beyond now

The goal of the university is to increase its visibility using annual themes that highlight its research, teaching, and transfer activities. The intention behind the fund is to support projects that explicitly engage with the topic of the environment and communicate this message publicly.

University members, meaning »those employed full-time at the university and enrolled students« (according to the Basic Regulations of the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar §4 para. 1) are eligible to apply. Guest and temporary employees are not eligible to apply. Applicants must be university members until at least March 2026.

Applicants can receive funding of up to 5,000 euros for resources required for project implementation. Funding can be used for student assistants, creating communication formats (podcast, social media, etc.), room rentals (in particular those located outside of Weimar), materials, travel, and transport. Funding may also be used for documenting the project.

Funding may not be used to cover catering costs or to purchase basic equipment (e.g. printers). Although cooperation is important for such projects, taxpayers’ money cannot be used to cover catering costs in the interest of preventing abuse and corruption. These costs must be covered by other funding sources or alternative concepts must be devised.

• Application deadline: 18.02.2025
  
• Application feedback: 28.02.2025
• Start of funding period: 01.03.2025
• Start of project implementation period: 01.04.2025
• End of project implementation period: 30.03.2026
• End of funding period: 30.06.2026
• Deadline for submitting project report: 30.06.2026

The Scholarship Commission selects projects based on criteria outlined in the call for applications. (»Explicitly engages with the topic and term »environment«, reflects on the social value of the project, has developed a concept for publishing project results, relies on inter/transdisciplinary approaches and cross-faculty cooperation, has assessed the value of the project for the university, collaborates with regional partners, feasible and creditable application, especially in regards to the financial plan and likelihood of the project being implemented by March 2026«). The commission will review applications based on the aforementioned criteria and use it to determine which projects to fund.

The application has two components: The first component is a digital form, which can be filled out »here. This should be submitted with a project description (maximum two A4 pages).

Applications cannot be temporarily saved. We recommend that you first read through the entire form, consider your answers and then complete the project description and fill out all fields of the application in a single sitting. 

A cost and financing plan is a chart that breaks down how funds are likely to be used. The plan is typically split into cost categories, i.e. material costs (materials, travel expenses [including accommodation], rentals, etc.), and personnel costs (student assistants, work contracts, etc.). If the project receives funding from additional sources (e.g. personal resources and the Beyond Now Fund), this should be documented in a separate column. If funding is used for purposes other than those originally specified in the plan, this must be approved by the responsible supervisor (Anja Gehrcken/University Strategic Development Office) in advance. The cost and financing plan helps organise the project and continually monitors outgoing and incoming funds. Once the project ends, it also serves as proof of how funds were spent.

Since the funds are essentially taxpayers’ money, they must be used responsibly and sustainably. To ensure funds are used in this way, there are regulations that must be followed. The Bauhaus-Universität Weimar supports its members to the best of its ability. Fund recipients must refer to the information sheet included with the call for applications (also available in the university’s internal information system HENRI). In case of questions, get in touch with the relevant contact person.

» information sheet (de)
» HENRI (only accessible internally)

Approval for funded projects will be sent out shortly after the Scholarship Commission meeting scheduled for 28.02.2025. Information on projects that have not been approved for funding will be sent out after this.

One of the main objectives of the call for proposals is the visibility of the projects. This means that deciding how to communicate the content of the project is critical. The central question is: Who is the target audience of the project? Answering this question will help determine the appropriate content, resources, communication format, and the skills required to implement the project.

Because this aspect is so important when it comes to fostering the relationship between science and society, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar provides a range of support services: There university offers courses on knowledge communication as part of staff development  (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar: In-House Training Programme), and staff from the University Communications and Public Relations in the various faculties are available to provide advice and support with »broadcasting«. Another helpful resource is the »Guidelines for Media and Public Relations at the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar« (Guidelines). 

In addition to the »concept for publishing project results«, which is directly related to the project’s timeline, the University Communications will be reporting on all projects throughout the year at relevant times. The required content will be provided by the projects themselves and mutually agreed upon. A contact person must be appointed for this purpose. The content will be compiled in a cloud folder and the access data will be made available to the project coordinators.

A project report is a summary of project progress once the project ends. It compares the project described in the application with the project that was implemented. It is a factual report that focusses on the objectives that were achieved, successful elements of the project, and challenges or aspects that were not achieved. The financial report includes a clear and comprehensive list of all expenses. It also includes any changes or funding reallocation.