Policy Grant Programme

The ZSP Policy Grant is aimed at social scientists at all career stages (from pre-doctoral level onwards). Applicants must be employed (at a university or research institute in Germany) for the entire duration of the project to be funded, or provide evidence that their living expenses are covered by other sources. The grant can only be applied for to support the applicant’s own research project. This may be an extension of an existing research project or a new project.

The Zentrum für neue Sozialpolitik (ZSP) is a non-profit, independent and non-partisan think tank based in Berlin. We help shape the future of social systems by creating spaces for the further development and networking of groundbreaking ideas, contributing evidence-based analyses and concepts, and developing application-oriented policy recommendations. We are guided by our vision of a fair and sustainable society in which a self-determined life is accessible to all.

As part of the ZSP Policy Grant, the ZSP enables social scientists to carry out practice-oriented research projects for a fair and sustainable welfare state in Germany. Grant recipients have the opportunity to translate their research findings into policy recommendations in collaboration with the ZSP and to communicate these to relevant actors in politics and society.

The ZSP Policy Grant is linked to a specific project with a funding period of six to twelve months and can provide up to €15,000.00 (individual funding) or up to €25,000.00 (team funding). These funds can be used flexibly for project-related personnel, material and travel costs.

Personnel costs do not include funding for your own position in the research project; however, the grant can be used to finance, for example, the project-related, temporary employment of a research assistant.

In addition to financial support, we also provide other resources to assist you. These include:

• Translation of the project results (technical report) into practical formats, e.g. policy papers or similar formats
• Promotion of the public and media visibility of the projects and project results (e.g. via our social media channels or through events organised specifically for the project)
• Use of the ZSP network, including contacts to members of the British Parliament and in the (pre-)political sphere
• Personal invitations to exclusive ZSP events

The project outline must include a list of estimated costs and an approximate breakdown of the sums according to their intended use in the areas of personnel, material and travel expenses. It is sufficient to specify subcategories – for example, a budget for ‘hardware’ can be listed in the area of material costs; a more detailed categorisation is not necessary.

If the funding is used to finance the temporary employment of research assistants, the corresponding DFG personnel cost rate must be specified.

Grants are awarded in a three-stage process:

After an initial internal ZSP pre-selection based on the thematic suitability of the projects, the second step involves a panel conducting a technical assessment of the applications. The key selection criteria are:

• the coherence of the project design and methodology,
• the scientific expertise of the applicants, and
• the practical relevance of possible recommendations for action.
• In a third step, discussions are held with the selected candidates to finalise and refine the project plans. These discussions will take place in Berlin in June 2024.

The final decision on the awarding of grants will be made on the basis of the selection interviews. The selected candidates will receive funding from July 2024.

Participation in the ZSP Policy Grant is subject to a contractual agreement on objectives (including milestones, project meetings, project schedule). This agreement must be adhered to by those responsible for the project.

The project outcome is expected to be a technical report of approximately 30-40 pages (with appendices, if applicable), which will form the basis for further formats – e.g. policy papers – developed in collaboration with the ZSP. The technical report describes the subject matter and objective of the research project and, based on this, the theoretical and methodological approach, the research process, the research results and the conclusions drawn from them.

If data sets are collected and/or used in the course of the project, these must be made available when the technical report is submitted.

The ZSP undertakes to provide the agreed funding amount in accordance with the contractual agreements during the project period. Furthermore, the ZSP undertakes to publish the technical reports. Additional formats will be developed individually and in consultation with the ZSP.