Promoting new initiatives, formats, content and structures in teaching, learning and assessment.
Ideas Competition “Academic Enrichment of the Excellence Strategy”
The exceptional dedication and creativity of TUM teaching staff, employees, and students demonstrated in our first Ideas Competition confirms that pursuing a wide range of initiatives drives future-oriented teaching. Experience has shown the potential of these new ideas to continue to shape teaching at TUM.
We are pleased that we can continue to support initiatives for the enhancement of teaching in the coming years through the Ideas Competition. A total of roughly 2.1 million euros will be available for this purpose until the end of 2028 and will be awarded in two funding rounds (1 January 2025 – 31 December 2026 and 1 January 2027 – 31 December 2028).
What kinds of proposals can be funded?
The first funding round of the 2025/2026 Ideas Competition will focus on the promotion of new initiatives, new formats, new content and new structures in the areas of teaching, learning and assessment that contribute to the enhancement of teaching at TUM.
We look forward to proposals for the development or enhancement of ...
- problem-based or project-based teaching
- interdisciplinary teaching on topics (such as sustainability, ethics, artificial intelligence, data and process analysis) that cut across disciplinary boundaries or on specialist topics from other disciplines from outside the discipline's own perspective.
- materials for case studies (e.g. case descriptions, image and audio material, data bases) that can be referenced or integrated into degree programs over several semesters.
- new teaching formats that integrate external materials.
- …
How many projects will be funded?
We target support for around 20-30 projects in each funding round. This corresponds to between 20,000 and 35,000 euros in funding for two years.
Of course, proposals for projects with smaller or larger budgets can also be submitted to the competition.
If selected, when would my project begin?
The earliest possible start date for individual projects is 1 January 2025. Projects will run for two calendar years, ending on 31 December 2026.
Who is eligible to submit a proposal?
Schools, professors and teaching staff, central service institutions (e.g. ProLehre | Media and Didactics, IT Service Center, University Library, TUM Language Center, TUM Center for Study and Teaching) and student representatives are all eligible to submit proposals.
Multiple proposals may be submitted per unit. All proposals within a given unit must be submitted together through the Vice Dean – Academic & Student Affairs, the head of the service institution, or the departmental student council.
Who decides which projects will be funded?
The jury is chaired by the Vice President – Academic and Student Affairs and includes representatives of the professorial staff, the student body, and mid-level academic staff, as well as non-academic and academic support staff.
What are the formal requirments for the proposal?
Describe the current situation, objectives and specific measures involved in no more than three pages; describe the criteria you would use to assess whether your project was successful (evaluation criteria). Append a detailed budget to the proposal. You can include (proportionate) personnel and material costs. Keep in mind that academic staff positions can only be financed up to 49% from tuition substitution funds.
What about the reporting process?
There are two parts to the reporting process:
- A list of the funds spent on the project in each calendar year, which must be prepared and submitted at the beginning of the following year (Statement of Accounts).
- A content report of no more than three pages, which must be prepared and submitted no later than three months after the end of the project (Final Report).
Answers to questions regarding the formal requirements of the proposal and reporting can be found in our templates Structure of the Proposal, Budget Table, Final Report and Statement of Accounts on the Ideas Competition pages.
When is the deadline for submitting proposals?
Applications must be submitted electronically to the TUM Center for Study and Teaching by 7 October, 2024:
Manuela Avallone: avallone@zv.tum.de
Nina Grote: grote@zv.tum.de
Contact for further questions?
If you have any questions regarding the call for proposals, please contact Manuela Avallone (avallone@zv.tum.de) or Nina Grote (grote@zv.tum.de), TUM Center for Study and Teaching.