CZS Breakthroughs 2026: Sustainable material innovations
The call for proposals addresses research into sustainable and resource-conserving materials that contribute to making the value chains of the future safe, sustainable and efficient in the sense of a circular economy.
Detailed information:
| Focus: | Resource efficiency |
|---|---|
| Programme: | CZS Breakthroughs |
| Target group: | Professors |
| Funding budget: | 5.000.000 € |
|---|---|
| Letter of intent deadline: | 09.03.2026 |
| Full proposal deadline: | 06.05.2026 |
Goals
In the frame of its focus topic “Resource efficiency”, the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung aims to create the technological conditions for a comprehensive circular economy.
This call for proposals therefore aims to promote research into materials that conserve resources and are therefore sustainable. The call for proposals is aimed at interdisciplinary research teams in the natural sciences and engineering (in particular materials science, civil engineering, chemistry, physics, mechanical engineering).
The materials science questions should aim for resource savings in the phases of “material design”, “fabrication”, “use”, and/or “recycling/reuse”. Moreover, the impact on the previous and subsequent elements in the value chain must be considered.
The following topics are explicitly not addressed by the call: electronic and energy materials, raw materials/material sources such as renewable raw materials, substitutes for fossil raw materials, etc.
What are the application requirement specifications?
- The applying project consortium must be interdisciplinary.
- The projects implements aspects of transdisciplinarity and transfer.
- The project considers its impact on the previous and subsequent elements in the value chain.
- The project must contribute to long-term strengthening of competencies in the research area.
- The project must align with the strategic orientation of the university.
Who is eligible to apply?
In principle, the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung’s funding activity is restricted to the federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. The following universities are entitled to submit applications as part of this call for proposals (the number of applications that can be submitted is shown in brackets):
- Baden-Württemberg: Freiburg (1), Karlsruhe (1), Konstanz (1), Stuttgart (1), Ulm (1)
- Rhineland-Palatinate: Koblenz (1), Mainz (1), RPTU (2), Trier (1)
- Thuringia: Ilmenau (2), Jena (1), Weimar (2)
A university can submit a joint application with other scientific institutions (universities, universities of applied sciences or non-university research institutions). In this case, the institution submitting the application must take the lead.
Funding Period
The funding period is 5 to 6 years. The project can start on February 1st 2027 at the earliest and must start by July 1st 2027 at the latest.
In addition to the project funding applied for, the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung will pay an overhead lump sum of 20 per cent of the funding amount.
How to apply
Letters of intent and applications can only be submitted digitally via the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung's application portal. Registration is required.
Questions?
We offer a Q&A round via Teams on the following date:
- Wednesday, 25 March 2026, 03:00 p.m. to 04:00 p.m.
Please register for the sessions here
