The Michael Stifel Center Jena aims to stimulate interdisciplinary data driven and simulation-based science in Jena. Currently, the center is able to spend a certain amount of money on supporting activities in this area.

There is a grant call twice a year, end of February and end of August, via the MSCJ member mailing list. Deadlines for proposal submission are 31.03. and 30.09.

Proposals can be submitted by any MSCJ member. Joint proposals crossing disciplinary boundaries are given priority.

What is supposed to be in the proposal?

Proposals do not need to be long. Max. 2 pages should be submitted to the research coordinator of MSCJ.

It can be applied for support of anything that fosters the aim of MSCJ. However, activities applied for have to be compliant with the rules for spending “Haushaltsmittel” of Friedrich Schiller University Jena.

Examples of activities include, but are not limited to:

  • Organization of workshops
  • Invitation of visiting scientists
  • Personnel or other support to write a joint proposal
  • Getting access to data or making data or code available
  • … – be creative!

(cf. also below: “Grant holders and supported activities of past calls”)

The proposal needs to include the following information:

  • Who applies? Which other MSCJ members are involved?
  • What is the proposal about?
  • What aims should be achieved?
  • How much money is applied for?
  • How does the proposal advance the MSCJ?

For further information on the application procedure get in touch with the MSCJ coordinator.

How are proposals processed?

Proposals are evaluated by the MSCJ directorate. A decision on funding is made based on the expected impact on the MSCJ. In order to be able to support a broad range of activities, it may happen, that the Stifel grant covers only parts of the sum applied for. In the last calls, the average sum granted was 4,500 €. This is not a fixed limit, but might help to calibrate the proposal.

Grant holders and supported activities of past calls

Deadline 30.09.2022

  • Prof. Dr. Alexander Brenning (Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences): Co-funding for DAAD guest lecturer “Interdisciplinary Applied Statistics”
  • Dr. Dr. Susanne M. Hoffmann (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Workshop “Stellarium & Planetarium – Cultural Astronomy & Digital Historical Research ” – Travel costs for speakers
  • Prof. Dr. Birgitta-König-Ries (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Co-funding for hands-on exhibition “I AM A.I. – explaining artificial intelligence” – Marketing & material
  • Dr. Frank Löffler, Dr. Christian Knüpfer (both Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science & Competence Center Digital Research), Dr. André Sternbeck (Faculty of Physics and Astronomy & University Computer Center): “un-deRSE23: the 2023 research software unconference in Germany” – travel costs, speaker fees, student assistant, material
  • Prof. Dr. Alexander Brenning (Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences): Course for master students in geosciences (algorithms and software used in the modern mining industry) – Laptop & software licenses
  • Prof. Dr. Sander Münster (Faculty of Arts): DHnet Jena: concept and initial implementtation of networking activities, presentations, web platform and communication channels – personnel

Deadline 31.03.2022

  • Prof. Dr. Clemens Beckstein (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science), apl. Prof. Dr. Robert Gramsch-Stehfest (Faculty of Philosophy): Preparation of grant proposal – Personnel costs
  • Prof. Dr. Uta Dahmen, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Reichenbach (both Faculty of Medicine), Prof. Dr. Manja Marz (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Workshop related to DFG FOR 5151 QuaLiPerF – travel costs, “Michael Stifel Prize”
  • Prof. Dr. Holger Schielzeth (Faculty of Biological Sciences): Pilot course on data literacy within the Bachelor Biology program – Research assistants
  • Prof. Dr. Stefan Schweinberger (Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences): Bridging funding until the final decision of several scholarship applications for a PhD student with a “Werkstatt” project related start-up funding

Deadline 30.09.2021

  • Prof. Dr. Nina Kukowski (Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences), Prof. Dr. Martin Bücker (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Workshop on “Modern data analysis of long time series in earth and climate observation”, Jena, spring or summer 2022 – Rooms, travel costs
  • Prof. Dr. Alexander Brenning, Prof. Dr. Christiane Schmullius (both Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences), Prof. Dr. Christian Thiel (DLR Institute for Data Science): Structure-from-Motion – MultiView Stereopsis (SfM-MVS) Spring School – Travel costs, print of marketing material
  • Dr. Dr. Susanne M. Hoffmann (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Workshop “Historical and Ethnological Constellations in the Planetarium” – Travel costs for speaker
  • Dr. Dr. Susanne M. Hoffmann (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Workshop “Stellarium & Planetarium – Kulturastronomie” – Travel costs for speaker
  • Prof. Dr. Sebastian Böcker (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Project SIRIUS (2 subprojects) – Research assistant (follow-up proposal)

Deadline 31.03.2021

  • no call due to Corona

Deadline 30.09.2020

  • Prof. Dr. Manja Marz (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Project on the data-driven analysis of viral genomes of SARS-CoV-2 – Student assistent (follow-up proposal)
  • Dr. Sophie Biskop, Dr. Sven Kralisch (both Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences): Preparation of grant proposal – Data access, preparatory workshop (incl. travel costs)

Deadline 31.03.2020

  • Prof. Dr. Manja Marz (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Project on the data-driven analysis of viral genomes of SARS-CoV-2 – Sufficient hardware (PC client with a GPU) and storage, student assistent
  • Prof. Dr. Christine Römermann (Faculty of Biological Sciences): Cooperation with Prof. Dr. Jaishanker Nair from Kerala / India on plant phenology, floral radiometry and bioinformatics – Travel costs

Deadline 30.09.2019

  • Prof. Dr. Clemens Beckstein, Dr. Christian Knüpfer (both Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science), PD Dr. Robert Gramsch-Stehfest (Faculty of Philosophy): Co-sponsorship of conference in Jena: “Das Frontend als ‚Flaschenhals‘? Mediävistische Ressourcen im World Wide Web und ihre Nutzungspotentiale für eine Digitale Prosopographie”
  • Prof. Dr. Bernd Brügmann, Prof. Dr. Sebastiano Bernuzzi (both Faculty of Physics and Astronomy): Co-sponsorship of conference in Jena: “Frontiers of Numerical Relativity” – Travel costs for early career researchers and invited speakers
  • Prof. Dr. Sebastian Böcker (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Projects SIRIUS and CSI:FinderID – Research assistant (follow-up proposal)

Deadline 31.03.2019

  • Prof. Dr. Bernd Brügmann, Prof. Dr. Sebastiano Bernuzzi (both Faculty of Physics and Astronomy): Co-sponsorship of the MICRA 2019 conference in Jena – Travel costs for early career researchers and invited speakers
  • Dr. Jannes Münchow (Faculty of Chemistry and Earth Sciences), Dr. Miguel Mahecha (MPI for Biogeochemistry): “The ecological impact of ENSO anomalies on a pantropical scale” – Research assistant + Retreat for a joint grant proposal
  • Dr. Jakob Runge (DLR Institute for Data Science): Co-sponsoring of the Climate Informatics Workshop Series (Paris) – Travel costs for early career researchers
  • Prof. Dr. Clemens Beckstein, Dr. Christian Knüpfer (both Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science), PD Dr. Robert Gramsch-Stehfest (Faculty of Philosophy): Grant proposal “CORE-H: Collaborative Open Research Environment for the Humanities” (ProDigital b) – Research assistant
  • Prof. Dr. Sebastian Böcker (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science) et al.: Projects SIRIUS and CSI:FinderID – Research assistant

Deadline 30.09.2018

  • Prof. Dr. Uta Dahmen (Faculty of Medicine): Workshop for preparation of a DFG Research Unit full proposal
  • Prof. Dr. Silvana Botti (Faculty of Physics and Astronomy): Contribution of the MSCJ to the 24 ETSF Workshop on Electronic Excitations, September 2019 in Jena
  • Dr. Yanira Guanche Garcia (Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science): Workshop on causality methods and its application to environmental and climate systems
  • Prof. Dr. Nicole van Dam (Faculty of Biological Sciences): Support for hiring entomologist expert to annotate and classify insects images – Personnel costs