FAUconnect

The most innovative ideas for research often come when disciplines intersect. As a university which offers the entire spectrum of academic disciplines, and true to its motto ‘Moving knowledge’, FAU offers an outstanding environment for strong interdisciplinary networking. With the FAUconnect dialog platform, researchers have a tool specifically for initiating and developing their interdisciplinary research projects.

The aim of FAUconnect is to drive forward FAU’s strategic research fields that are geared to the future. The platform creates impetus for new and innovative research consortia and identifies and supports promising initiatives early on. In the long term, the aim of FAUconnect is to increase the amount of third-party funding from renowned external funding partners, strengthening FAU’s competitiveness on an international level.

FAUconnect offers a series of needs-oriented formats that are geared towards the specific goals of research projects. The range of formats include everything from small interactive workshops in Erlangen to retreats lasting a day and a half at the Fraunhofer research campus in Waischenfeld. In an open and creative atmosphere, participants have the opportunity to think beyond the boundaries of their own discipline and to explore new questions and ways of working together. Exchanging ideas with the Executive Board about the strategic focus of the project is also a vital part of the program. Each part of the program is tailored individually to the relevant topic and to the participants. If required, the events are professionally moderated, which helps to structure, cluster and visualize ideas.

Gruppenarbeit
Space for networking and creativity. This is where tomorrow’s ideas come to life (image: Larisa Zaburdaeva)

Would you like to develop your interdisciplinary research idea further using FAUconnect and turn it into a collaborative application that is eligible for funding in the long term? Send us an e-mail or call us. We would be happy to advise you on applying for FAUconnect and can help you design a format that best supports your goals.

How to apply

  • Project: Your research project should have an innovative approach , have strategic importance to FAU and have high potential for development into a project eligible for third-party funding. This does not include collaborative research projects that have already been through the FAUconnect process and initiatives that have already received start-up funding for collaborative research projects.
  • Consortium: Your research consortium should be an interdisciplinary consortium comprising at least 10 particularly well-qualified researchers. Applications may be submitted by all FAU professors, particularly well-qualified lecturers (Privatdozenten/innen), heads of junior research groups and postdoctoral candidates. Other postdoctoral researchers may participate in your networking meetings. Partners from outside the University may also be involved, however, the focus should be on FAU.
  • Speakers: One or two researchers from your consortium act as speakers for the project and submit the declaration of intent for FAUconnect.

  • To apply for FAUconnect, please complete the declaration of intent and send it to Research Support as an attachment via e-mail.
  • You can submit your declaration of intent for FAUconnect to us at any time.
  • The Executive Board then makes a decision about the funding and implementation of your FAUconnect on the basis of the declaration of intent.

Funding amounts to 50% of the actual costs for carrying out FAUconnect (up to a maximum of 5000 euros per project).

Applications may be submitted by FAU professors, particularly well-qualified lecturers (Privatdozenten/innen), heads of junior research groups and postdoctoral candidates.