Teaching Innovation Fund (TIF)

Application deadline for the upcoming funding period: 31.01., 31.03., 30.06. und 30.09.

Applications for teaching projects that require student assistants and material resources can be submitted quarterly. Funding for these items is provided by the university’s key project “e-science strategy” in the context of the Excellence Strategy.
Eligible projects include new, innovative teaching formats that support research-oriented, digitally enhanced or online teaching/learning, or are transfer-oriented and thus contribute to promoting critical thinking and active student involvement. Professors, junior professors and teaching staff may apply for funding. In jointly submitted applications, other staff members with teaching duties may also be involved.

Conditions of funding

Scope of funding

You can apply for the following expenses related to implementing courses:

  • Teaching assignments or speakers’ fees, e.g. for co-teaching formats involving persons with relevant practical experience
  • Student assistants to help you manage your regular duties and develop new project-oriented teaching formats
  • Material resources for conducting classes (no items that would fall under core funding and basic infrastructure “Grundausstattung”)
  • Resources for documenting and publishing the findings

In justified cases, you can also apply for staff costs, for example, if required for start-up funding of projects. Regular salary payments, however, are not possible.

Funding is provided in an uncomplicated and transparent manner to support teaching projects flexibly and quickly. You can submit applications for funding up to € 1,000 at any time; for amounts exceeding € 1,000 until the end of each quarter.

Application process

Please submit an outline of your project describing the following points:

  • Brief summary of the project (maximum 1,000 characters)
  • Initial situation
  • Project objectives
  • Didactical concept
  • How many students will benefit from this teaching project?
  • Sustainability
  • Cost breakdown, if applicable: financing plan

Please also describe to what extent gender and diversity aspects are considered in your project.

Please coordinate your project outline with your department. The applications will be discussed and decided on by the advisory board, consisting of

  • Professor Lukas Schmidt-Mende, (Faculty I)
  • Svenja Schmid (Faculty 2)
  • Elisabeth Maué (Faculty 3)
  • Students: Lukas Wursthorn and Frederick Fritsche
  • Sibylle Mühleisen (Student Affairs and Teaching, in an advisory capacity)
  • Jens Protze (Student Affairs and Teaching, in an advisory capacity)

[1].

Please send your applications as a PDF file to the Vice Rector for Teaching: prorektor.lehre@uni-konstanz.de.

Eight weeks after the end of the funding period, you are expected to write up and submit a final report as such reports will allow us to evaluate the success of the Teaching Innovation Fund.

[1] In case of applications for funding of €10,000 and above, the advisory board issues a recommendation to the Rectorate, which will then decide after consultation with the deans.

Further information and contacts

We recommend that you discuss your plans and the required resources with the project coordinators before submitting your application: Sibylle Mühleisen (extension: 4881) Jens Protze (extension: 3503)