ICT26 Digital Humanism / Call Specifications

• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Scope of the Call
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Structure of the Call
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Submission
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Eligibility and roles of applicants
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Project Partners outside of Vienna & Joint Projects with partners in Lower Austria
• ICT 26 / Digital Humanism / Structure of the proposal
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Evaluation criteria
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Eligible costs
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Gender aspects in the application phase
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Guidelines for good scientific practice and ethics (incl. AI use in proposal writing)
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Open Science
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / Selection and decision process
• ICT26 Digital Humanism / In case of a positive funding decision ...

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Scope of the Call

This call is open to research projects in the area of Digital Humanism as interdisciplinary cooperation between SSH and ICT.

Digital Humanism

This call is issued within WWTF’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Programme. It invites research teams to submit proposals that engage with digital technologies and digital practices from the perspective of Digital Humanism. Digital technologies and practices exert enormous transformative forces on our society—including many that are considered positive, but also many that question the very foundations of our society—in particular, human rights and liberal democratic orders.

Rather than rejecting digital technologies in principle or accepting them in a techno-deterministic fashion, Digital Humanism takes a constructive stance. It considers the ability of humans and societies to actively shape technological developments, while also taking into account that we (our behaviours and values) are, in turn, shaped by technologies, since they incorporate implicit and explicit values and interests.

Digital Humanism as a field of research brings together researchers from ICT and the social sciences and humanities (SSH, including artistic research). With knowledge and insights from SSH, ICT research can lay the foundations for digital technologies and practices that are more socially robust and promote human values. In this way, Digital Humanism can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable technological development and support democratic values.

To ensure the scientifically robust integration of human and societal aspects into digital technologies and practices, collaboration between ICT and disciplines from the wide spectrum of SSH is central to Digital Humanism research.

Please also consider the following aspects:

• This call is open to research on all topics of digital technologies and practices. Research on topics not well represented in the Vienna research community (e.g., the economics of platforms) is particularly encouraged to apply in this call. Applicants must demonstrate the relevance of the proposed research to the progress and pursuit of democratic societies and the promotion of human values.
• The proposed projects should strongly reflect the ideas and principles of Digital Humanism and thus bring together social and technological progress on a level playing field.
• Projects should aim for a comprehensive understanding of digital technologies and practices based on insights from both ICT sciences and SSH.
• Projects may place varying emphases on methods development, theoretical and conceptual work, or the addressing of real-world cases. However, all proposed projects should improve understanding of current fundamental questions regarding the social and human aspects of digital technologies and practices, and thus contribute to the rethinking of existing developments in digital technologies and practices.
• Applicants are especially invited to make theoretical contributions that expand Digital Humanism as a conceptual space within which a wider range of digital technologies and practices can be understood. The focus of the theoretical contributions may either be in the ICT fields or in the SSH fields. However, based on the call’s intention to foster interdisciplinary collaboration, both fields should be represented in developing theoretical approaches.
• Because Digital Humanism often cannot rely on an established set of methods to engage with research questions in an interdisciplinary way, applicants are encouraged to dedicate time and resources to the development of these methods.
• Projects in the area of digital humanities/computational social sciences, i.e., the prevalent use of computational methods to research questions in the SSH, are not within the scope of this call.
• The development of new applications and tools to pursue the idea of Digital Humanism is possible within the project. However, they should be regarded as a means to address fundamental research questions of Digital Humanism and thus not be the main output of the project.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration 

A central focus of this call, and of Digital Humanism in general, is to promote collaboration between ICT-related researchers and SSH. Researchers from both ICT-related fields and SSH (including art-based research) should therefore collaborate across disciplines. This should be reflected accordingly in the team composition. Both areas should contribute to the project in a substantial way, although one area may assume a larger role in the project if justified by the specific topic of the project.

Plans for collaboration between ICT and SSH areas must be demonstrated throughout all critical stages of the project, from the formulation of the research question and empirical research to the production of the project’s output. Applicants are required to explicitly address communication and joint work plans among collaborators in the proposal.

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Structure of the Call

This call follows a two-stage selection process, consisting of a short proposal and full proposal phase.

• Short proposals: Applicants provide a short description of the project’s background, objectives and methodology, along with a budget overview.

Short proposal deadline: April 15, 2026, 2pm CET. 

• Full proposals: Proposals selected by the jury are invited to submit an extended proposal that includes a detailed project budget. The decision if admitted to the full proposal phase is expected between May 15 to May 30. 

Full proposal deadline: July 30, 2026, 2pm CET. 

• The funding decision for the full proposals is expected for end of December 2026. 

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Submission

Applications must be submitted via the WWTF Funding Portal. All application information will be processed via this system.

• All core team members, i.e., coordinating PI (PI&C) and co-PIs, may access and edit the proposal. Only the PI&C can submit the proposal.
• The structure of the proposal and steps for completing the application in the WWTF Funding Portal are described in more detail in the Submission Guideline. There are some specifics to this call which can be found here. 
• Signatures of the authorized signatory at participating institutions (“authorizations”) are required in the application process (only for institutions of core team members in the short proposal phase, also for all partner institutions in the full proposal phase). Please contact your institution’s research service in advance and inform yourself about your institute’s internal processes and timelines.
• Applications must be written in English. Submission in other languages will be formally rejected. 

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Eligibility and roles of applicants

The general eligibility of applicants is specified in the WWTF Funding Guideline (in German only).

A project’s core team may include up to three Principal Investigators (PIs). This includes a PI&C and up to two co-PIs. 

• Core team members may share equal management and scientific roles in the project.
• The core team must have an excellent scientific track record that demonstrates the ability to conduct the proposed research project.
• WWTF especially encourages young and female scientists to apply as PI.
• Each core team member must submit a CV, which will form part of the evaluation.

A researcher may appear as a core team member (i.e., PI&C, co-PI) in a maximum of two proposals in this call. In case of three or more proposals with the same PI, WWTF will accept the first two proposals submitted. Involvement in other past / ongoing / granted WWTF projects does not impact upon eligibility to apply in this call.

One PI must be designated as PI&C (PI and coordinator).

• For legal and administrative reasons (funding contract, reporting), WWTF requires a PI&C to be named. The PI&C will be the contact person for WWTF regarding all aspects of the project.
• The PI&C must have an affiliation at a Viennese research institution, which will serve as a legal contract partner. This also applies to researchers moving to Vienna, who must have a Viennese affiliation in case of funding.
• The PI&C should be an expert in an area relevant to the topic of the proposal. The PI&C must have an excellent scientific track record and a proven capability to manage projects.

Up to two co-PIs may also be named in the core team.

• WWTF recognizes that co-PIs may have equally significant scientific roles in the project. However, the PI&C will be regarded as the main contact person for the project.
• Co-PIs may be based in Vienna, Lower Austria or elsewhere (in Austria or internationally) in fulfilment of the requirements of regular WWTF projects or Joint Projects (see below). 

Additional project partners and collaborators are permitted in the research team. They can be added by name in the full proposal stage.

• Non-academic collaboration partners (e.g., NGOs) may be part of the research team. However, the core team members and majority of additional team members in the proposal should have an academic background.

• Industry partners are not eligible for funding, but may partake with in-kind or financial contribution.

Research partners outside Vienna:

• For regular WWTF projects, project partners outside of Vienna may receive up to 20% (i.e., <20%) the total requested funding.
• This call operates under the “Joint Projects” agreement with the Province of Lower Austria. 

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Project Partners outside of Vienna & Joint Projects with partners in Lower Austria

1. Project Partners outside of Vienna

Partners outside Vienna are possible and may request up to 20% (i.e., <20%) of the total budget. Partners can be located anywhere in Austria as well as abroad. 

2. Joint Projects with partners in Lower Austria

WWTF welcomes Joint Project (JP) applications between Viennese and Lower Austrian universities and research institutions in this call. 

The aims of this initiative are to promote research cooperation between Lower Austria and Vienna on equal terms and to strengthen cooperation of research institutions in the Vienna region. 

• To incentivize the cooperation, the total maximum funding amount for a JP consortium is € 750,000 (i.e., an additional € 50,000 compared to the maximum for a regular WWTF project).
• The PI&C must be affiliated to a research institution in Vienna.
• At least one co-PI must be affiliated to a research institution in Lower Austria.
• The share of the overall funding allocated to research institutions in Lower Austria must be >20% and <50%. In case that the Lower Austrian share is ≤20%, the project is considered as a regular WWTF project and is not eligible for the higher maximum funding amount.
• The Lower Austrian share is financed by the Province of Lower Austria. Hence, the Lower Austrian project partner must comply with the Lower Austrian Culture Promotion Act 1996 and the directives issued on the basis thereof. Further details will be provided in the funding contract.
• Partners outside Vienna or Lower Austria are also possible and may request up to 20% (i.e., <20%) of the total budget. However, the share of the budget allocated to partner(s) in Vienna must be at least 50% (i.e., ≥50%). 
• Regional branches of Viennese Institutions (e.g., BOKU, VetMed, AIT) located in Lower Austria are considered as Vienna-based in the context of WWTF funding activities.

A conversion between JPs and regular WWTF projects is not possible between the short and full proposal phases or at a later point of time. 

ICT 26 / Digital Humanism / Structure of the proposal

The content and structure of the proposal are defined and specified in the Submission Guideline as well as directly in the WWTF Funding Portal. We encourage you to create a proposal in the Funding Portal to see the details of the proposal. By creating a proposal, you do not enter into any obligations toward WWTF. Incomplete and non-submitted proposals will be deleted after the call deadline.

Applicants invited to submit a full proposal will be provided with an additional Submission Guide-line specifically for the second phase. An overview of the main parts of the short and full proposal is provided below:

Short Proposal	Full proposal
Scientific abstract (in English only)	Lay summary (in German) and scientific abstract (in English, specifically directed to Reviewers and Call Jury).
Project description (about 4-5 pages, 17,500 characters): outline of the main scientific research idea and approach (in an online form, therefore, figures are not possible)	Project description (about 12 pages): elaboration on the research idea and approach (template is provided). This part should be uploaded as PDF. It may contain figures, charts etc.
Project core team: CVs and roles in project (mandatory template is provided)	Project team and further collaboration partners: CVs for all core team members (mandatory template is provided) and roles in project of all team members
Budget overview in main budget categories	Detailed budget
Brief statement regarding ethical aspects	Ethical approval OR detailed description of ethical aspects, including feasibility and timeline for ethical approval
Signatures: from the authorising persons at the institutions of the core team members	Signatures: from the authorising persons at all participating institutions

Please note that the short proposal is intended for a jury panel with expertise covering a range of topics and fields of Digital Humanism while the full proposal is primarily aimed at experts in the specific topics of the proposal (peer review). Even there, please keep in mind that the funding verdicts is made by a broadly composed call jury. 

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Evaluation criteria

The following criteria are used in the evaluation.

Main evaluation criteria

• Scope: Is the project within the scope of the call as described in this document? 

Projects that do not meet the key requirements regarding scope will be rejected by the jury, regardless of scientific quality. 

The key criteria in the evaluation of proposals are are scientific excellence of the project and applicants and interdisciplinarity:

• Innovative character of the proposed research project: Does the proposed research work meet the highest relevant international quality standards? Does the project show scientific originality and innovative aspects? Are the methods and research approaches appropriate and innovative?
• Scientific excellence and academic potential of the applicant(s): Do the applicants demonstrate the expertise and potential to conduct the proposed research? Please note that scientific track record is measured according to academic age.
• Team composition and interdisciplinary collaboration: Teams should include an appropriate mix of expertise, bringing together ICT and SSH researchers. A clear description of the roles of the individual partners and a clear project management plan must be presented. This should demonstrate how both ICT and SSH researchers will contribute to critical stages of developing and executing the project, and how communication will be fostered throughout the project lifetime.
• Relevance: does the proposed research contribute to mid- to long-term concepts that question/redefine/reevaluate how digital technologies & practices can be better aligned with established human values? Does the proposal contribute to ad-vances in Digital Humanism?

Further evaluation criteria

• Feasibility: Can the project realize its goals given the competences of the research team, the methods suggested, the time frame, resources, and budget? 
  
• Consideration of gender aspects: The relevance of potential sex-specific and gender-related aspects of the proposed projects should be considered and explained throughout the proposal.
• Open Science: does the Proposal adhere to the principles of open science? 

Other aspects:

• Career breaks such as for parental leave, care duties and longer illnesses will be taken into account in the evaluation of the proposals. Please indicate the time periods in the applicants' CV to allow them to be considered.  

Please note that the short proposal will be evaluated by a jury panel, who will be asked to act as generalists when evaluating proposals. In contrast, the full proposal will additionally be evaluated by reviewers with specific expertise in the topics of the proposal. Thus, an appropriate level of scientific detail should be provided at each stage to allow evaluation of the proposal by the respective audience.

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Eligible costs

All costs that are directly attributable to the project and are regarded as commonly required in the respective scientific fields are eligible for funding. Please also consider your organization’s internal guidelines for eligible expenses/costs.

Personnel costs

WWTF is dedicated to funding researchers. Hence, the larger share of the project’s budget should be allocated to personnel costs for researchers working on the project.

• Eligible forms of employment contracts are full-time and part-time contracts as well as marginal employments (“Arbeitsvertrag”). Contracts for services (“Werkvertrag”) are only permitted if the nature of the work means that it cannot be performed through employment contracts.
• All persons employed through a WWTF-funded project should receive a fair employment contract with at least a minimum wage according to the “Kollektivvertrag” (collective agreement) of the Austrian Universities / non-university research institutions. For staff employed at institutions without a collective agreement, the minimum wage should adhere to the standards of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF salary scheme).
• Salaries higher than those stipulated in the collective agreement are possible, subject to the agreement from the host institution and justification based on qualifications of the researcher. 
• Due to projected inflation rates, the budget calculation for salaries in the Funding Portal automatically includes an increase of 3.5% p.a. for the duration of the project (in the full proposal online form).
• Applications for personnel costs must be in one of the following categories:
  • Senior Personnel: highly qualified scientists, usually permanently employed
  • Post Doc: or equivalent qualification, including Senior Postdocs
  • PhD Student: or equivalent qualification level
  • Diploma Student: Bachelor or Master students
  • Office/Technician: administrative or technicians (proportional funding only)

• Personnel costs cannot be claimed for permanent senior staff who are already fully financed by the institution. Exceptions apply in cases where senior staff must acquire third party funding for co-financing their own position (e.g., non-university research institutions and Universities of Applied Sciences). In these cases, permanently employed senior staff may claim up to 20% of their annual salary from WWTF.

Non-personnel costs

Running costs for basic infrastructure (telephone costs, rents) as well as costs for the acquisition of infrastructure and basic equipment are not eligible for funding, as these should be covered by the category “overhead costs”. The following categories of non-personnel costs are eligible for funding:

• Equipment:  Smaller equipment can be purchased with funds from the grant. This includes devices up to € 1,500 each, as well as software specific to the projects. General office software is not eligible for funding. Funding by WWTF in project calls is not intended to cover investment in general and larger infrastructure. However, pro rata depreciation rates over the project duration for equipment necessary to the project may be funded.
• Consumables: Costs for project-related expenses like consumables are permitted. WWTF does not fund consumables that are general and not project-specific (e.g., paper, printer toner).
• Travel costs: Costs for travel and accommodation for scientific meetings and conferences, field work, expeditions may be funded. Please also consider the regulations of your organization for travel costs.
• Publication costs: Costs incurred for publication activities, e.g., printing costs, article processing charges (for open science), etc. are allowed. This also includes costs for archiving research data in open repositories. Please also consider WWTF's Open Science Policy.
• Workshop/conferences: Costs for organizing events, workshops, and conferences as well as for hosting invited speakers are eligible. Other costs: Third-party costs, namely, for external collaboration, consulting, studies, and software development may be funded to a limited extent. In general, individuals should be predominantly funded through employment contracts at the participating institutions and not through other types of employment. Under special conditions, costs for childcare and/or career coaching for female WWTF-funded personnel may be requested to a small degree.

Non-personnel costs should not exceed 30% of the overall budget.

Indirect costs (overheads)

 WWTF pays a maximum of 20% overhead.

Overhead is calculated as a percentage of the direct costs of the project (i.e., personnel + non-personnel costs). Please note that WWTF offers the maximum 20% overhead lump sum to compensate for all administration costs. This means that flat fees for payroll or project accounting are not eligible. The total funding volume is calculated as direct plus indirect costs.

Applicants are required to comply with the overhead regulations of the involved institutions.

Please consider WWTF's Recognition of Costs in Funding Guidelines (in German only. Please use your preferable translation program to translate the guidelines into English). 

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Gender aspects in the application phase

WWTF’s Gender Strategy and Gender Equality Plan must be considered throughout the application. Please regard WWTF's guidelines and instructions, in particular the chapter regarding the proposal phase. 

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Guidelines for good scientific practice and ethics (incl. AI use in proposal writing)

Good scientific practice

Compliance with the rules for good scientific practice, including the observance of ethical aspects in research, is mandatory. This pertains to the application process and, in case of funding, the research work.

• WWTF is member of the Austrian Agency for Research Integrity (OeAWI) and thus committed to their standards for good scientific practice. Hence, applicants must comply to OeAWI standards 
• In case of suspected scientific misconduct, WWTF will employ the ombudsperson at the applicant’s institution or request OeAWI to investigate the case.
• Based on the outcome of investigations by the ombudsperson or OeAWI, WWTF reserves the right to exclude the applicants and the application from the involved and future calls.

Use of AI in Proposal Writing

WWTF recognizes that the use of genAI tools is pervasive and can facilitate proposal writing, for example in relation to improving written language. However, substantial use of genAI must be declared as such for the sake of transparency. 

“Substantial use” is defined in line with the European Commission’s definition: “[…] using generative AI as a basic author support tool is not a substantial use. However, interpreting data analysis, carrying out a literature review, identifying research gaps, formulating research aims, developing hypotheses, etc. could have a substantial impact.” (EC 2024: Living Guidelines on the responsible use of generative AI in research.)  

This mainly concerns critical parts of scientific relevance, such as hypothesis formulation and the scientific project plan. Applicants will be required to provide statements on the use of generative AIs at both the short and full proposal stages. WWTF emphasizes the importance of human responsibility for the content submitted at all stages of the application process. 

In review and evaluation processes WWTF does not allow AI to be used for the actual formation of judgments and decision-making.

Ethical aspects

Project proposals may include ethical aspects that require the approval from an ethics committee/institutional review board. Please consider WWTF’s requirements regarding ethical aspects at the different stages of the call and, if applicable, upon the selection of a project for funding.

• In the short proposal, applicants provide a brief statement regarding the ethical aspects of the project. Applicants must indicate whether a formal ethical approval is required for the proposed work.

When in doubt, WWTF may require a verdict of an ethics committee even if the projects has identified no potential ethical issues regarding their proposed work. 

• Upon invitation to submit a full proposal, applicants must provide a more detailed description of the ethical aspects of the proposed work. If available, the ethical approval (final or preliminary) or confirmation of submission of an ethical approval should be submitted. If an ethical approval for the proposed work has yet not been granted, applicants must provide a timeline and an explanation of the feasibility of obtaining the necessary ethical approvals. In the latter case, applicants commit themselves to obtaining the required permits to commence the project in a timely manner, should it be selected for funding.
• Upon selection for funding, submission of the final ethical approvals to WWTF is a prerequisite for the funding contract. As projects must start no later than 6 months after funding approval, grantees must ensure that ethical approvals are submitted to WWTF in time for the funding contract to be concluded.

Please note that the feasibility of obtaining the required ethical approval will be considered during the evaluation of the full proposal. Insufficient demonstration of the ability to obtain ethical approvals within a timely manner may result in the project being excluded by the jury panel.

Please note the following requirements regarding ethical approvals for WWTF-funded projects.

• The approval by the ethics committee should be specific for the planned WWTF project. Therefore, the title of the project should be the same as on the approval (minor deviations are possible). If the title of the approved research differs significantly from the proposed project, a statement must be provided (in the Funding Portal), confirming that the approval will cover the planned research.
• If the main applicant for the ethical approval is not a core team member (i.e., PI&C or co-PI) of the WWTF proposal, a clear statement must be included in the proposal, in which a core team member confirms that he/she is authorized to conduct the planned research within this ethical approval.
• If the planned research is covered by an existing approval, the applicants must submit the extension of the approval (“Verlängerung der Gültigkeit des Votums”). The above also applies for extensions.

Non-compliance will result in the rejection of the proposal on formal grounds.

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Open Science

WWTF requires compliance with its Open Science Policy. This document outlines the rights, roles and responsibilities of WWTF, researchers, and research organizations.

ICT26 Digital Humanism / Selection and decision process

Applications must be submitted via the online Funding Portal in the specified timeframes. Submissions after the deadline will not be considered.

The core element of WWTF’s decision-making processes is an international jury mandated to make a funding recommendation to the WWTF boards. 

• Depending on the call (size, scope etc) the jury is comprised of 6-12 outstanding international experts who have no current affiliation to an Austrian institution.
• Jury members are selected by WWTF according to their expertise in the call topic. They have no known conflict of interest prior to the submission deadline. For details, see section on evaluation below.
• The names of jury members will be published on the WWTF website after the WWTF Board of Directors finalize the formal funding decision.   

Formal eligibility check by WWTF

WWTF office will conduct a formal eligibility check of the proposal based on the criteria outlined in the WWTF Funding Guideline, and this document. This includes:

• All required signatures from the appropriate persons are uploaded.
• All projects will be checked for plagiarism with software.
• Submission of the same or highly similar research ideas to other funding organizations, which must be explicitly declared in the full proposal. Application for funding at other organizations is permitted and will not impact the evaluation. In case of funding, applicants will be asked by which organization they wish to be funded, as double funding is not permitted by WWTF.

Substantial deficiencies and missing sections in the application will lead to the exclusion of the application from further evaluation and rejection on formal grounds. The strict timeline of the call does not allow for proposals to be sent back to the applicants for amendments.

Evaluation of short proposals

• Each proposal is independently assessed by at least two jury members based on the evaluation criteria.
• The jury decides in a meeting (on-site or online) if a short proposal should be invited to the full proposal stage. This usually takes place 1-2 months after the short proposal submission deadline. 
• All applicants will be promptly informed about the decision. Unsuccessful applicants will be provided with a short jury statement explaining the decision. Successful applicants will be informed that they are invited to submit a full-length proposal.

Evaluation of full proposals

• All duly submitted full proposals are checked again for formal aspects. Proposals which do not meet the formal requirements will be rejected at this stage.
• The information provided in the full proposal must be consistent with the short proposal and extend it by providing more information and details. Major deviations to the short proposal must be justified explicitly. If major deviations cannot be satisfactorily explained, it may be rejected by the jury at this stage. 

Eligible full proposals will undergo a review process. 

• WWTF will obtain a minimum of two (usually 3-4) written reviews for each proposal.
• Reviewers are international experts in the topic(s) of the proposals. WWTF does not contact reviewers based in Austria. WWTF aims for diversity in the cohort of reviewers for a call (gender, age, countries).
• All reviewers will be checked by the WWTF office for potential conflicts of interests with the applicants. As a rule, reviewers should not have close professional relations to any of the applicants in the project team. Practically, this excludes reviewers that have published with the applicants within the last five years or have had a collaboration in a research project in this timeframe. In case of very close cooperation with the applicant(s) over a longer period of time, the reviewer will also be excluded. Joint publications in an edited volumes/proceeding, “community papers” with more than 30 authors or common attendances in workshops and conferences do not qualify as conflict of interest. Additionally, reviewers are asked to disclose any potential conflict of interest.
• Reviewers will be asked to provide their assessment of the proposal through a standardised online questionnaire.
• The expert reviewers remain anonymous to the applicants.
• Jury members nominate reviewers. In addition, in the full proposal submissions, applicants are asked to suggest 5 experts whom they deem qualified to review the proposal. WWTF office will check the reviewers for potential conflict of interests. WWTF office is free to choose/not to choose any of the suggested experts.
• Applicants may also exclude up to 3 persons without stating any reasons. Reviewers on the negative list will not be contacted. 

Full Proposal Jury meeting

The jury will convene about 3-4 months after the submission deadline of the full proposals to select full proposals to recommend for funding. The jury may be extended by additional members in case supplementary expertise is needed to cover the topics of the proposals. At least two jury members are assigned to each proposal and act as rapporteurs for the proposals.

• The basis for the evaluation by the jury are the full proposals, the external reviews, and the applicant’s response to reviews. The arguments brought forward in the review reports will be carefully balanced with the jury’s own expertise.
• The result is a recommendation for each project: “to be funded” or “not to be funded”.

Formal funding decision

The jury recommendation will be formally confirmed first by the WWTF Advisory Board and then approved by the WWTF Board of Directors.

• Applicants will be promptly informed about the decision.
• The decision may include budget cuts as well as additional conditions and recommendations.
• Unsuccessful applicants will receive a short statement by the jury explaining the main reasons why the project was not selected for funding.

Please note that WWTF does not allow the opportunity for rebuttals to either recommendations by the jury panel or decisions by the WWTF Board of Directors.

ICT26 Digital Humanism / In case of a positive funding decision ...

Conclusion of a Funding Contract

In case of funding, WWTF office will contact the PI&C to draw up the funding contract. 

• WWTF encourages projects to start as soon as possible after the formal funding decision by the WWTF Board of Directors. To facilitate a timely project start, WWTF will directly contact the PI&C shortly after the funding decision to commence the contracting process.
• The formal start of the project may be no later than 6 months after the formal funding decision. Please note that WWTF does not require all team members of the funded project to begin by the project’s start date. However, WWTF expects grantees to nominate a formal starting date for their project that is no later than 6 months after the notification of the funding decision.
• The PI&C will be provided with the necessary documents for the contracts.

• The formal funding contract will be signed between WWTF and the host institution of the PI&C. In Joint Projects, the host institution of the co-PI in Lower Austria is an additional contract partner.

• For universities, this is a project according to §27 of the Universities Act 2002. The institution then authorizes the respective PI to sign for the full scientific and financial responsibility of the project.

Monitoring and Reporting of Funded Projects

Funded teams commit themselves to delivering reports and participating in evaluation and monitoring. WWTF offers the possibility to adapt the work plan according to project needs. For details, see the Reporting and Accounting Guideline.

Community Building & Doctoral College on Digital Humanism

WWTF is highly committed to supporting the growing Digital Humanism community in Vienna. To this end, several community building activities will be offered throughout the funding cycle. Funded teams will be invited to participate in these activities to foster collaborations between and beyond WWTF funded projects. 

Since 2024, WWTF is funding the Doctoral College on Digital Humanism. Hosted by TU Wien, the University of Vienna, and WU Wien, it provides a interdisciplinary doctoral training programme for Digital Humanism topics. This might be an opportunity for the predocs funded by this call. The participation in the Doctoral College is not mandatory but we strongly encourage funded projects to contact the coordinators of the Doctoral College to explore the possibilities of a collaboration.