# NEXT – 'Dual Use' of Ideas and Concepts from the Humanities and Social Sciences

**Funder:** Volkswagen Foundation
**Consortium:** Required — project teams
**Eligible countries:** DE
**Official call:** https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/en/funding/funding-offer/next-dual-use-ideas-and-concepts-humanities-and-social-sciences
**Last verified:** 19 July 2026

## Eligibility & scope

Aimed at project teams from humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences investigating how academic ideas are transferred into political and ideological contexts. Funds cooperation projects and teaching substitutes/own positions for postdoctoral researchers.

## Summary

The Volkswagen Foundation's NEXT, 'Dual Use' of Ideas and Concepts call funds project teams from the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences to investigate how academic ideas are transferred into political and ideological contexts. The call supports cooperation projects and teaching positions for postdoctoral researchers based in Germany, with consortium participation required. This initiative uniquely examines the unintended or problematic uptake of scholarly work in public discourse.

## Who should apply

- Postdoctoral and early-career researchers in humanities, cultural studies, or social sciences
- Research teams based at German institutions willing to form a consortium
- Scholars investigating the transfer of academic concepts into political or ideological use
- Applicants proposing cooperative projects with named team members and institutional partners

## Key dates

- Check Volkswagen Foundation website for exact deadline and application schedule

## Tips for applicants

- Consortium structure is mandatory; clearly define roles and governance before drafting to avoid reviewer friction.
- Frame your research question around the *transfer mechanism* itself, how ideas cross from academia into political space, rather than the ideas alone.
- Teaching-position funding appeals to researchers who need both research time and institutional stability; highlight how your team's teaching agenda reinforces the project focus.

## Frequently asked questions

### What research areas does the NEXT 'Dual Use' call fund?

Humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences projects investigating how academic ideas are transferred into political and ideological contexts.

### Who can apply to the NEXT 'Dual Use' call?

Project teams based in Germany, including postdoctoral researchers; consortium participation is required.

### Does the NEXT 'Dual Use' call fund teaching positions?

Yes, the call supports both cooperation projects and teaching substitutes or permanent positions for postdoctoral researchers.

### Is the NEXT 'Dual Use' call open internationally?

No, eligible applicants and institutions must be based in Germany.

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Source: [The Great Grantsby](https://grantsby.eu/grants/volkswagen-foundation-next-dual-use-of-ideas-and-concepts-from-the-human-2026) — EU grant monitoring for academic researchers. Always verify details on the funder's website before applying.

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