Researchers at Berlin University Alliance institutions can submit funding proposals for research projects on the topic of social cohesion. The Alliance is making funding available for the development of long-term research projects within the framework of its first Grand Challenge Initiative. Project teams should be made up of researchers from at least two Alliance member institutions. Non-university and non-academic institutions may also be involved in the projects. Social cohesion lies at the intersection of the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering, and as such the call is aimed at researchers from all disciplines. Projects will be funded for three years; the maximum funding available is 450,000 euros per year, per project.

The aim of the Grand Challenge Initiatives is to generate interdisciplinary research on issues of global relevance for the future. In addition to the conditions and limits of social cohesion, the research projects should examine potential solutions to achieve successful coexistence.

In the coming years, interdisciplinary research teams will have multiple opportunities to examine further social challenges and new topics based on similar funding schemes. The second Grand Challenge Initiative, for example, will address the topic of global health.