Research Funding via the Research Commission
About Us – Members of the Research Commission
The Research Commission (FOKO) at the Faculty of Medicine is a commission established by the Executive Board of the Faculty of Medicine with nine voting members from the group of professors at the Faculty of Medicine. The Vice Dean for Research serves as ex officio chairperson. Other advisory members are the Dean and the Head of the Office of the Dean for Research. The FOKO meets four times a year.
What is supported?
Priority is given to projects that can be transferred to external third-party funding (in particular from the DFG) in the foreseeable future. Funding is generally provided for 6 months; in exceptional cases longer. The Research Commission supports research projects in particular with personnel, material and consumables.
Application Requirements
Scientists who are members of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg are eligible to apply. Students who have completed their first medical examination (Physikum, cand. med.) are not eligible to apply.
Appointment
| Appointment Deadlines | Meeting Dates |
|---|---|
| 15.09.2026 | 06.10.2026 |
| 10.11.2026 | 03.12.2026 |
Application and Forms
The Office of the Dean for Research is responsible for the Research Commission. All applications and questions regarding funding from the Commission should always be addressed to the Office of the Dean for Research and not to individual members of the Commission.
Applications are submitted via the web-based application portal:
The application may be submitted in English or German. Please be sure to follow the instructions in the application guide:
Personnel funds approved by the Commission are maximum rates (based on the TV-L). Any additional entitlements must be covered by the department’s research and teaching budget (e.g. probationary promotion, transitional allowance in the event of unemployment, payment of unused vacation, etc.). You can find the standard rates for staff approvals here:
A report must be prepared after the Research Commission has completed its funding of personnel. Please refer to the following information sheet.
Internal access only. If internal access is not possible, the document can be requested by email: forschungsdekanat@uniklinik-freiburg.de.
Clinical Trials Program of the Research Commission
Call for Applications
Subject to budgetary approval, the Faculty of Medicine is once again announcing its internal funding program for the start-up financing of clinical studies. The aim is to provide financial support in particular for pilot studies that are necessary for the substantial planning of (multicenter) clinical trials. The results of these studies then serve as the basis for planning and conducting prospective, interventional, confirmatory, multicenter studies on patients to prove the efficacy of novel therapeutic, diagnostic or prognostic methods.
Application Requirements
- Prior experience in conducting clinical studies (qualifications as an investigator [German: Prüfarzt/Prüfärztin] or study director)
- Overview of the evidence base for the research question
- Preliminary work on the topic
- Scientist at the Faculty of Medicine
Collaboration with the Clinical Trials Unit (ZKS)
The spectrum of services provided by the ZKS includes advice, support in presenting the evidence base, biometric planning of the study, preparation of a cost plan including all study-relevant services, implementation of the pilot study and support with the subsequent funding application for the main study. If you are interested, please contact the ZKS as early as possible.
Funding
Funding amount: The application volume is limited to a maximum of €50 000 per pilot study. For financial reasons, no travel expenses can be applied for. Please ensure that the funding sum applied for are appropriate and are checked for plausibility. The approved funds must be spent in full in 20265. The application must therefore state when the specific use of funds is planned, i.e. when und which expenses will actually be incurred.
External funding for the main multicenter study following the pilot study must be applied for, e.g. as part of the “Clinical Studies” programs of the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR). Studies in which commercial companies have a direct economic interest in the results are excluded from funding.
Deadlines
- Submission of the application documents in English or German to the Office of the Dean for Research is expected to be possible in March 2027.
- You will receive a confirmation of receipt within 2 working days. If you do not receive a confirmation, please send an e-mail to the Office of the Dean for Research or contact us by telephone (0761/270-72450).
- After the deadline, an evaluation and pre-selection will be carried out by a selection committee.
- Positively assessed applicants will be asked to present their project in front of the selection committee on 30.06.2026.
- Fund will be allocated in the fall of 2026, as the funds must be spent in full in 2027.
- The application documents must be submitted in electronic form only; a paper version is not required.
