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 lie within the financial possibilities of the Foundation.

Printing subsidies are designed to make possible the publication of such research results as contribute to scholarship and science.

For the publication of qualified works which were written with the support of a stipend from the Foundation or which were the result of a project or conference supported by the Foundation, a printing subsidy can be given - if such help is necessary in order that the work be published. The printing of dissertations and examination papers cannot be supported, nor can subsidies be given to reduce the retail price of a book. Printing subsidies are given as interest-free conditionally repayable subsidies or as non-repayable subsidies (see also Special conditions).

Applications for printing subsidies can be submitted either by the author or the publisher. The application should include the following:

• Information concerning the applicant and his or her research or scholarly work, insofar as this is not yet known to the Foundation
• University or research institution
• Title of the publication
• A brief summary of the contents
• A statement as to whether such an application has been made elsewhere, and if so, with what results

Also included should be:

• The final version of the complete manuscript on a computer disk in pdf, otherwise in Word format.
• The publisher´s estimate of the costs of publication as well as the subsidy requested, which he or she should enter on the form Preliminary Calculation and Accounts for Publications (available only in German). The Foundation reserves the right to obtain further estimates.

Deadlines for applications
Applications for subsidies can be submitted to the Foundation at any time.

Preliminary Calculation and Accounts for Publications
The appropriate form can be loaded from this page onto your computer and filled out using you own text system. The RTF format (Rich Text Format) was chosen so that a wide range of text systems can be used. This format is automatically recognized by the usual word-processing programmes.

• In calculating the subsidy, the Foundation assumes that the publisher will not have to pay a fee for the first edition. If a fee should come into question, a special arrangement with the Foundation is required. In any case, no fee can be paid when support from the Foundation led to the publication.
• A publisher´s contract is to be made between the author or editor and the publisher with, however, the reservation that the contract is dependent on the agreement of the Foundation to a subsidy.
• Both the author (or editor) and the publisher will be informed in the event that the Foundation has agreed to a subsidy. In accepting the subsidy, the author (or editor) and the publisher commit themselves to the following:
  • Where substantial changes in the manuscript have been made, agreement from the Foundation must be obtained before the setting of the book begins.
  • The conditions given in the Notice of Grant (deadlines, number of copies, selling price, complimentory copies, reimbursements) cannot be changed without obtaining prior permission from the Foundation. (The conditions governing repayable and non-repayable subsidies differ.)
  • The Foundation must be informed if a subsidy is given by a third party.

The subsidy is paid out as soon as the work appears, the Foundation has received the number of complimentory copies agreed to in the Notice of Grant, and the final accounting of the actual costs have been submitted to and approved by the Foundation. Payments can be made in instalments on condition that the publication is brought out without delay. The financial settlement takes place directly between the publisher and the Foundation.