Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Geschichte

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is a German research funding organization.FunctionThe DFG supports research in science, engineering, and the humanities through a variety of grant programmes, prizes and by funding infrastructure. The self-governed organization is based in Bonn and financed by the German states and the federal government. As of 2017, the organization consists of approx. 100 research universities and other research institutions.The DFG endows various research prizes, including the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize.BackgroundIn 1937, the Notgemeinschaft der Wissenschaft was renamed the Deutsche Gemeinschaft zur Erhaltung und Förderung der Forschung, for short known as the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft . By the end of World War II in Germany, in 1945, the DFG was no longer active. In 1949, after formation of the Federal Republic, it was re-founded as the NG and again from 1951 as the DFG.StructureThe legal status of the DFG is that of an association under private law. As such, the DFG can only act through its statutory bodies, in particular through its Executive Board and the General Assembly.The DFG is a member of the International Council for Science and has numerous counterparts around the globe such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Science Foundation (USA) and the Royal Society (UK).