ScaDS.AI Scientific Seed Fund 2025/26

The ScaDS.AI Scientific Seed Fund provides time-limited funding to strengthen the profile of ScaDS.AI in order to expand AI research in new directions. This is especially intended to support projects for the preparation of third-party funding applications with ScaDS.AI involvement.  Substantially new content compared to ongoing research topics is expected in the funded research projects. Priority will be given to projects that involve, promote, and strengthen networking within ScaDS.AI. Since the funds are not transferable, projects that can be implemented quickly will be given priority.

Funding is available mainly for personnel costs TV-L E13. All other expenses will be given upon request while the project is running. The project duration is limited to a maximum of 12 months in the period May 2025-June 2026. A total of approximately 4-6 TV-L E13 positions are available in Leipzig. The financial volume per project should be between 20 and 90 KEuro.

The seed funding is limited to PIs from Leipzig who handed in a research grant proposal in July 2024 that could not be funded.  Funding will be limited to at most one project and one E13 position per PI. The seed project can have fewer applicants than the research grant proposal, especially since Dresden PIs cannot be funded. Proposals by one PI only are also possible but the project should still involve cooperation with other ScaDS.AI members.

Application 

An application describing the planned activities in a maximum of 5 pages (in English) is required. Relevant preliminary work and the embedding of the planned third-party projects into ScaDS.AI should also be presented. In the case of research projects, the following must also be presented: concise delimitation to the state of the art, project goals and work plan with methodology, delimitation to already funded ScaDS.AI activities as well as intended collaborations/synergy effects, and financial plan. Hiring will be formally based on qualification goals and the usual 6 years or maximal contract duration in the public service cannot be exceeded.

If individuals to be hired are already known, curriculum vitae should be attached outlining their AI and data science expertise.  

Approved projects should be accompanied and supported in achieving their goals by an experienced mentor(s) from ScaDS.AI. Funding requires that a short report on the results achieved is prepared after project completion. Third-party projects made possible by seed funding should at least partly be counted as ScaDS.AI third-party income.

Timeline

• Electronic submission of project proposals via Easychair (Link) no later than Feb 9th, 2025.
• Selection will be made by the ScaDS.AI Management Board or its appointed selection committee by end of Feb, i.e., project start date May 1^st is possible. New contracts would take 6-8 weeks of preparation.

For questions, please contact the administration director or director of ScaDS.AI Leipzig, phone +49 341 97-39300; e-mail: eric.peukert@uni-leipzig.de