Can funding be requested for non-reimbursed costs arising from project-specific travel cancelled due to Covid-19 travel restrictions?

Yes, you can request funding for non-reimbursed costs for cancelled project-specific travel. The principal investigator is responsible for providing the appropriate documentation including all receipts.

Are there any changes to the extension of employment contracts in projects that are not funded via PROFI?

No, extensions of employment contracts must be submitted as usual to the FWF by the payroll offices of the research institutions.

When can payment requests be made?

Currently, we would ask you to fill out the form provided for this in the grant agreement and send it as a scan by email to the respective FWF project officer.

Is the FWF planning to provide specific measures or temporary financial assistance for principal investigators who are experiencing difficulties in carrying out their research projects due to the Covid-19 crisis?

For researchers who have to interrupt their research project due to the corona crisis or can only continue it with restrictions, we offer the following options:

  • Personnel costs for persons who can prove that they are unable to continue to work on their research project due to the government’s current measures can, of course, be paid using FWF funds.
  • If it is already evident that the progress of the project will be delayed, the FWF can extend the project on a cost-neutral basis as always. The grant agreement already provides for a cost-neutral extension of the project for up to 12 months. A project can now be extended in a cost neutral way up to 18 months instead of the previous 12 months if the FWF is notified of this in a timely manner (in any case, before the period stated in the agreement expires). This applies for all FWF projects that are ongoing as of 31 March 2021.

If you are affected by this situation, we would ask you to contact your FWF project officer by email and notify him or her about your particular circumstances. If the extension concerns employees or positions as grant-salaried principal investigators, you should also contact the human resources department of your research institution in order to avoid any problems (for instance, in terms of the regulation on successive fixed-term contracts of employment).

Can FWF-funded project staff be registered for short-time working?

Whether an employer meets the requirements to register employees for “corona short-time working” depends on the situation of the particular employer. Since the staff funded by the FWF in FWF projects are employed by the research institution, the research institution’s terms and conditions of employment apply in this case. Whether the research institution even can or wants to take advantage of this opportunity therefore has to be clarified with the research institution. This does not change anything about the use of FWF funds for personnel costs. However, any costs already funded from a different source may not be financed twice (ban on double funding).

What are the requirements for submitting requests for additional funding due to project delays caused by the corona crisis?

If only part of the planned project objectives can be achieved due to the pandemic measures, this circumstance alone is not sufficient to warrant additional funding. This situation applies to many projects and can be explained accordingly in the final report. In this case, please take advantage of the opportunity to submit a follow-up application to the FWF.

On account of the FWF’s tight funding budget, we generally cannot provide any additional financial assistance. The FWF’s funding is limited and remains so during the corona crisis. We therefore ask for your understanding that financial solutions in the form of additional funding can be granted only in rare cases of hardship. The basis for the decision is an appropriate request that explains in detail why the situation should be considered an exceptional case of hardship.

Requests for additional funding must be received by the FWF by no later than 29 October 2021 and can only be considered if the following three conditions are met:

  • The careers of doctoral candidates are directly at risk due to pandemic-related delays to work on the project. Additional funding can be requested for a maximum of three months for the continued employment of doctoral candidates.
  • The end date of the project was set for no later than 31 December 2021 at the time of application and the affected doctoral candidates can demonstrate that they have been working continuously on FWF projects for at least two years already. The doctoral candidates can demonstrate continuous participation by means of their employment contracts.
  • There are no longer sufficient funds for the project, or the remaining funds are already budgeted. In this case, the request for additional funding must also include a corresponding financial plan that takes into account the still remaining funds.

If all three conditions are met, the FWF Executive Board and the FWF Board will decide on granting additional funding for your research project on the basis of your request and the funds available.  

Please exhaust all the available options (cost-neutral extension, flexible use of funding) before submitting a request for additional financing.

Before submitting your request, please contact your FWF project officer by email and tell us about your particular situation.

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