New FWF Open API: Transparent funding data freely available

March 19, 2026

Data presented in a line graph superimposed over various other line graphs on a blue background — The new FWF Open API is a data interface that provides free and open access to information on FWF-funded projects. © Getty Images/Unsplash+

Information on FWF-funded projects and their outputs can now be queried directly using the new FWF Open API (beta version). While the FWF’s Research Radar provides data on funding decisions, projects, and key metrics and makes it accessible to the general public, the FWF Open API is aimed specifically at users with more advanced analysis needs. Among others, developers, data analysts, research institutions, and metascience researchers can now retrieve funding data directly, in a machine-readable format, and integrate it into their own applications, data analyses, visualizations, or research projects. This allows data to be efficiently linked with other information sources and research information systems.

Unique identifiers for improved data exchange

A key benefit of the FWF Open API is that the funding data provided includes persistent identifiers (PIDs). Projects are identified by Grant DOIs (see also “New Identification Numbers for FWF Projects”), researchers by ORCIDs, and research institutions by ROR IDs. These persistent identifiers provide clear, unambiguous references and improve interoperability with other research infrastructures, making it easier to link, track, and integrate funding information into existing data ecosystems.

Why open funding data is crucial

Open information on research funding is a key component of a transparent and trustworthy research ecosystem, a point also made in the international Barcelona Declaration on Open Research Information, which the FWF signed in 2024. It makes the use of public funds traceable and supports evidence-based science and research policy. At the same time, it strengthens journalistic reporting and public discourse on research and innovation.

The FWF Open API creates a central infrastructure for analysis and reuse. With this new tool, the FWF reaffirms its commitment to open science and to the greatest possible transparency in research funding and invites all interested parties to actively use this open funding data.