Volkswagen Stiftung – Transdisciplinary Approaches to Mobility and Global Health| Research Funding

The umbrella theme Mobility and Global Health includes research on health-related questions regarding the mobility of people (migrants, refugees, health tourists, (un)documented workers etc.), its effects and repercussions, and various aspects of mobility of populations.  Furthermore, projects on how ideas/concepts that influence Global Health move beyond borders and how they affect societies are welcome. The mobility of animals and goods, and what this means for the spread of animal and vector-borne diseases and their effects on human populations may also be investigated. 

Projects are encouraged to understand, develop, and assess novel methods and approaches across different disciplines to benefit research into mobility including, for example, ethical aspects, data quality, cost, feasibility, and participatory opportunities.

With this joint call, the Novo Nordisk Foundation (Denmark), Wellcome (UK) and the Volkswagen Foundation aim to fund multi-perspective research. Funding is available for research that crosses disciplinary and geographical boundaries and involves non-academic stakeholders. 

Funding:       Phase 1 (pilot): Up to €50K
                        Phase 2 (full project): Up to €1.5M

Duration:      Phase 1 (pilot): Up to 7 months
                        Phase 2 (full project): Up to 5 years


Eligibility: Funding can be provided for the constitution of international research groups consisting of one main applicant and 2-4 co-applicants. The main applicant must be an established researcher and be based in either Germany, the UK, or a Nordic country. Scholars at all career levels post-PhD are eligible to apply. The scientific background of the participating project team members is not restricted and should be based on the needs of the projects. The transdisciplinary nature of the project, e.g., between life sciences and social sciences, must be demonstrated in the application. A significant part of the research must be performed locally in LMICs.

How to Apply: The 2-step application process begins with a pilot project application, which can be submitted on the NORMA platform. For any assistance with proposal elements such as the budget, budget justification, or institutional declaration of eligibility, please contact the Research Office.  Pilot grants (up to 7 months) will be awarded to the shortlisted applicants, who will be invited to form consortia, design the final project, and submit a full project proposal by 4 March 2025.

Deadline, Pilot proposal:  25 March 2024 (2 pm CET)

Further information

• More information about the program is available here
• The Information for Applicants document can be found here
• The application portal can be found here
• For any other questions, please contact the Research Office