Research and Project Funding
Various funding agencies in Germany offer a range of funding programmes for projects and research ideas related to the participation of people with disabilities and chronic illnesses.
Funding programmes can differ according to criteria such as type and scope of funding, duration and addressees of funding, funding topics and funding priorities, and scope (local, regional, national, transnational).
Some institutions provide regular and nationwide funding for research and projects on various focal points from rehab and participation or also offer joint funding focal points in this regard, while other funding bodies provide regionally limited or non-regular, temporary funding for individual topics related to people with disabilities or have programmes on topics such as education and qualification or digitisation in which people with disabilities are one of several target groups.
Below we have listed some german institutions that provide research and project funding.
Research Funding
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German Social Accident Insurance | Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung (DGUV)
The DGUV finances research projects of general interest conducted by external bodies in the areas of prevention, occupational disease and rehabilitation. -
German Pension Insurance | Deutsche Rentenversicherung Bund (Website only in German)
The Rehabilitation Science Division of the German Pension Insurance funds research projects in the field of rehabilitation as a fundamental and cross-sectional task. Scientific excellence and benefits for the development of rehabilitative care practice are key criteria for funding. -
Working Group for Cancer Control | Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Krebsbekämpfung (ARGE Krebs) (Website only in German)
As an association of all statutory pension and health insurance providers and their associations in NRW, ARGE Krebs promotes the fight against cancer, focussing on aftercare. Its aim is to enable people in employment to return to work and to prevent older people from needing long-term care. ARGE Krebs supports institutions that conduct research into cancer aftercare - in particular oncological rehabilitation - or promote these areas. -
The European Social Fund (ESF) in Germany | Europäischer Sozialfonds
The ESF is the European Union's main instrument for promoting employment in Europe. In Germany, it is being implemented under the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Priorities of the ESF Plus in the 2021-2027 funding period: promotion of sustainable and quality work, start-ups and entrepreneurship as well as adaptation to change, promotion of social inclusion and fighting poverty, investing in general and vocational education and training and lifelong learning, social innovation and aid to the most deprived. -
Aktion Mensch e.V. | (Website only in German)
Aktion Mensch supports projects from all areas of life that are committed to inclusion. To this end, it offers a variety of funding programmes with different conditions. The funding is based on five areas: Work, leisure, education and personal development, housing or accessibility and mobility. Aktion Mensch supports independent, non-profit organisations based in Germany. -
Heidehof Foundation | Heidehof Stiftung (Website only in German)
The Heidehof Foundation is active in a wide range of areas, both operationally and in terms of support. It provides support in the areas of education, ecology, health, social affairs and people with disabilities. Applications for funding in these areas can be submitted to the Heidehof Foundation by non-profit organisations or public legal entities. The focus in the "People with disabilities" funding area includes inclusion, self-help groups, integration projects, differentiated support, work and residential programmes. -
Welfare Foundation NRW | Stiftung Wohlfahrtspflege NRW (Website only in German)
The foundation is committed to the direct and sustainable improvement of the living conditions of people with disabilities, the elderly and disadvantaged children. Funding is generally provided to social institutions and projects run by independent non-profit organisations that are members of the Association of Independent Welfare Organisations in North Rhine-Westphalia.