OeAW Impulse Programme

New Frontiers Groups (NFG)

In establishing the New Frontiers Groups programme, the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW) intends to develop a flexible structure with which it can respond rapidly to cutting-edge developments in science and research, which are largely driven by young researchers.
The NFG programme aims at investigator-driven innovative research in order to promote promising academic careers and to further strengthen the Academy`s research portfolio.

The OeAW invites applications from highly talented scientists and scholars at early stages of their careers to establish a New Frontiers Group under the auspices of the OeAW (see list of potential OeAW host institutes).

Target group:
Outstanding (junior) scientists and scholars from Austria and abroad

Objectives:
NFGs are intended for cutting-edge research. The main purposes of the programme are as follows:

to provide sustained support for outstanding junior scientists and researchers, and in particular to provide incentives for scientists and researchers from abroad to conduct independent research in Austria;
to promote renewal in the OeAW's existing research portfolio by enabling New Frontiers Groups to contribute innovative research approaches which have not been addressed sufficiently in the past.

Applicants are invited to submit a project proposal characterized by novelty and high originality, focusing on new areas and approaches within the Academy`s research portfolio.

Prerequisites:
We are looking for candidates with records of significant scientific achievements and the ability to lead an independent research group (post-doctoral research experience).

Applicants must hold a doctoral degree which was conferred no more than 7 years prior to the submission deadline. Time periods devoted to child care (3 years per child), military or civilian service, and relevant training and education in the field of research addressed in the proposal (e.g. clinical training periods in medicine) are not counted toward the time since a candidate completed his/her doctorate.

Candidates with interdisciplinary interests and experience are particularly welcome.

Applicants who have already attained the rank of full professor at a university at the time of submission or approval of the NFG project are not eligible to apply.

Duration:
5 years

Grant amount:
Each NFG will be awarded a minimum of € 1.2 million and a maximum of € 4 million for five years. Funding is provided for project-specific costs, i.e., personnel and non-personnel costs that are essential to carry out the project and that go beyond the resources and infrastructure made available by the OeAW institute. In addition, funding may be requested for project-specific investments in research infrastructure which complements the infrastructure provided by the OeAW institute. The NFG budget also includes overhead costs amounting to 20% to 60% of direct project costs (based on the field of research pursued by the relevant OeAW institute; see list of potential host institutes including overhead categories).

Applications:
Call date: May 9, 2012
Submission deadline: July 15, 2012 (date of postmark)

Award decisions:
The FWF (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung - Austrian Science Fund) is in charge of organising the peer review process on behalf of the OeAW. Decisions will be prepared by an international expert jury on the basis of written peer reviews from abroad and hearings with applicants in April 2013.
The final decisions will be made by the Presiding Committee of the OeAW.

For application guidelines and forms, principles of the decision-making procedures, etc., please visit the FWF website

FAQ (pdf download)

For questions concerning programme design and strategy, please contact:
Mag. Bernhard Plunger (bernhard.plunger@oeaw.ac.at, phone: 0043 1 51581 3253)