Five scientists from Ulm have been elected to the review boards of the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). These committees evaluate funding applications submitted to the DFG, ensuring that scientific standards are met. A total of approximately 650 places were up for election on 49 review boards for the new term of office.
More than 54,000 scientists voted in the German Research Foundation’s review board election. They were able to cast their votes online for a total of 49 review board members for the term of office from 2024 to 2028. The proportion of women elected is 37.9 per cent.
The review boards are responsible for evaluating funding applications to the DFG in the three-phase decision-making process. In the case of individual applications, this normally occurs on the basis of written reviews. In the coordinated programmes, an evaluation committee generally reviews the applications. The review boards are also involved in the development of DFG funding programmes and discuss issues in funding policy.
According to the preliminary election results, the following researchers from Ulm are members of the respective review boards:
Microbiology, virology and immunology 2.21: Professor Thomas Stamminger – medical director Institute of Virology, Ulm University Medical Centre
Medicine 2.22: Professor Gerhard Glatting – Department of Nuclear Medicine, Ulm University Medical Centre
Neurosciences 2.23: Professor Leda Dimou – Molecular and Translational Neuroscience, Medical Faculty
Electric engineering and computer sciences 4.42: Professor Christian Waldschmidt – director of the Institute of Microwave Engineering
Computer science 4.43: Professor Enrico Rukzio – Institute of Media Informatics, head of the Human-Computer Interaction research team
Independent universities and scientific societies may nominate members for the review boards. The voting researchers all have doctorates and conduct their research at recognised scientific institutions in Germany. The members of the review boards are elected to the voluntary positions for a period of four years.
“I’d like to extend my congratulations to our representatives on the review boards. With their involvement in the review boards, they take on a very important task in the self-governing system of the most important scientific funding organisation in Germany, which is of great importance for the excellent level of research at Ulm University”, says Professor Joachim Ankerhold, vice president of research at Ulm University.
DFG President Professor Katja Becker thanked all of the researchers who cast their votes. “No other body better exemplifies the principle of self-governance that the DFG stands for than the review boards”, she said. “The members of the review boards ensure that DFG funding decisions are made based on the DFG’s own scientific standards and in the spirit of curiosity, innovation and a thirst for knowledge”, the DFG president explained.
In 2022, the DFG supported around 32,000 funding projects from all scientific fields with a total amount of 3.9 billion euros. The DFG is the largest research funding organisation in Germany.
The final election results should be available in February of the coming year. The newly appointed review boards will then convene at their first meetings in the spring of 2024.
Text and mediacontact: Daniela Stang