Research Practice): gwp@dfg.d
Contact Persons at the DFG Head Office:
General inquiries about the AEI-DFG Second Pilot Call:
- Maria Borre, phone +49 (228) 885-2715, maria.borre@dfg.d
- Michael Mößle, phone +49 (228) 885-2351, michael.moessle@dfg.d
Proposals within the remit of the DFG review board 1.22 Psychology:
- Dr. Stefan Koch, phone +49 (228) 885-2459, stefan.koch@dfg.d
Proposals within the remit of the DFG review board 3.24 Particles, Nuclei and Fields:
- Dr. Manuel Krämer, phone +49 (228) 885-3208, manuel.kraemer@dfg.d
Proposals within the remit of the DFG review board 3.41 Atmospheric Science, Oceanography and Climate Research:
- Dr. Daniel Weymann, phone +49 (228) 885-2760,daniel.weymann@dfg.d
- Dr. Kristian Sudmann, phone +49 (228) 885-2012, kristian.sudmann@dfg.d