FAQ Funding Programs
Who can I contact if I have any questions?
The application templates for my funding line are not available in the portal
There is no suitable programme for me and my research project. What can I do?
I would like to submit a funding application, how can I do this?
Is it possible to interrupt or extend the funding phase?
My START project has been approved, but I don't have a cost centre.
My funding has been completed, what do I have to do?
My START deputy is leaving the faculty, what do I have to do?
Do I have to refer to the funding in my publications?
Can I also submit a third-party funding application in parallel with the START application?
What happens to my funding if I leave the faculty?
Who can I contact if I have any questions?
If you have any questions about the funding programmes, you can contact the respective programme coordinators. The best way to do this is to use the relevant functional addresses, e.g. START@ukaachen.de or CSP@ukaachen.de. You can find the pages of the project and personal funding and mentoring programmes here.
A quick look at the respective programme statutes or this FAQ may often help to answer your question.
The application templates for my funding line are not available in the portal
The templates and documents required for submitting an application are generally only available in the relevant portal during an ongoing call for proposals. You are welcome to contact the relevant programme coordinator at any time to obtain the current version of the templates for guidance. Please note, however, that changes may be made to the documents between the application rounds and that the documents made available via the portal during a call for proposals are therefore decisive for the respective application.
There is no suitable programme for me and my research project. What can I do?
Despite a broad funding portfolio, it is unfortunately not possible to offer suitable measures for every career stage and every individual career path. Please note that the intramural funding programmes are primarily aimed at early career researchers. They are intended to build a bridge to extramural funding instruments and not to supplement or replace them. If you are unable to find suitable funding from the faculty, please take a look at the overview of the RWTH's funding programmes and the DFG proposal support services.
Exceptions to the funding requirements are generally not possible: the programmes, funding requirements and statutes are drawn up and regularly adapted by the relevant Vice-Deans in cooperation with the relevant committees. Changes are decided by the Faculty Council. Accordingly, the rules laid down there are binding for the programme coordinators - any special cases are decided by the relevant committees or the relevant Vice Dean.
If you believe there is a need for changes to the statutes or the funding portfolio, you can submit criticism and suggestions to the relevant committees for discussion at any time. Depending on the programme, this may be the AG START, the AG Perform, the Research Commission or the Commission for Equal Opportunities.
I would like to submit a funding application, how can I do this?
Funding applications for intramural programmes can only be submitted by the regular deadlines.
START: Application deadlines are 15 January and 15 June (note the changed deadline!) of each year. The official start of the project is stated in the approval letter if the assessment is positive - the project must be started within 3 months (for projects without personnel) or within 12 months (for projects with personnel).
CSP (funding lines Main, Junior, Rotation): The application deadline is 1 June or the first working day thereafter. Funding begins on 1 January of the following year - funding must be started by 1 April of the following year at the latest.
MSP (Main funding line): The application deadline is 1 June or the first working day thereafter. Funding begins on 1 January of the following year - funding must be started by 1 April of the following year at the latest.
CSP short-term: Application deadlines are 1 March, 1 June, 1 September and 1 December of each year. The funding period must begin within 3 months of the respective deadline.
Habilitation funding (MSP / CSP): The application deadline is the last Friday in April. The funding period can begin from 01 August at the earliest.
FF Med: The application deadline is 15 January, the funding period is from April to November of the respective year.
Applications for the START programme can only be submitted via the START portal; applications for the funding lines of the Clinician and Medical Scientist programmes can be submitted via the ProFund portal. Other applications can currently still be submitted by e-mail to the addresses specified in the statutes, but will gradually be switched to the ProFund portal.
For all programmes, please ensure that all documents are complete and formally correct when submitting your application! You can find further information on the respective application process in the programme statutes. If you have any questions, you can contact the respective programme coordinators at any time.
I would like to deviate from the approved project outline or the approved research time concept, what do I have to do?
All changes to the project implementation (including changes to the research design), the use of funding and the time schedule must be agreed with the programme coordinator before implementation(!), unless this is expressly stipulated otherwise in the statutes of the respective programme. Therefore, please notify the responsible project coordinator as soon as you become aware of any necessary changes.
The approval of a funding measure is always granted for the project or research concept described in the application. Changes must be incorporated into the original application documents and labelled as changes (e.g. track-change in Word), and all necessary signatures must be obtained again. If, in the opinion of the programme coordinator, the changes are substantial, they will be submitted to the relevant selection committee. Planned changes may only be implemented after approval by the project coordinator - from this point onwards, the updated documents are binding.
Is it possible to interrupt or extend the funding phase?
Interruptions or extensions of funding periods must be decided on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the reasons and framework conditions.
Please contact the respective programme coordinator. Please also let us know in good time if you wish to end a project prematurely or hand over the project to the deputy project manager in the START programme.
For a cost-neutral extension of a START project, an informal application containing the following information is mandatory: Date of the actual start of the project (date of the first booking on your cost centre); Precise description of when the extension will run until and the resulting scope; Exact breakdown of which work has been delayed, for what reasons and by how long; An updated schedule showing how you will use the remaining time. Please note: Contracts concluded with student or research assistants within the framework of START may not be interrupted for labour law reasons, even if the project has to be interrupted - for example due to the absence of the project manager.
My START project has been approved, but I don't have a cost centre.
The internal order number [Innenauftragsnummer] for your START project is usually included in the approval letter, which you can access via the START portal.
If the approval of your project is subject to conditions (e.g. approval of an ethics application, etc.), the cost centre may not yet be included. Please inform the programme coordinator via the START portal or via START@ukaachen.de as soon as your conditions have been met. Your internal order will then be released.
Please note: Once the internal order [Innenauftrag] has been approved, the entire funding amount is immediately available to you. The first use of funds marks the actual start of the project - the actual start of the project must take place within 3 months of the official start of the project (for projects without personnel) or within 12 months of the official start of the project (for projects with personnel). If the project is approved for 2 years, 40% of the total funding amount must be spent within the first year after the actual start of the project. If this is not possible due to personal or project-related circumstances, a transfer can be requested from the project coordinator (via START@ukaachen.de), stating the reasons for the delay.
In order to avoid difficulties with the timely completion of the project, we recommend that you start the project as soon as possible with the recruitment of personnel.
My funding has been completed, what do I have to do?
After completing your participation in the programme, you must submit an unsolicited evaluation within 3 months. This is usually done in the respective application portal. Please also note that further faculty funding can only be granted after the evaluation has been completed.
My START deputy is leaving the faculty, what do I have to do?
If the deputy project leader leaves the faculty, the project leader can appoint a new deputy. Please inform the responsible programme coordinator of this change in good time via the START portal or informally via START@ukaachen.de.
Please note, however, that - should there be a planned handover of the project to the deputy - this must always be applied for by the deputy and approved as part of a case-by-case decision, regardless of a possible change.
Do I have to refer to the funding in my publications?
Yes, in publications that were made possible by funding from the Faculty of Medicine at RWTH Aachen University, the faculty must always be named as the funding institution. In the programme statutes you will find a table containing the wording of the acknowledgement for the respective programme.
Can I also submit a third-party funding application in parallel with the START application?
Double and multiple funding is generally excluded.
No other funding for similar or related research topics may be applied for at the same time as external funding.
Simultaneous applications by the same person in an internal and an external funding programme with the same project idea are only permitted if this is indicated and justified in the application documents without being requested to do so. If the applicant receives approval from another funding organisation for a similar or related research topic before or during the application for internal funding, the applicant must apply for external funding and the approved internal funding expires with immediate effect
If further funding is to be obtained on the basis of intramural funding, this must be agreed with the relevant programme coordinator before the application is submitted.
What happens to my funding if I leave the faculty?
If you leave or plan to leave the faculty during an ongoing funding period, you must notify the responsible programme coordinator immediately. Grants that have not yet started - regardless of whether they are personal or project grants - may no longer be started at short notice.
Grants for individuals expire at the latest when they leave the faculty.
In the case of a START project that has already started, the project management can be transferred to the deputy project management. However, this is only possible upon application by the deputy project leader, which must be decided on a case-by-case basis. Details can be found in the statutes of the START programme.