Outgoing Mobility Program

In addition to the fellowship program for incoming activities, the Weizenbaum Institute is establishing the Outgoing Mobility Program (OMP) in the new funding phase to support scientific activities abroad. For the second establishment phase (2025-2027), a total budget of €99,000 was granted to fund outgoing activities. This was justified in the application with the expansion of cooperation with institutional partners (including the Oxford Internet Institute (OII), the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford, the Digital Society Initiative (DSI) at the University of Zurich, the Digital Media Research Centre at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, and the International Computer Science Institute (ICSI) at UC Berkeley. Stays at these institutions are to be particularly promoted in the period up to September 2027. But researchers are flexible in their choice of host institution when they apply for funding at the OMP.

Eligibility

The following persons are eligible to apply for funding

In terms of career advancement at the WI, priority is given to Group A. 

If the employment contract at the WI is suspended for a (longer) stay abroad, funding through the Outgoing Mobility Program is not possible for activities within the scope of this stay.

Framework Conditions for Funding

Duration of stay abroad

• Minimum 2 weeks and maximum 3 months. This also simplifies the regulations in re-lation to the host country (taxes, visa, insurance). A longer stay would require consid-erable additional effort. This must be discussed with the Human Resources depart-ment at an early stage.

Organization

• The guidelines for "Mobile working abroad" apply to the duration of the funded stay abroad. The desired stay must be reported to the Human Resources Department, at the latest when applying for funding through the Outgoing Mobility Program.
• Only activities outside of Germany can be funded by the OMP.

Funding

• The funding is a subsidy for the financing of stays abroad from the funds of the re-search groups/units. The aim is for approximately 1/3 of the financing to be provided by the RG/U and approximately 2/3 from the central budget. If proportional financing by the FG/E is not possible, a brief explanation from the RGL must be provided.
• The possible subsidy from the central budget is capped at a maximum of €5,000 per stay abroad. The maximum amount of €5,000 can also be applied for if the RG/U can contribute less than 1/3 of the total financing of the activity.
• Funding is individual and earmarked for accommodation and travel expenses (in-cluding visa fees and similar costs). The provisions of the Federal Travel Expenses Act (Bundesreisekostengesetz) apply.  Higher expenses, e.g., for higher living costs abroad and for other material costs (e.g., for research materials), cannot be financed from central funds. Participation fees may be covered by the funding (e.g., for sum-mer schools, workshops). The PT must review any requests to cover tuition fees at a foreign university and may decide not to cover them or to cover only a portion of them. 

Application and Award Procedure

Application

The application comprises

• A form with the description of the outgoing activity

• Table with the cost plan (with a breakdown of costs and proportional financing by the RG/U)
• Brief statement from the RGL supporting the activity abroad and, if applicable, covering the proportionate costs (as specified in the cost plan)
• Letter of invitation or written confirmation of the possibility of a stay at the host institution or confirmation of registration for an event (workshop, summer school).

Monthly deadline for submitting applications in advance of the Career Development Working Group meetings (see dates below). Lead time before implementation of the activity: max. one year. In exceptional cases, funding can also be applied for more than 12 months in advance.

The complete application should be submitted in time for the respective monthly deadline via email at: forschungsmanagement[at]weizenbaum-institut.de

Award Procedure

• Funding is awarded in relation to the annual budget (€10,000 in 2025, €50,000 in 2026, and €39,000 in 2027). Once these annual budget has been exhausted, no further applications can be submitted (first come, first served). 
• Once the application is handed in, it will be checked for completeness and plausibility of the cost plan by Research Manager for Internationalization and Networking
• It will be reviewed by the Career Development Working Group in the meeting following the monthly deadline. The funding decision is made by this Working Group. If the applications for funding exceed the existing budget, selection will be based on prioritization in line with the objectives of networking the institute and promoting careers at the WI (stays at partner institutions, target group A, added value for individual research projects at the WI).
• Only one grant per researcher from the specified target group (A, B, and C) is possible during the second establishment phase (Oct. 2025 – Sept. 2027). If the application is rejected but budget is still available, it is possible to reapply. 
• Regular information will be provided on the awarding of funding and the budget status. 

Contact

If you have any questions regarding the program or application, please contact Annegret Kunde.

Timeline