Funding decisions following the second call for proposals for new collaborative research projects / Topics range from automated driving to cultures of remembrance / A total of around €31 million for five years

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is to fund five new Research Impulses (RI), thereby continuing its targeted support for knowledge-driven research at universities of applied sciences (UAS). On the recommendation of the DFG Senate, this decision was taken by the DFG’s Joint Committee at its meeting on Thursday, 25 September 2025. The new Research Impulses will begin their work on 1 January 2026. They will receive a total of approximately €31 million over five years, including a 22 per cent programme allowance for indirect project costs.

The selection process started in December 2023 when the DFG issued a second call for proposals in the Research Impulses programme. . Following an initial review of all draft proposals, the ten most promising initiatives were invited to submit full proposals. They were evaluated on site by review panels comprising researchers from both universities and UAS. Five of them were selected for funding. Following the approval of ten projects under the first call, this means that the DFG is now funding a total of 15 Research Impulses.

Research Impulses are collaborative research projects that are intended to support universities of applied sciences with a particularly strong research profile in further developing their knowledge-driven research. Research Impulses are collaborative research projects based at a UAS that are intended to support institutions with a particularly strong research profile in further developing their knowledge-driven research. By improving research conditions at these institutions, the DFG is seeking to foster the potential of UAS within the German research system. The maximum funding period for a Research Impulse is eight years. Following the initial five-year phase, a further three-year extension may be approved subject to renewed review.
The next funding decisions on Research Impulses will be taken at the end of 2026, once the current third call has been concluded. A fourth call is scheduled to be issued later this year.

The new Research Impulses in detail
(in alphabetical order of the spokespersons’ higher education institutions):

In view of growing societal challenges and the rapid advance of digital technologies, e-participation is gaining in importance – the digitalisation of political opinion-forming and decision-making processes. For this reason, the Research Impulse Making e-participation work for transformations: Exploring fields, drivers and impacts (eParT) will seek to answer the question of how e-participation has to be designed in order to enable successful transformation processes in health, energy, mobility and education. Insights from the fields of political science, computer science and engineering are to be integrated. (Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Benjamin Ewert)

Automated driving still involves numerous uncertainties and technological challenges, not least due to the increasing use of AI methods. The Research Impulse Safety in cooperative, automated driving by tackling uncertainties (BEYOND VALIDATION AI) aims to contribute to making automated driving as safe as possible, by addressing the remaining uncertainties in representing and predicting the vehicle environment. In the medium term, a permanent interdisciplinary competence centre for improving safety in AI-based connected mobility systems Is to be established.(Technical University Ingolstadt of Applied Sciences, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Michael Botsch)

The Research Impulse Cultural Memory in Crisis will investigate the temporal dimensions of how crises influence cultural memory, including the origins of multiple overlapping crises in this field. Researchers from the areas of cultural studies, architecture and applied social sciences will also analyse the societal contexts of remembrance culture in crisis, as well as looking into coping mechanisms and resilience strategies. The project will combine traditional methods of memory research with participatory approaches. (Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Carolin Höfler)

Despite major advances in automatic speech recognition in recent years, current systems struggle with atypical speech and are often trained on unbalanced data. The Research Impulse Speech Processing in Health Sciences addresses this issue by analysing why current state-of-the-art models of speech recognition perform poorly with atypical language. The project will develop and deploy models that can be used as diagnostic aids and in health-related human-machine and human-human interactions. (Technische Hochschule Nürnberg, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Korbinian Riedhammer)

Natural fibre-based material systems are characterised by properties such as low density, high tensile strength, high impact resistance and low thermal conductivity, making them ideal for applications in the automotive, construction and other industries. Yet they are rarely recycled. The Research Impulse Real circular economy of natural fiber-based material systems (CE4NWS) seeks to support the shift from a linear to a circular value chain. Using a modular digital model, the project aims to identify optimum recycling pathways, taking into account both process and material parameters. (Rosenheim Technical University of Applied Sciences, Spokesperson: Professor Dr. Sandra Krommes)