Volkswagen Foundation “Dual Use” of Ideas and Concepts from the Humanities and Social Sciences

Concepts from the humanities and social sciences often have an impact far beyond academia. But what happens when theories and conceptual frameworks are decontextualised and used for purposes other than those originally intended? Through this call for proposals, the Foundation supports research on such ‘dual use’ effects and explores how the transfer of ideas from academia into political and ideological contexts takes place.

• area of research: humanities and cultural studies, social sciences, science studies
• type of funding: cooperation projects; funding of a teaching substitute / own positions for postdoctoral researchers
• duration: up to 2 years
• amount: up to 450,00 or 650,000 euros
• target group: research teams involving two or three investigators at German universitites and research institutes; intl. collaborations are possible

Tue, 11 Aug 2026, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Questions on our funding offer? Join our online Q&A session

Are you considering to apply for this scheme? In our online Q&A, we will give an introduction to the programme and answer your questions. Registration is not required, the access link will be provided, here, prior to the event.
_{Please note: Zoom data protection notice (in German, PDF, 127 KB)}

Another online Q&A session will take place on 8 September, this time in English.

What is funded?

While the term “dual use” traditionally refers to the dual applicability of research findings or technologies for civilian and military purposes, in the humanities and social sciences, “dual use” is understood here to mean unintended effects of research in these fields. These effects can take many forms. This call for proposals focuses on ideologically motivated anti-liberal, anti-scientific, and anti-democratic forms of such appropriations.

For example, the scientific insight that “knowledge is socially constructed” can be reduced to the claim that all truth is merely opinion—a claim used to delegitimize science or the media. Postcolonialist approaches are also sometimes reinterpreted in political discourse, for instance to defend a supposed “right to difference.”

More information on the funding offer

Guidelines (PDF, 164.3 KB)

In this context, the following levels should be distinguished:

1. Ideologically motivated conceptual and theoretical development or its further elaboration within scientific discourse.
2. Unintended effects of concepts and theories from the humanities and social sciences in non-scientific contexts due to their ideologically motivated appropriation and application.

Funding is available for project teams of two to three researchers from the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences who, through exploratory basic research, investigate the occurrence, mechanisms, and conditions of such reappropriations. At the same time, the initiative aims to create space for reflection on the philosophy of science, stimulate reception-sensitive theory-building, and contribute to science communication within the relevant disciplines.

https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/en/funding/funding-offer/next-dual-use-ideas-and-concepts-humanities-and-social-sciences