The Mini-Grants of the Doctoral Academy fund paper-based, empirical research projects led by doctoral researchers in the areas of business, corporate, and leadership ethics. Three grants are awarded annually, nine in total over the funding period 2026-2029.
The grants specifically support key phases of empirical research projects: study design, pre-testing, participant recruitment, and, where applicable, incentivisation in economic experiments. A demonstrable practical relevance is a mandatory requirement for all applications.
|
Grant amount |
€ 4,000 per person per year |
|
Grants per year |
3 grants (9 in total between 2026-9) |
|
Eligible applicants |
Doctoral researchers in business, corporate, or leadership ethics (research teams must consist of at least 1 applying doctoral researcher) |
|
Methodological focus |
Empirical designs, particularly experiments; qualitative studies also eligible |
|
Selection process |
Review by an expert jury |
|
Application deadlines |
(1) 31 December (annually) (2) 30 June (annually) |
|
Decision communicated |
(1) By end of January/ beginning of February (annually) (2) By end of July/ beginning of August (annually) |
|
Final deliverables |
(1) Short report + presentation by mid-October (2) Short report + presentation by mid-December |
Funding Objectives
- Enable independent empirical research projects of early-career researchers
- Support innovative approaches in business and corporate ethics research
- Strengthen the research competencies of doctoral scholars
- Generate insights for academia, business, and society
- Increase the visibility of ethics-focused research by early-career scholars
Eligible Papers
Grant funds may be used for the following purposes:
Primary focus: Experimental research designs
- Conducting laboratory or online experiments
- Participant incentives (honoraria, vouchers)
- Pre-testing and piloting costs
- Platform fees (e.g. Prolific)
Further eligible areas
- Field research travel for data collection (qualitative studies)
- Software for transcriptions, data analysis or survey tools
For more information about the application and selection process please read this document carefully.