If you are a proven excellent researcher in the field of the humanities, you can apply for funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for a Käte Hamburger Kolleg at your university.

In funding line II of the call for proposals, there is also the possibility of researching issues in the humanities in collaboration with the life sciences, natural sciences, technology or engineering. This means that researchers from these disciplines can also be involved.

The Käte Hamburger Research Schools are designed to give you the opportunity to

• promote an internationally visible and effective focus on the German humanities at universities and colleges and strengthen links with foreign research priorities and excellent institutions,
• to gain academic freedom through extensive release from university obligations in order to develop and pursue research questions of your own choice,
• to form a learning community which, through systematic confrontation with other knowledge cultures, puts one's own self-evidence to the test,
• to involve international colleagues in their research work at German universities and colleges,
• to further develop methods in the humanities - including comparative, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research.

Universities or colleges can receive individual funding of up to 100 percent. Universities can also receive a project allowance of 20 percent for non-commercial research projects.

You can receive funding for

• Personnel expenses
  • Management of the Käte Hamburger Kolleg:

An academic with a salary of W2/W3 or comparable can be budgeted for up to EUR 101,100 per year (including ancillary personnel costs) to replace the exempted head of the Kolleg. In addition, another professorship at the university can be recognized as a substitute with up to EUR 101,100.

• • Fellows: Up to 10 fellows or their substitutes can be pre-calculated with a salary of up to W2/W3 or comparable with up to EUR 101,100 per year (including ancillary personnel costs). These personnel expenses are accounted for either by means of an invoice from the issuing university to the recipient of the grant or by proof of payment of a grant to the fellow.
  • Service staff: Research assistants (or postdocs), project managers, office clerks, secretaries and student and research assistants are to be charged at the usual hourly or monthly rates at the university.
• Material administrative expenses:
  • Expenditure on consumables, business supplies, literature, postal and telecommunications charges and printing work may be budgeted as a lump sum of up to 10 percent of the total amount of personnel expenditure. It is possible to apply for funding for the translation of important works in the humanities related to the respective Kolleg program. Other material expenses, for example for events and public relations work, are not covered by the above-mentioned types of material expenditure. These are generally eligible for funding, but not within the lump sum.
  • Travel expenses: For business trips within Germany, a pre-calculated amount of up to 5 percent of the total amount of personnel expenses can be budgeted. For business trips abroad, a pre-calculated approach based on estimated values per researcher and fellow can be submitted.

You cannot receive funding for the usual basic equipment.

There is no entitlement to the grant. Rather, the granting authority decides on the basis of its discretionary powers within the framework of the available budget funds.