CZS research boost: Call for application for newly appointed professors at universities of applied sciences

Goals

The application must describe a specific research project in the STEM field to be carried out during the funding period. The funds must be used in a way that enables the initiation of research activities. The funds may be used beyond the scope of the actual project funding to provide additional flexibility for research, for example, to finance a substitute teaching position.

What are the selection criteria?

The following criteria, in particular, are taken into account during the evaluation:

• The applicant’s research potential and the plausibility of a long-term research vision that extends beyond the scope of the proposed project.
• The quality and originality of the proposed research project.
• The project’s networking potential, as well as that of the applicant, both within and outside the university.
• The prospects for securing additional external funding and for developing subsequent research projects.

Who is eligible to apply?

CZS research boost is intended exclusively for newly appointed professors who have taken up a professorship at a state university of applied sciences for the first time within the last twelve months (from the application deadline)

The funding activities of the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung are limited to Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. Professors at the following universities are eligible to apply:

• Baden-Württemberg:
  Aalen, Albstadt-Sigmaringen, Biberach, Esslingen, Furtwangen, Heilbronn, Karlsruhe, Konstanz, Mannheim, Nürtingen-Geislingen, HfG Schwäbisch Gmünd, Offenburg, Pforzheim, Ravensburg-Weingarten, Reutlingen, Rottenburg, HdM Stuttgart, HfT Stuttgart, Ulm
• Rhineland-Palatinate:
  Bingen, Kaiserslautern, Koblenz, Ludwigshafen, Mainz, Trier, Worms
• Thuringia:
  FH Erfurt, EAH Jena, Nordhausen, Schmalkalden

Downloads (only available in German)

Application

Applications may only be submitted digitally via the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung’s application portal. All necessary documents are available on the application portal. Registration is required.

Duration

The funding period is 24 months. The project may begin no earlier than October 1, 2026, and must start no later than January 1, 2027.

Questions?

We offer a Q&A session via Teams on the following dates:

• Thursday, April 16, 2026, 2:00–2:45 p.m.
• Friday, April 24, 2026, 2:00–2:45 p.m.
• Monday, April 27, 2026, 9:00–9:45 a.m.

Link to the session (for all three options):

Dial-in link, Meeting-ID: 373 639 422 537 73, Passcode: nd7HL3ge