Kaiserschild Advance

Through Kaiserschild Advance, the Kaiserschild Foundation provides funding of up to €10,000 for research projects by early-career researchers in economics and the social sciences that explore the topic of innovation.

The programme focuses on projects investigating what innovation is, what drives it and what we can learn from innovation processes.

Research projects may address a range of topics, including:

• How innovation emerges beyond conventional technological development pathways

• The opportunities, risks and wider societal implications of innovation

• The roles played by different actors in innovation processes and their influence on how these processes unfold

• The social, cultural, economic, environmental and ethical dimensions of innovation

• How collaboration, knowledge exchange and creativity evolve within interconnected systems at the micro, meso and macro levels

• The spatial and temporal dimensions of innovation and its impact, including its pace, reach and long-term consequences

• The ways in which innovation is discussed and debated at different levels

• Historical perspectives on innovation processes and the insights they can offer for innovation today and in the future

The following activities are supported as part of the research projects:

• Data collection

• Publications

• The development and implementation of new formats for presenting, publishing and communicating research findings, as well as for facilitating exchange within the scientific community

• Innovative ways of communicating research findings to a wider audience

Early-career researchers in economics and the social sciences who are pursuing a doctoral degree or are at a more advanced career stage are eligible to apply.

Each project must be carried out by a team of two to three eligible researchers, at least two of whom must be affiliated with an Austrian institution.

Researchers holding permanent positions at universities are not eligible to apply. This exclusion does not apply to researchers holding permanent positions at universities of applied sciences.

Research teams consisting of doctoral candidates and their supervisors are also ineligible. Please note that Kaiserschild Advance is not a doctoral scholarship programme and does not provide funding for doctoral studies.

Applications will open in February 2027.

Early-career researchers interested in applying may submit their applications directly to the Kaiserschild Foundation. Projects will be selected on the basis of academic merit.

The application form must include the following information:

• Details of all team members and their current positions or activities

• A description of the proposed research project and its objectives

• The planned project duration and timeline

• A detailed breakdown of the anticipated project costs

Applicants must also disclose any funding already applied for or awarded. In addition, they must explain how the Kaiserschild Foundation will be acknowledged and given visibility as part of the project.

The Kaiserschild Foundation’s support must be appropriately acknowledged whenever the funded research findings are presented or published. Any further use of personal data for publicity purposes is subject to separate, voluntary consent.

The following documents must also be submitted with the application:

• CVs in tabular format for all team members

• Details of the current status and funding of any ongoing qualification projects, such as doctoral dissertations

• Publication lists for all team members

There is no legal entitlement to receive funding.

Applications may be submitted on a rolling basis. Please use the application form (will be available from February 2027) and send the completed form, together with the CVs and publication lists of all applicants, to: [email protected]

The processing time is approximately 12 weeks.

A one-off grant of up to €10,000 is available for each approved research project. The grant is paid directly to the lead applicant, not to their institution.

The grant is intended exclusively to cover expenses that are necessary for carrying out the approved research project and have been authorised by the Foundation. It does not constitute remuneration for the applicants’ academic work.

If an application is unsuccessful, applicants may reapply after a six-month waiting period.

Upon completion of each funded research project, a two-page report must be submitted to the Kaiserschild Foundation. The report should provide a critical yet constructive reflection on the project’s progress and findings. It must also include supporting documentation of the actual expenditure incurred, together with a detailed financial statement. Any unspent funds must be returned to the Foundation.

In addition, the research findings must be submitted to the Kaiserschild Foundation in the form of a publication-ready contribution. The Foundation may include this contribution in an edited volume dedicated to the respective theme.

The Kaiserschild Podcast features research findings from Kaiserschild Advance. Early-career researchers are invited to discuss their projects, findings and research methodologies.