Germany Sino-German Call NSFC-DFG Scholarship 2026

Germany Sino-German Call NSFC-DFG Scholarship 2026

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) have launched the 2025 iNum Call on “Intelligent Numerical Mathematics” to strengthen scientific collaboration between Germany and China. This bilateral research funding program supports joint projects in Numerical Mathematics and Scientific Computing for up to three years, with the aim of advancing cutting-edge methods that combine numerical algorithms and machine learning approaches.

Degree Level

The program is designed for established researchers and principal investigators (PIs) who are eligible to apply for competitive research grants in Germany or China. While not limited to a specific academic degree, applicants must be recognized researchers holding faculty or equivalent positions.

Available Subjects

Projects must fall within Intelligent Numerical Mathematics (iNum), particularly:

• Learning-based numerics (e.g., adaptivity criteria, regularization weights, preconditioners, solver strategies).
• Numerically efficient learning methods (optimization, sparsification, regularization, scalable parallel methods).
• Model reduction, multi-scale methods, and iterative solver improvements.
• Applications in computational science, engineering, and applied mathematics.

Benefits

• Funding Duration: Up to 3 years.
• Financial Support: German researchers receive funding via DFG’s Research Grants (Sachbeihilfe); Chinese researchers via NSFC.
• International Collaboration: Joint projects foster strong cooperation between German and Chinese institutions.
• Access to Resources: Research teams gain access to partner facilities, computational resources, and interdisciplinary expertise.
• Open Science: Projects are expected to publish results, source codes, and data according to scientific standards.

Eligible Nationalities

• German researchers (through DFG) and
• Chinese researchers (through NSFC) are eligible to apply jointly.

Eligibility Criteria

• For German Applicants: Must meet eligibility rules of the DFG Research Grants Program (form 50.01). Researchers at non-university institutions must cooperate with a German university (“Kooperationspflicht”).
• For Chinese Applicants: Must fulfill NSFC eligibility rules.
• Both German and Chinese PIs must be formally eligible to apply in their respective systems.
• Proposals with military applications or links to military institutions are not eligible.

Application Procedure

• Proposal Preparation: Draft a joint research proposal in English, including project objectives, work plan, team details, and resources requested by both sides.
• Separate Submissions:

1. German PIs submit proposals to DFG via elan (electronic system).
2. Chinese PIs submit proposals to NSFC.

• Deadline: 30 October 2025 for DFG submissions (German side). First-time DFG applicants must register on elan by 23 October 2025.
• Documents Required:

1. Project description (DFG form 53.01)
2. CVs of all PIs (DFG form 53.200)
3. Budget details (only German side in elan)
4. Safety-related statements (dual-use research, international cooperation risks)

• Review & Decision: Proposals are reviewed separately by NSFC and DFG; funding decisions are expected by May 2026.
• Grant Agreement: A cooperation agreement must be signed, addressing data legislation and legal requirements in China.

The NSFC-DFG 2025 iNum Call is a unique opportunity for researchers in Numerical Mathematics, Scientific Computing, and Machine Learning to strengthen Sino-German collaboration while advancing the frontier of intelligent numerical methods.