Beyond the Grant: Understanding the DFG and Its Role in the German Research Landscape

What does the German Research Foundation (DFG) actually do – and how?

For early career researchers, the DFG is often best known as a major source of research funding. But there is much more to discover! What role does the DFG play in shaping the research landscape in Germany and internationally? Who makes funding decisions, and how does the DFG’s system of academic self-governance work?

To explore the DFG’s structures, decision-making processes, and the opportunities for researchers to become actively involved in its committees and governing bodies, we will start the session with a talk given by Anjana Buckow from the DFG head office.

As a further look behind the scenes of the DFG, an open Q&A session will follow, giving you the chance to raise your own questions and engage directly with the Vice president of the DFG, Johannes Grave.

Speakers:

Dr. Anjana Buckow has been working at the DFG head office since 2003. She is Programme director for Research Career Matters.

Prof. Dr. Johannes Grave is professor of Early Modern Art History at the Friedrich Schiller University Jena and Vice-president of the German Research Foundation.
As a Professor of Art History at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, he specializes in European Romanticism and French and Italian painting. Previously, he held a professorship at Bielefeld University and conducted research in Switzerland and France. He has published extensively and is a member of several learned societies, including Academia Europaea.
A recipient of the DFG’s prestigious Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize (2020), Grave has extensive experience with the German Research Foundation (DFG), both as a researcher involved in collaborative funding programmes and as spokesperson of a Cluster of Excellence. He served for six years on the DFG’s Senate and Grants Committee on Collaborative Research Centres and has been a member of its Executive Committee since 2024.
With this wealth of experience, Johannes Grave is exceptionally well qualified to explain the DFG’s role in the German research system, and offer insights into how it operates.