# Change! Fellowships

**Funder:** Volkswagen Foundation
**Consortium:** Required — jointly with non-academic partners
**Eligible countries:** DE
**Official call:** https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/en/funding/funding-offer/change-fellowships
**Last updated:** 11 Oct 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Targets researchers investigating transformation processes jointly with non-academic partners, across all disciplines; funds the applicant's own position.

## Summary

The Volkswagen Foundation's Change! Fellowships support researchers in Germany to pursue innovative projects that challenge conventional thinking and advance their fields. The programme welcomes researchers across disciplines who are ready to venture beyond established methodologies and institutional norms.

## Who should apply

- Researchers based at German institutions
- Applicants with innovative or unconventional research ideas
- Researchers willing to challenge disciplinary norms

## Key dates

- First listed on Grantsby 22 March 2026 (check Volkswagen Foundation website for official deadline)

## Tips for applicants

- Emphasise the innovative or counter-conventional angle of your work; the Volkswagen Foundation's Change! scheme prioritises researchers breaking from disciplinary orthodoxy.
- Demonstrate how your project will shift thinking or practice in your field, not just advance incremental knowledge.

## Frequently asked questions

### What does the Change! Fellowship fund?

The Volkswagen Foundation's Change! Fellowships support innovative research projects that challenge conventional thinking and advance researchers' fields.

### Who is eligible for the Change! Fellowship?

Researchers based at institutions in Germany across all disciplines are eligible.

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

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