Vienna Research Groups for Young Investigators Call 2013 (currently open)

Cognitive Sciences

This call is issued for up to two positions as part of WWTF’s Cognitive Sciences funding programme. It addresses Vienna-based research institutions that intend to hire an excellent young researcher from abroad for the set-up and management of an independent research group. WWTF takes unconventional research careers into consideration. WWTF in total grants 1.5 Mio. € per research group for six to eight years. Overall budget is 3 Mio €. Full proposal have to be submitted by 25 July 2013. Decisions are planned for December 2013.

A Vienna Research Group is an assembly of researchers that launches individuals in their post-doc phase onto their next career step. Typically it is the first “genuine” group led by such a young researcher who undertakes leadership responsibility for several group members. Vienna Research Group leaders usually are two to eight years after PhD; care duties may extend this period by up to four years. WWTF intentionally aims this initiative at very young researchers.

Vienna Research Groups operate for six to eight years. Key milestones are: (i) an interim evaluation after three to four years; and (ii) the end of the “first” phase, chiefly financed by WWTF, after five years. The second phase will depend on the framework and opportunities available at the home institutions and will run for one to three years. Funding by WWTF is supplemented, particularly in the second phase (i.e. years 6, 6-7 or 6-8), by a significant rise in financing by the home institution. Vienna Research Group leaders are to be independent in designing their research work and recruiting their staff.

Announcements:
University of Vienna pdf,hosting labs
Vienna University of Technology Call for expressions of interest

Proposers' Day: Monday 22. April, 1-3 pm, edu4you, Frankgasse 4, 1090 Wien - Presentation: pptx

Documents:
Call is based on the current funding guidelines (in German) pdf
Call fiche pdf
Guide for Applicants (There have been some additional pieces of information in regard to ethic approval and potential pay raises for the group leader.) pdf
Please note that all project proposals have to be submitted via the "WWTF online submission system".

Contact WWTF
Dr. Donia Lasinger
donia.lasinger@wwtf.at
+43 1 402 31 43 - 16

Submission System »

Cognitive Sciences Call 2011

Vienna, 7 November 2011: Within the "Cognitive Sciences" Call 2011 of the WWTF seven projects are funded. These aim at advancing the understanding of cognitive processes in humans, animals and machines, so that we better understand how the human brain works and functions. The supported Viennese research institutions all pursue fundamental research and receive for that purpose a total sum of three million Euro.

The „Cognitive Sciences“ Call 2011 has been closed on 1 June 2011. In total, 36 proposals have been submitted in response to this call with a requested funding volume of around 17 Mio. €. On 27 October 2011 the jury meeting took place in Vienna gathering 10 international jurors. During the meeting, the jury extensively discussed the submitted proposals on the basis of at least three international reviews per proposal as well as based on their own expertise and formed their funding recommendation. On 7 November 2011 the WWTF Board of Directors fully confirmed the jury’s funding recommendation:

Within the “Cognitive Sciences” Call 2011, 7 projects with a total amount of 3.012 mio. € are funded.

These are the successful projects within this call:

“Like me: The evolutionary and neuro-cognitive basis of the link between imitation, empathy and prosocial behaviour in dogs and humans”
Principal Investigator: Ludwig Huber / University of Vienna
Project duration: 3 Jahre
Funding volume: 500,000 €

“Modelling social transmission: how relationships, group size and group structure influence social learning in wild and captive corvids”
Principal Investigator: Christine Schwab / University of Vienna
Project duration: 3 years
Funding volume: 360,000 €

„Modeling Visual Attention as a Key Factor in Visual Recognition and Quality of Experience”
Principal Investigator: Ulrich Ansorge / University of Vienna
Project duration: 4 years
Funding volume: 401,200 €

„The role of the opioid system for empathic responses to pain and their link to prosocial behaviour - OPIOIDEMPATHY”
Principal Investigator: Claus Lamm / University of Vienna
Project duration: 3 years
Funding volume: 500,000 €

„Time makes the difference! Uncovering the nature of aesthetic experience”
Principal Investigator: Helmut Leder / University of Vienna
Project duration: 3 years
Funding volume: 392,200 €

„The semantics of talking with the eyes and gestures: the hormonal and cognitive underpinnings of comprehending cooperative intentional communication in domestic dogs and wolves”
Principal Investigator: Zsofia Viranyi / University of Vienna
Project duration: 3 years
Funding volume: 499,000 €

“Algorithms, neural circuitry, and genetics of high-level visual behavior in the fly”
Principal Investigator: Andrew Straw / Research Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP)
Project duration: 4 years
Funding volume: 359,600 €

The evaluation process and jury members: Jury Process and Jury Members

Presseaussendung

Science Chairs for Cognitive Sciences 2008

On December 10, 2008 the WWTF Board has decided to fund two Vienna Science Chairs for Cognitive Science.

Five Senses Call 2006

From 34 projects submitted, totalling about € 15 million in funding applied for, nine projects were awarded funds. This Call has a total funding volume of € 3.4 million.

Download: PDF

SciENCE for Creative Industries Call 2003/2004

This Call provided total funding of € 3 million for ten projects.

Download: PDF