Research funding

The Bavarian Academy of Sciences is funded primarily by public funds from the Free State of Bavaria and the German federal government. In addition, it secures project-based third-party funding from public funding bodies and European Union programmes. The proportion of third-party funding currently stands at around 40 per cent. 

Research and Networking

The Academy invests its resources in sustainable research and networking structures. It is the only institution within the German academic landscape to maintain its own research institutes and agencies that support scientific research. These include the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre with its high-performance computing and data infrastructures and research activities, the Walther Meißner Institute with its internationally recognised fundamental research in quantum sciences, and the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt), which carries out interdisciplinary research and supports projects on digital methods, data practices and the societal implications of digitalisation.

External funds

By 2025, the Academy had achieved an external funding ratio of just under 40 per cent. At the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre, the figure stood at around 30 per cent, whilst at the Walther-Meißner-Institute for Low Temperature Research it was just over 50 per cent. In addition, around 12 million euros were received from the federal and state Academies Programme for basic research in the humanities.

The BAdW and its institutes carry out international projects under European Union programmes such as Horizon Europe (including the ERC Consolidator Grant), the EU Quantum Flagship and the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. At national level, significant funding is provided by the German Research Foundation (DFG), including from the Excellence Strategy and coordinated collaborative formats such as the Collaborative Research Centres/Transregio (including TRR 360 and TRR 419) and other DFG funding schemes. In addition, projects are funded under bilateral programmes, such as with France (ANR–DFG).

Another key focus is on long-term humanities projects that produce fundamental reference works of national and international significance. Much of this research is carried out under the Academies Programme, which is jointly funded by the federal and state governments.