What is plain language?

Plain language means:

Writing or speaking in a way that is easy to understand for everyone.

Plan language is important for people who find it difficult to learn.

What is the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft?

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft helps researchers in Germany.

It gives money to researchers.

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is also called: DFG

 

 

 

 

The DFG is an association.

An association has members.

The members of the DFG are:

• universities,
• other research organisations.

 

 

Researchers work at the universities and organisations.

Researchers also work at the DFG.

The researchers at the DFG work together with the other researchers.

This is why the DFG is also called a self-governing organisation of research. 

 

What does the DFG do?

Many researchers need money for their research.

The researchers can get the money from the DFG. The researchers hand in a proposal to the DFG.

In a proposal, the researchers write down:

• what idea they have for new research and
• what they need for their research.

The proposal is sent to the DFG.

 

The DFG then checks all proposals.
Other researchers help with that.

The other researchers say if they like the ideas for the new research.

Politicians and researchers from the DFG agree on the proposals with the best ideas. This is called a vote.

The best ideas for new research get money from the DFG.
This money is called: third-party funding.

 

 

With that money, the researchers pay for:

• equipment for their work,
• travels for their work,
• their employees.

 

 

 

 

The DFG explains and shows everybody what the researchers have done with the money.

Every year, the DFG writes this down.
This is an annual report.

The DFG’s annual report can be found on the internet at www.dfg.de.

The researchers show the results of their research at exhibitions. Or the researchers tell about their work at meetings.

 

 

Some researchers work very well. Then they can win a prize.
The prizewinner gets a lot of money.

One of the prizes of the DFG is the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.
This is the most important prize for researchers in Germany.

Another prize is the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize.
The prize is for young researchers only. 

Other prizes of the DFG are only for certain researchers. 
For example: mathematicians.

And there are prizes for researchers who work together with researchers from other countries.

 

Sometimes, politicians have questions about research.

Working groups from the DFG help the politicians.

If the working groups cannot help, then they ask other researchers.

 

 

Who works for the DFG?

In the city of Bonn, 

almost 950 employees work for the DFG.

 

 

 

 

 

Professor Dr. Katja Becker is the manager of the DFG.
The manager of the DFG is called: President.

The members of the DFG choose the President.

Heide Ahrens takes care of everything that is important for the DFG in Bonn.
Her job is: Secretary General of the DFG.

 

 

 

The DFG also has an office in Berlin.
The DFG also has offices in other countries:

• China,
• India,
• Russia,
• America and
• Japan.

Sometimes, researchers from other countries want to work with German researchers. The employees from other offices help the researchers to work together.

How much money does the DFG distribute?

Politics give a lot of money to the DFG.
In the year 2023, this money was €3.9 billion.

Politics got the money from citizens in Germany.

Citizens have to pay money to the government.
We call this: paying taxes.

Politics determine how much money from the taxes it gives to the DFG.

Every year, the DFG gives the money to around 30 thousand researchers.

 

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The pictures are made by:

© Lebenshilfe für Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung Bremen e.V., Illustrator Stefan Albers, Atelier Fleetinsel, 2014

Low-barrier services provided by the DFG

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