Further Development of FWF’s 1000 Ideas Program Following Evaluation

The FWF continues to develop its 1000 Ideas program. A recent evaluation confirms the special role of the program for high-risk and transformative research. The FWF plans to increase transparency in selection procedures, make calls more flexible, and strengthen learning-oriented monitoring to make unexpected results and productive failures more visible. International expertise in the review process will also be increased. The program’s goal remains to promote bold scientific ideas at an early stage and to facilitate innovative research.

June 2, 2026

Person writing on flipchart. — The 1000 Ideas program promotes bold scientific ideas at an early stage. © Unsplash/Kvalifik

A recent evaluation confirms that the FWF’s 1000 Ideas program is highly effective and has a clear unique selling point among Austrian research funding programs. The report emphasizes that the program facilitates bold and unconventional research approaches at an early stage.

The recommendations provided in the evaluation report are an important impetus for the FWF to further strengthen transparency, fairness, and learning processes in the program. Implementation of the planned measures will depend on the budgetary framework for the 2027–2029 period.

Independent format for bold ideas

The evaluation report confirms that the 1000 Ideas program is most effective as an independent, high-risk/high-gain program with small budgets, short terms, anonymous assessment, and the possibility of partial randomization. This program structure ensures speed, a willingness to experiment, and low entry barriers for applicants, and promotes novel approaches that would often be weeded out too early in conventional programs. At the same time, it should be made easier to continue successful projects in other programs in the future.

More transparency in selection procedures

In future, the FWF wants to communicate more clearly how anonymization and partial randomization are used in selection procedures. Randomized decisions should continue to be applied flexibly and depending on the competitive situation. In addition, the FWF is examining how a larger pool of international reviewers can be systematically involved in the decision-making process in order to relieve pressure on the FWF Scientific Board and better cover the range of disciplines.

More flexible calls and increased monitoring

The FWF will take the suggestion to open two calls for proposals per year instead of one into consideration. The idea is to ease the pressure of submission deadlines, improving quality and planability. In addition to classic output indicators, monitoring should be more strongly geared towards the special features of high-risk research. In the future, negative, non-existent or unexpected findings, course corrections, and pathways for follow-up research will be made visible in order to enable and document learning gains through productive failure.

Impetus for research funding

The FWF is also reviewing whether individual elements of the program – such as anonymization or randomization of equally qualified applications – can also be used in other FWF funding programs.

By strengthening transparency, anonymization, learning-oriented monitoring, and pragmatic flexibility, the 1000 Ideas Program can fulfill its role as a catalyst for bold, transformative research even more effectively. Facilitating scientific risk-taking, making productive failure visible, and getting the best ideas off the ground at an early stage remain the FWF’s goals with this program.