# Reinhart Koselleck Projects

**Funder:** DFG
**Budget:** €500k–€1.25M
**Duration:** 5 years
**Consortium:** No - individual applicant
**Frequency:** Continuous
**Eligible countries:** DE
**Official call:** https://www.dfg.de/en/research-funding/funding-opportunities/programmes/individual/reinhart-koselleck-projects
**Last updated:** 18 Oct 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Enables outstanding researchers with a proven track record and professorial-level qualification to pursue exceptionally innovative or higher-risk projects that cannot be funded via other DFG programmes.

## Summary

The Reinhart Koselleck Projects programme funds highly innovative, high-risk research across all disciplines in Germany with €500,000-€1.25 million over five years. DFG awards these grants through continuous open submission, making them suitable for researchers with bold, exploratory ideas that may not fit conventional funding pathways. The call prioritises conceptual originality and intellectual risk over incremental progress.

## Who should apply

- Researchers based at German academic institutions
- Projects with high intellectual novelty and acceptable failure risk
- Multidisciplinary or cross-disciplinary research teams
- Applicants with a track record of independent research output

## Key dates

- Continuous submission: no deadline, proposals reviewed on rolling basis via elan portal
- Five-year project duration

## Tips for applicants

- Frame your proposal around the conceptual gap or paradigm shift, not incremental hypothesis-testing; Koselleck reviewers screen for intellectual courage.
- The programme accepts higher failure risk than standard DFG grants, be explicit about assumptions and epistemic uncertainty rather than overstating feasibility.
- Budget across the full five years; reviewers expect well-scoped resource planning for exploratory work.

## Frequently asked questions

### How much does a Reinhart Koselleck Project award?

Between €500,000 and €1.25 million over five years, depending on project scope and discipline.

### Who can apply for Reinhart Koselleck Projects?

Researchers based at German academic institutions; see the programme guidelines for detailed eligibility and institutional requirements.

### When do I submit a Reinhart Koselleck proposal?

The call is continuous with no fixed deadline; proposals are submitted via the DFG elan portal and reviewed on a rolling basis.

### What kind of research does Koselleck fund?

Highly innovative, high-risk research across all disciplines that explores new conceptual territory or challenges existing paradigms.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/dfg-reinhart-koselleck-projects-2026) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.

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