Funding Guidelines
Purpose of Funding
As a non-profit organization based in Kiel, the DGP supports research in the polar regions and glaciated areas outside the poles. It is one of the most broadly interdisciplinary societies worldwide, dedicated to exploring the polar regions from the perspectives of natural sciences, humanities, and cultural studies. The DGP explicitly seeks to include not only researchers at academic institutions but also school students, teachers, and interested members of the public.
The DGP aims to support the initiative, creativity, and mobility of individual applicants to promote a dynamic exchange across disciplines and between science and society. Therefore, the DGP offers a range of grants to its members.
Projects eligible for funding are those that:
- strengthen networking within the polar research community;
- increase the mobility and broaden the skillsets of early-career researchers;
- make polar research more visible and tangible in educational settings;
- help to make polar research topics accessible to a broader public;
- support the engagement of DGP members aligned with the above goals.
Accordingly selected projects may receive support such as:
- Mobility grants for conferences, summer schools, workshops, field stays, etc. (usually up to €500);
- Support for members, preferably early-career researchers, to attend the DGP’s International Polar Conference (e.g., partial coverage of fees, travel, and accommodation, up to €500);
- Funding for competitions, book projects, etc. (usually up to €500);
- Support for school and educational projects and exhibitions (up to €2,000)
Eligibility and Application Procedure
- All members of the German Society for Polar Research are eligible to apply. Preference is given to early-career researchers and school students. Teachers may submit applications on behalf of their students.
- Applications should include a short justification for the funding request and a cost estimate for the project.
- Applications from early-career researchers and school students must include a brief statement from a supervisor.
- If the project also receives funding from other sources, it must be explained why additional support is required beyond the existing resources.
- Applications may be submitted at any time using the form provided, which is also available on the DGP website.
- Funding decisions are made by the extended board of the DGP at its quarterly meetings. Applicants will be notified in writing, usually via email.
Funding Criteria
- Relevance of the project to the DGP’s statutes and the funding guidelines;
- Quality and coherence of the project description, justification, and feasibility (budget, timeline);
- Potential for strengthening the applicant’s personal profile.
In Case of Approval
If the application is successful, the applicant is required to provide a short description of the funded project (max. 300 words, including a portrait photo) for publication on the DGP website.
After project completion, the DGP expects a final report (min. 500 words with suitable photos or illustrations) for publication on the website and/or in the journal Polarforschung.
In publications and presentations, the DGP should be acknowledged with its logo and the following wording:
“The project was funded by the German Society for Polar Research (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Polarforschung e.V.)”
Treasurer
Dr. Mirko Scheinert
TU Dresden, Institute of Planetary Geodesy
Contact
You can reach us via email at info (at) polarforschung.de