Seed Grants

2023 Seed Grant Call

Thank you for your submissions!

The 2023 Vienna CogSciHub Seed Grant Call is now closed.

Successful applicants will be notified in February 2024. Please subscribe to the cogsci.all Mailing List to be notified of the next Seed Grant Call.

The Vienna Cognitive Science Hub of the University of Vienna promotes and fosters excellent interdisciplinary research in cognitive sciences in Austria. The 2023 Vienna CogSciHub Seed Grants Program provides funds for applicants to develop, write, and submit an interdisciplinary research proposal in the broad field of cognitive science that will help them move their career forward.


Submission Deadline: 21 January 2024

Funding Amount:

  • up to 7,500€ for the preparation of standalone project applications
  • up to 15,000€ for the preparation of cooperation project applications

Download the full call with all details here: 2023_ViennaCogSciHub_SeedGrantCall.pdf

There was an Info Webinar on Tuesday, 12 December 2023 at 13:00 CET. Please contact cogsci@univie.ac.at for a PDF of the presentation.

Rolling Applications

To foster interdisciplinary research in cognitive science and neuroscience, Vienna CogSciHub provides seed funding to PIs for the writing of grant proposals to Austrian and international funding programs.

Amount of CogSciHub Seed Grant depends on the requested funding amount as follows:

  • Application volume up to €150.000,-:  €1.000,-
  • Application volume from €150,000,- to €450,000,- : €2.000,-
  • Application volume more than €450.000,-:  €3,000, -

Requirements

  • The proposed research project is interdisciplinary
  • The research project matches with the research topics of Vienna CogSciHub
  • The PI is a member of Vienna CogSciHub or has a written recommendation by a board member of Vienna CogSciHub (membership can be acquired by invitation or, for example, by submitting a research proposal located at the Vienna CogSciHub)
  • Vienna CogSciHub is the research facility in the submitted grant proposal
  • The project is carried out at Vienna CogSciHub in case it receives funding
  • The PI lists the grant proposal in u:cris under Vienna CogSciHub

Procedure

  • Applicants send a request including motivation for application, abstract, their CV, and a publication list to our coordinator. There are no submission deadlines for this program; applications can be submitted at any time.
  • Based on this information, the governing body of Vienna CogSciHub decides, if the seed grant application fits the research areas of Vienna CogSciHub.
  • The payment will be made either after the application has been submitted to the proposed funding agency or in two instalments with a partial payment at the beginning of the agreed working period.
  • The PI is listed as seed grantee on the website of Vienna CogSciHub, together with a brief project summary.

FAQ

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  • What are CogSciHub Seed Grants for?

    To financially support work or costs in the preparation of a grant proposal to be located at the Vienna CogSciHub research site at the University of Vienna, depending on the amount requested.

  • How may I use a CogSciHub seed grant?

    The CogSciHub seed grant must be used for the development and writing of the project proposal. This can be done in very different ways - depending on the requirements of the particular project proposal. Specific examples of how the seed grant can be used are: 

    • Costs for technical translations
    • Reimbursement of participants' costs for preliminary studies
    • Payment of student assistants
    • Research visits by proposal partners 
    • etc
  • What are the requirements to apply for a CogSciHub seed grant?
    • The topic of the project proposal is interdisciplinary. 
    • The topic of the project proposal fits into one of the four research fields of the Vienna CogSciHub:
      • Perception, Aesthetics, and Innovation
      • Social Cognition, Empathy, Animal Cognition & Communication
      • Cognitive Science of Language & Music
      • Neuroscience and Data Science
    • The Vienna CogSciHub must be specified as host in the project proposal and - if the proposal is successful - the project must remain hosted by the Vienna CogSciHub.
  • I am still a student. / I have a degree. But I don't have a PhD. Can I apply for a CogSciHub seed grant?

    This depends on the conditions of the call/grant you are applying for. If a PhD is not a prerequisite for a project proposal, you can also apply for a CogSciHub Seed Grant. 

  • Do I already have to be a Network Associate of the Vienna CogSciHub to apply for a CogSciHub Seed Grant?

    No.

  • How do I become a Network Associate of the Vienna CogSciHub?

    There are different ways

    • I am PI of a project at the CogSciHub 
    • Letter of recommendation from a board member
    • I have submitted a project proposal to the CogSciHub. This automatically makes me a Network Associate.
  • Will I also become a CogSciHub Network Associate if I submitted a project proposal to the CogSciHub but it was rejected by the funding body?

    Yes - for a limited period of time you will still become a Vienna CogSciHub Network Associate. 

  • We are working as a team on a project proposal and would like to apply for a Vienna CogSciHub Seed Grant. Which of us may apply for the Vienna CogSciHub Seed Grant and who may benefit from the money?

    The application for the CogSciHub Seed Grant should be submitted by a person named in the project application. However, the seed grant may also benefit persons not named in the project application, provided they have also contributed to the development and writing of the project proposal.

  • In my project application I have to specify an organisation as host. Is the Vienna CogSciHub even eligible to host projects?

    Yes, the Vienna CogSciHub is an independent organisational unit within the University of Vienna - i.e. on a par with other organisational units such as faculties, research centres or other research associations. This entitles the CogSciHub to act as a host of projects - or in other words - projects can be located at the Vienna CogSciHub.

  • Can I specify multiple hosts in my project proposal?

    I can only specify 1 host. The project is then located with this host and it is administratively supervised by this host. - Other organisational units can only be specified as so-called co-hosts. 

    Example: Host = Vienna CogSciHub; Co-Host = Faculty of Psychology, Faculty of Lifesciences, etc.

    I can only apply for a CogSciHub Seed Grant if I specify the Vienna CogSciHub as host in the project application and - if the application is successful - the project remains located at the Vienna CogSciHub. 

  • I am assigned to another organisational unit at the University of Vienna (e.g. a faculty) or to another research site. Can I still submit a project with the Vienna CogSciHub as a research site?

    Yes. 

    The only thing to note here is: In some funding programmes, there are overheads; an agreement must be reached on their distribution between the stem allocation and Vienna CogSciHub prior to submission. For details please contact the coordination office. 

  • I am employed at the University of Vienna. May I conclude an additional employment contract (e.g. contract for work, freelance contract, project contract or similar) with CogSciHub that is funded by the Seed Grant?

    An employment contract in addition to an already existing employment contract with the University of Vienna is not possible. In this case, the CogSciHub seed grant should instead be used for the reimbursement of other costs incurred in the course of preparing the project application.

  • I am not employed at the University of Vienna. May I conclude an employment contract (e.g. contract for work, freelance contract, project contract or similar) with CogSciHub that is funded by the CogSciHub Seed Grant?

    If the service described in the contract is for the development and writing of the project proposal for which the CogSciHub Seed Grant has been applied for, such an employment contract may be concluded with the Vienna CogSciHub in consultation with the HR Department of the University of Vienna.

  • Can I locate an ERC grant at the Vienna CogSciHub?

    Please contact us (cogsci@univie.ac.at).

  • I have more questions, who can I contact?

    Please write to our team address: cogsci@univie.ac.at . We will then get in touch with you.