FOSTER - Funds for Student Research
The Funds for Student Research (FOSTER) program is part of the Excellence Strategy "TUD 2028 - Synergy and beyond" (EXU focus TALENT). FOSTER promotes student research and gives it visibility.
This year's FOSTER call for proposals will be published on June 03, 2024. Further information can be found here under Call 2024!
The goals of FOSTER are:
- Introducing students to research and scientific specialist cultures
- Strengthening interdisciplinarity
- Establishing university-wide incentive structures for student research
- Rewarding the commitment of teaching staff to student research projects
- Attracting excellent early-career researchers
FOSTER target groups
FOSTER provides financial support and funding:
- TUD students who are enthusiastic about research and want to carry out their own research projects, organize (student) research conferences or participate in research conferences and competitions with their research results.
- Teachers or early-career researchers who would like to initiate teaching-learning formats at TUD to strengthen student research or accompany student research projects and need resources and support to do so.
Eligible projects
The FOSTER program currently has the following funding lines:
- RESEARCHCHALLENGE PARTICIPATION: Participation in student research competitions for TU Dresden
- STUDENTFORUM@TUD: Student events on student research at TU Dresden
- STUDENTRESEARCH@TUD: Student research activities at TU Dresden
- STATA (Student Academic Travel Award): Participation in conferences and congresses
- ENABLE2RESEARCH@TUD: Research-oriented teaching and learning activities at TU Dresden (support for formats such as modules, summer schools, tutorials, projects, simulation games, etc.)
Please contact us for further project ideas.
Overview of previously funded projects
Application
There are currently no deadlines for applications for projects up to €1,000.00, i.e. applications can be submitted at any time. Projects from € 1,000.01 to € 5,000.00 are subject to a collective internal review. The deadlines for this are: 29.2.24, 30.4.24, 30.6.24, 31.8.24, 31.10.24 and 31.12.24.
In addition, a call for larger projects (with project start in 2025 and requested funding amount > € 5,000.00) will be published in summer 2024. All members of TU Dresden are eligible to apply.
For a complete application, please submit
- Application form (incl. data protection declaration)
- Financial calculation (incl. evidence/quotations)
- Project plan (for student research projects)
- Letters of recommendation from supervisors (except for applications in the STATA funding line)
- If applicable, successful ethics application, animal testing application, seriousness check of journals by the SLUB, etc.
Please submit a short didactic concept (at least 4 pages) with your application that addresses the following core areas:
- Acquisition of competences: Which learning objectives do you pursue with your offer/your project? What learning outcomes do you expect students to achieve? What added benefit for students does your project provide?
- Research in teaching: Which aspects do you find most important regarding research-oriented teaching/research-based learning?
- Process and Formats: How should the course proceed (methodology, chronological sequence, format, etc.)? Which (digital) formats do you use and how do they support the learning and research process?
- Checking success: How do you check or ensure the learning success of the students? How do you check the success of your project?
Further information
- Note for students (except medicine): When applying for funding for projects, you need to be supervised by a TU Dresden lecturer. Please note our information on the process.
- Notefor medical students: When applying for funding for projects, you require supervision by a:n TU Dresden lecturer. Please note our information on the process.
- Notefor secretariats: During the application process, students are asked to contact the secretariats responsible for them. Please refer to our information for secretariats.
- If you have any questions about the application process and project planning, you are welcome to contact us by e-mail after reading the FAQ box.
- Please describe your project in the application form in such a way that it can also be understood by people from other disciplines.
- Every applicant can take advantage of (didactic) advice from the ZiLL.
- An application is generally considered binding as soon as it has been submitted in the correct form and the required documents have been submitted in full. Applicants and the respective sector secretariats undertake to provide correct and truthful information and to comply with the specified deadlines and conditions.
- Information on data protection
FAQs - Information for applicants and funding recipients
Funding is only available for non-personnel resources (Sachmittel). Funding for student assistant / research assistant positions is not provided.
Yes, but the applications must differ content-wise.
When publications are funded by FOSTER, a review of the intended journal with regard to reliability must be carried out by SLUB (Open Access ). Please inform us about the result of the review.
Please proceed as follows:
- Step: We review the application to see if funding can be provided.
- Step: If this is the case, the applicant must have the journal reviewed by the SLUB. The applicant submits the result to us.
- Step: If the journal is reputable, the funding notification can be sent.
Students in their final semester or who have already completed their studies and are currently in a transitional phase can only apply for the STATA funding line with an approved conference contribution.
International Travelling
For international travel, please orientate yourself with reference to the maximum limit for refunding according to the General Administrative Regulation on the New Determination of Foreign Daily Allowances and Foreign Overnight Allowances (ARVVwV) .
Furthermore, travel expenses can only be reimbursed on the basis of receipts.
Vaccinations at conferences
Costs for vaccinations can be reimbursed if the vaccinations are necessary for the foreign business trips and are not covered by the health insurance. Proof of the need for vaccination must be submitted.
Travel expenses
Travel by train, bus, car or plane must be documented with receipts.
Accommodation
Accommodation expenses incurred by students may be reimbursed upon submission of receipts. The maximum amount is the flat rate regulated by the Travel Expenses Regulations of TU Dresden.
Hospitality for students
Catering costs will be reimbursed upon proof of appropriate receipts. The maximum limit for reimbursement is the amount regulated by the Catering Allowance of TU Dresden (daily allowance).
For projects spanning several years, please note that the funding amount for the respective calendar year must be adhered to. It is not possible to carry over unspent funds to the following year.
Please refer to the financial calculation template available to you, in which the planned expenditure of the funding must be indicated on an annual basis.
Furthermore, the funds must be spent with effect and in a project-related way not later than two months after the end of the funding period.
At the end of the funding period, a final report and final expenditure report must be submitted within eight weeks.
Use the following documents for this purpose: Final Report, FOSTER Accounting.
Note: For the final expenditure report, if you have already used it to apply, you can also use the financial calculation document provided by us.
No funding will be provided for:
- Basic equipment given institutionally
- Student assistant/Reseach assistant jobs in combination with final thesis
- Cell phone contracts abroad
- Print and correction costs of final theses
- Food lump sum of research stays > 10 days
- Train journeys included in the student ticket
- Devices such as iPads, computer, etc. which can be used for other causes after the funding period (these devices can only be rented for the duration of the funding period)
The duration of the application review depends on the quality and completeness of the application and the attached documents and is therefore highly individual. This also influences the date of receipt of the funding decision or the rejection of your application.
On average, eight weeks elapses from the receipt of the application to the eventual receipt of the funding decision (for projects < 5,000 €). According to our experience, the time span depends on how quickly documents and additions requested by us are submitted.
If you apply through the Call for FOSTER, please calculate a processing time of at least three months, as the application review process is more complex. Again, the sooner you submit requested documents and supplements, the sooner you can start your project if it is funded.
Your contact person:
© TUD | Michael Kretzschmar
Research Associate
NameDr. Franziska Schulze-Stocker
Funds for Student Research (FOSTER)
Send encrypted mail via the SecureMail portal (for TUD external users only).
Das FOSTER-Team
FOSTER is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Free State of Saxony as part of the Excellence Strategy of the Federal and State governments.