This call for applications is open to all students and employees of Freie Universität Berlin (academic staff, administrative staff, and enrolled students). The applicants share the goal of promoting socio-ecological developments at Freie Universität and contribute to the goals of our climcate emergency declaration or our sustainability mission statement.

To participate in FUturist you must...
...be employed or enrolled as student at Freie Universität Berlin.
...have a concrete problem and its solution idea.
...participate in the dates of the three stages (kick-off February.02.2026 from 1-3 p m, mid-term event summer 2026 & check-out beginning of December 2026).
...submit the corresponding documents.

You are scientifically active abroad? You can also submit an idea if you can demonstrate that you can implement it from abroad here on campus in Berlin, in on-site teaching or research.

All students and employees of Freie Universität Berlin should submit their application until November 30, 2025 (11.59 pm).

Each successful project will receive 5,000 euros. Five applications can be selected this year.

Funds must be used solely for the specific purposes of the project.

Additionally, the sponsored individuals will receive:

• Coaching and workshops on pitching and storytelling, among other things
• Needs-based training
• Consulting
• A certificate indicating the year of the award.

In addition, the Idea and Innovation Management of the Unit for Sustainability and Energy will provide support in designing, networking and realizing the idea.

Please use this file as a template for your application. Describe your idea in six pages or less (Arial font, font size 10).

It is important that the ideas are problem-based, impact-oriented, and novel.(What need, problem, or challenge does your project aim to address, and measurable goal have you set for 2026?). Please explain what your project is intended to contribute and what is new about it. Clarify the target group of the project and the approach you have chosen. You can use the SMART method for the description.

Please provide the following details in your application:

1. Names of the participant(s): name, occupation/position, type of institution, contact details, and comments.
2. Title of project, brief description of your idea, and intented impact: Your objective and problem definition, what aspect of sustainability you are addressing, a presentation of the relevance and links to the objectives of this call, your personal motivation and learning objectives, your main findings from an initial exploration/analysis, expected results.
3. Approach/method: brief explanation of how you will carry out your project.
4. General project schedule: A rough plan of steps. What should happen and when?
5. General budget plan with a short description of the budgetary items: Rough financial plan with brief description of expenditure items: for what are the applied funds needed? Please be as specific as possible. Use cost estimates, links to price lists or similar if possible.
6. Informal declaration of consent to the publishing of the results and presentation at the midterm event in summer 2025.
7. Declaration that the rights of third parties have not been violated.

Please note: Only complete applications will be considered in the selection process.

Applications and all supporting documents must be submitted via email (sabine.heckmann@fu-berlin.de) as a single PDF file by the end of the day on November 30, 2025. Please use this file as a template for your application.

If you have problems applying online, please contact Sabine Heckmann (Phone: +49 30 838-70984).

Note: You are also welcome to use the readiness check for your idea development.

The call for applications consists of various phases.

You can submit your application until the end of November 30, 2025. From December 1st, 2025 to January 19, 2026, up to 5 ideas will be selected by a jury. Applicants will be informed of the funding decision in the week of January, 19.-23, 2026.

The process is divided into three stages: Engagement-Building & Prototyping, Tweaking and Transfer & Evaluation. Those receiving support will be accompanied by workshops, advice, coaching, team jour fixes, meetings and public events.

The selected ideas will be shared with the public. Subsequently, the “inventors” start with testing and implementing their respective ideas. They will receive support from our unit and others until the end of 2026.

At the halfway point, an event will take place in summer 2026, at which the results achieved so far will be presented by the team members to a broad audience. The project teams will be actively involved in the design of the event.

No, you cannot apply for more than one at the same time. This is because we want to give as many university members as possible the opportunity to submit ideas.

However, contact Sabine Heckmann (Phone: +49 30 838-70984 | Email: sabine.heckmann@fu-berlin.de), if you would like to know what other funding opportunities (such as for living labs) there are.

No, in the interests of all concerned, applicants cannot make changes to their application once they have submitted it.

Under areas of activity, you can see developments concerning campus, teaching, research, management, dialog & transfer, and networks.

Likewise, the current sustainability report and the environmental statement are important sources.

The projects from the past years and the various initiatives of SUSTAINIT show what is being done.