In December 2023, the Senate of the DFG decided to extend the Infrastructure Priority Programme “Antarctic Research with Comparative Investigations in Arctic Ice Areas” (SPP 1158) for a further six years from 2025 to 2030. From autumn 2024 onwards, proposals can be submitted annually as before for a funding period of up to three years.
The polar regions play a key role in the global climate, and interdisciplinary approaches such as those in this Priority Programme make a particular contribution to understanding them. The Priority Programme ensures that German researchers in the natural sciences can participate in international polar research, especially in the early stages of their careers. Above all, however, it gives researchers at German universities access to Antarctica and enables them to use the necessary infrastructure provided by the partner institutions.
During the current program phase (2025–2030), proposed research projects should align with one or more of the following overarching topics:
- Dynamics of Climate System Components
- Response to Environmental Change
- Connectivity and Exchange in Polar Systems
- Improved Understanding of Polar Processes and Mechanisms
These topics are supported by over 60 specific research questions and aim to clarify Antarctica’s role within the Earth system. Proposals in the field of geology should concentrate on Antarctica’s more recent history (no older than approximately 34 million years).
Coordination Workshop
The annual coordination workshop of this Priority Programme is aimed at researchers from German universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutions and will take place from 28 September to 30 September 2025 in Bremerhaven, Germany. The coordination workshop is mandatory for applicants who wish to apply for a project under the Priority Programme in November 2025. The deadline for registration for the workshop is 10 August 2025.
Formal Requirements and Proposal Submission
Proposals must be written in English and submitted to the DFG by 10 November 2025. Proposals are to be submitted solely via the elan portal in order to ensure proposal-related data is recorded and documents are securely transmitted. If this is the first time you are submitting a proposal to the DFG, please note that you must register in the elan portal before you can submit your proposal. You must do so by 31 October 2025. You will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day.
