In its Special Research Programs, the FWF supports groups of scholars from all disciplines at Austrian universities as well as non-profit research institutions outside of the university setting. These programs pursue two main objectives:

First, they are designed to promote the creation of research networks on par with international standards through autonomous concentration (bottom-up) in specific areas of research at an individual university.

Second, the programs promote the development of exceptionally productive, closely networked research facilities for long-term interdisciplinary study in complex fields of research.

Grants are approved for up to eight years.

NFN grants are intended to support scholars from all disciplines at Austrian universities as well as non-profit research institutions outside of the university setting.

The purpose of these grants is to promote concentration in specific areas of scholarly research, generally by developing nationwide research networks for collaborative multidisciplinary work on larger research projects in the long term.

Grants are approved for up to eight years.