Selection Criteria for Focus Groups

Applications for focus groups consist of two parts: the overarching application for the focus group and the individual applications of the participants.

Each participant in a focus group is judged on the basis of his or her individual achievement. The individual applications are judged on the basis of previous research achievements, the quality of the submitted project proposal in the framework of the focus group, and the individual applicant’s ability to engage in multidisciplinary discussion. Accordingly, the criteria listed for the selection of individual fellowships are applicable here, as well.

Independently from the individual applications of its participants, the submitted focus group project is judged by where it seeks to take new directions. An interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approach is not regarded as a value in itself, but is a value only if it leads to an interesting examination of a question.