Funding for university teaching projects

Cooperative impulse projects

Project funding: The eTeach Network Thuringia supports the innovation of learning, teaching and testing through digitalisation and digital enrichment at Thuringian universities. It builds bridges between teaching staff in order to develop synergies and avoid redundancies. A particular opportunity is seen in the joint answering of questions relating to learning, teaching and assessment. This is where the co-operative impulse projects come in.

Eligible to apply: Collaboration between at least two co-operation partners from different universities in Thuringia, but at least from different disciplines.

Funding amount: depends on the funds to be applied for

Funds to be applied for: For each university involved in a project, a maximum of one position for six months or half a position for twelve months can be approved. In addition, material funds are available for all projects, which can be used for expenses directly related to the impulse projects.

Funding period: half-year or full-year projects

Please contact the eTeach team Dr Amrita Mondal and Wiebke Degler for advice and to submit your application: mailto: eteach@uni-erfurt.de.

Application deadline: presumably September 2025. Call for proposals and awarding take place annually . Note: Application deadline and call for proposals with possibly slightly modified funding conditions will be published shortly.

To the call for applications

Promotion of the eTeach network Thuringia: Open spaces

Project funding: The "eTeach Freiräume" format offers the opportunity to further develop your own teaching and learning formats. The funding is used to further develop a course in terms of methodology and didactics, to enrich teaching materials or to introduce digital media. The focus of these further developments is on improving the learning success and skills acquisition of students as well as improving accessibility to the course.

Eligible applicants: full-time lecturers (professors, employed university lecturers, academic employees) at Thuringian universities who are responsible for the content and design of at least one course.

Funding amount: maximum 3,000 euros

Funds to be applied for: Contracts; teaching assignments (incl. travel and accommodation costs); procurement of teaching/learning materials or costs for student assistants. The eTeach Network Thuringia only provides funding for the compensatory teaching assignment. The funding does not include the reduction of the teaching load. The options for reducing the teaching load must be agreed between the lecturer and the university.

Funding period: Period of the teaching assignment

Please contact the eTeach team Dr Amrita Mondal and Wiebke Degler by the beginning of July for advice and to submit your application: mailto: eteach@uni-erfurt.de.

Application deadline: probably mid-October. The call for applications and awarding of grants take place annually . Note: Application deadline and call for proposals with possibly slightly modified funding conditions will be published shortly.

To the call for applications

Fellowships for "Innovations in digital lecturing"

Project funding: The Thuringian Ministry of Economics, Science and Culture and the Stifterverband are offering fellowships to lecturers working at state-funded universities in the Free State of Thuringia. The aim is to incentivise the development and testing of digitally supported teaching and examination formats or to promote the curricular redesign of modules and study sections with the consistent use of digital technologies. The programme also aims to promote cross-university exchange on (digital) lecturing and the dissemination of the teaching innovations developed by networking the fellows.

Eligible applicants: individual lecturers or, within the framework of tandem fellowships, lecturers who cooperate with a university didactics expert or a teaching/learning researcher or with a lecturer from another subject or another university in state sponsorship of the Free State of Thuringia.

Funding amount: up to 50,000 euros, earmarked for start-up funding of the planned teaching innovation

Funding to be applied for: project-related support from student/research assistants; project-related material costs; funding for guest visits by relevant foreign academics to support the implementation of the teaching project; counter-financing for temporary reductions in teaching posts in order to free up time for planning the teaching project. Publication costs for open access fees are not eligible for funding.

Funding period: Project period 01.09.2025 to 31.12.2026. Call for proposals and

Application deadline: expected at the beginning of May 2026

To the call for proposals

Freedom for teaching development

Project funding: With Freiraum, the Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching is launching a funding programme to test and develop ideas for teaching and learning. There is no thematic or subject-specific focus. We are looking for projects that are convincing due to their innovative potential.

Eligible to apply: All persons employed full-time at a German university are eligible to apply. They can be employed at state or private universities. Due to its non-profit status, the foundation can only support projects at tax-privileged institutions. Student projects with a teaching focus and projects by adjunct lecturers are expressly welcome. In these cases, applications are submitted via a person authorised to apply. Due to the broad target group and the consistently high level of interest, the scientific selection process is preceded by a lottery. Access to the application procedure will be drawn by lot from among the submitted expressions of interest.

Funding amount: max. 400,000 euros

Funds to be applied for: Project funding can include personnel and material resources as well as project-related investments. Basic equipment is to be prioritised in the projects and is not eligible for funding.

Project period: up to 24 months. Tendering and awarding take place annually .

Application deadline: probably mid-February 2026.

To the call for proposals