Academies’ Programme: Current Research Projects

The Academies’ Programme is the largest and longest-running research initiative in the humanities and social sciences in Germany, and unparalleled internationally. Established in 1979, it is jointly funded by the federal and state governments and supports foundational research aimed at exploring, documenting, and preserving global cultural heritage.

Since 1979, the Academies’ Programme has supported ‘the exploration, preservation, and study of the world’s cultural heritage.’

The programme is coordinated by the Union of the German Academies of Sciences and Humanities. Its projects are carried out by the eight academies within the Union as well as the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. As of 2025, the Academies’ Programme comprises 127 research projects conducted at around 192 research units. The programme has an annual funding volume of approximately 80 million euros. All projects undergo a rigorous, multi-stage peer-review process and may receive funding for up to 25 years. This long-term support enables the creation of essential scholarly resources such as historical dictionaries, text editions, and digital archives of culturally significant material and immaterial assets.

The Göttingen Academy currently supervises 18 of these projects, making it one of the most active institutions in the programme. These projects are vividly presented in the brochure Kulturelles Erbe mit Zukunft (‘Cultural Heritage with a Future’, November 2020). Each academy is responsible for the implementation and scientific oversight of its projects and appoints dedicated supervisory committees for the duration of the research.