CZS Wildcard:

The CZS Wildcard funding programme, gives applicants the opportunity to freely bring forward unconventional research ideas at a very early stage.

The programme CZS Wildcard supports unconventional ‘wild’ ideas in STEM with a high potential for innovation. CZS Wildcard is addressed to an interdisciplinary consortium of at least three scientists with radically new, unusual, and therefore particularly bold ideas. The persuasiveness of the idea and the team will matter, not prior works or the reputation of the researchers. Maximum freedom is provided for this purpose

• Min. 3 partners from 2 STEM disciplines
• PI must be from an institute (see call) at the German States of Baden-Württemberg, Thuringia, or Rhineland-Palatinate (CZS funding states).
• Up to 1/3 of the partners may be outside the 3 above-mentioned federal states or abroad and/or belong to a discipline outside the STEM subject spectrum

Funding: €750,000 total 

Duration: 2 years

Research Authority due date: 28.4.25