The sole purpose of the Foundation is the direct support of scholarship and research in universities and non-profit research institutions, primarily in Germany, with special emphasis on giving help to young scholars and scientists. The support of international cooperation is a further important factor in the work of the Foundation. The Foundation achieves its purpose by financing specific research projects in selected areas of emphasis - projects which can be completed in predictable periods of time, and which are within the financial possibilities of the Foundation.

Applications can be accepted only if they come from universities or non-profit research institutions. Applicants must have completed a doctorate. Young academics can, within the framework of a project, apply for their own post (see section on Special Features).

The Foundation suggests that an application be organized as follows:

• Application form (original form, signed)
• Resumé (one or two pages)
• More detailed plan (topic, present state of research, preparatory work done, plan of procedure, methods, time schedule, collaborators, publications on the subject)
• Curriculum vita and list of the applicant´s publications
• Cooperation with other scholars
• Personal and material support from the budget of the institution or from other sources
• Itemised budget taking into account:
  • Personnel costs (usually in line with the "Bundesangestelltentarif" (BAT) or with the "Tarifvertrag für den öffentlichen Dienst der Länder" (TVL), or, if abroad, the prevailing rates at the foreign university or research institute)
  • Travel expenses
  • One-time expenditures for apparatus, relevant literature
  • Annual running-costs, particularly for supplies
  • Other costs (such as costs of contracts for outside services)
  • Total amount requested from the Fritz Thyssen Stiftung

Important!
In the case of an application in the field of biomedicine, the supplementary notes on the area of special emphasis, "Molecular Pathogenesis and models of the Genesis of Disease" should be noted.

The complete application (including enclosures) must be transmitted to us on a data carrier in pdf format (in exceptional cases also as a Word document, but under no circumstances as a Macintosh document). If possible, the application should be on a single data file; where several files are required, they should be numbered. In addition, a paper print-out of the application (which must be identical with the electronic version and neither stapled nor bound) should be submitted. 

Deadlines for Applications:
Project applications can be submitted by September 30th, 2010 for the winter meeting in 2011 or by February 25th, 2011 for the summer meeting of the Foundation committees in 2011.

For those researchers working on the project who have a doctoral degree, a full-time post at BAT IIa (or TVL-E13) can be applied for. For those who have not yet completed a doctorate, payment is usually half of BAT IIa (or half of TVL-E13). However, projects the purpose of which is the writing of a doctoral dissertation will not be supported by the Foundation.

Non-academic personnel are paid at the appropriate BAT or TVL level. Student helpers or research assistants should be paid according to the prevailing rates at the institution involved. These rates should be made known to the Foundation.

Young scholars can, within the framework of a project, apply for their own post (normally BAT IIa or TVL-E13). If support is granted, the institution that accepts the candidate must exercise the function of employer for the period of support.

Both the BAT and TVL salery scales have special rates for the new German states.

Travel costs:
Funds to cover travel costs that are directly connected with the project can be applied for. In addition to reasonable travel and overnight accommodation costs, up to € 24,- a day can be granted to cover the costs of meals when travelling within Germany. The office of the Foundation can inform those travelling abroad of the current rates applicable for specific countries.

Apparatus, special literature, etc.:
For larger pieces of equipment, offers should be obtained from several sources. The Foundation is not the owner of the equipment, but in most cases the university or institute in which the project is being carried out. The equipment can also be given to the researcher himself, on the condition that at the conclusion of the project if the Foundation so requires it must be passed on to the university or institute, or to another researcher. A subsidy for specialized literature is possible if the required texts are not available in the library. The Foundation does not subsidize building costs, nor the costs of office furniture and equipment which are normally part of the standard fittings of a university or institute.

In the letter announcing the grant to the candidate, the conditions governing the grant are stated. In accepting the grant, the candidate commits himself to carrying out the conditions of the grant.

The funds are to be administered by the relevant university or institute, and are paid out upon the written request of the grant holder, if possible in quarter-yearly installments.

Funds not made use of should be returned to the Foundation. If the original application for a subsidy consisted of a number of categories of expenditure, up to 20% of the funding for any individual category can be used to cover costs in a different category. Larger financial divergences and the use of project funds for costs which were not named in the application require the agreement of the Foundation.

At the end of the period of support, the grant holder must without delay submit to the Foundation accounts showing how the funds have been used, as well as a final report on the project.