CZS Wildcard

Through the CZS Wildcard funding programme, the Carl Zeiss Foundation (CZS) is creating an op-portunity to pursue new ideas at a very early stage. The goal is to support unconventional, "wild" ideas in the STEM field with a high potential for innovation. CZS Wildcard is explicitly aimed at projects that (currently) have a low chance of getting funding in the usual selection procedures because they are radically new and, therefore, especially risky.

We are looking for consortia, each made up of three to five scientists, with an innovative idea at the in-terface between different STEM disciplines. No individual preparatory scientific work is required. 24 months of time, a funding amount of up to €750,000, trust and uncomplicated funding modalities lay the foundation for maximum freedom.

University internal letter of intent - Deadline: February 18, 2026

Ulm University is entiteled to submit four applications to the Carl Zeiss Foundation. The University Board decides which applications are forwarded to the Foundation based on the university internal letter of intent.

The LOI must contain the following points:

• Names of participating scientists and their DFG subject classification
• Spokesperson
• Project outline, max. 1 A4 page

Please send your LOI to forschung(at)uni-ulm.de by February 18.