What research areas can my proposal be about?
A strong research proposal is the foundation of every successful application. As an applicant, you have the flexibility to design a research proposal that reflects your individual interests and strengths. However, your proposal must align with the scope of the DLGS and meet the following criteria:

1. addresses the topic of the current DLGS call ; and/or DLGS scientific profile and remit
2. aligns with IOER research areas (one or several)
3. identifies a thesis supervisor (professor) at the TU Dresden / IOER (up to three suggestions)

What is the required format for the research proposal?
Your research proposal should consist of text only, with a maximum length of 13,000 characters (including spaces). The text must be entered directly into the online form. Images or tables cannot be included. The proposal should clearly describe the research you plan to conduct, include references to support your argument, and follow the structure outlined by the following headings:

1. Background and Motivation: What specific research subject and problem do you aim to addres
2. State of the Art: What is the current scientific knowledge and ongoing debates in this field
3. Research Approach: What are your research questions and objectives, and which concepts and theories will you use to address them?
4. Research Design: What methodology will you apply to answer your research questions?
5. Work Plan: What are the key tasks, and what is the proposed timeline for your research?

What defines a transdisciplinary research approach?

DLGS considers a research proposal transdisciplinary when the approach and the entire research process—including identifying research needs, establishing joint research initiatives, diagnosing problems, designing solutions, making decisions, implementing actions, and evaluating outcomes—is characterized by integrating  diverse forms of knowledge from both academic and non-academic perspectives. Transdisciplinary research emphasizes the co-production of new knowledge through collaboration between stakeholders from various domains. Examples include urban experiments and urban living labs, where stakeholders actively and continuously participate in the research process, whether as citizen scientists or as equal-rights project partners.

To ensure feasibility, transdisciplinary approaches should be proposed only within the local DLGS context (Dresden/Saxony region) and require German language proficiency as well as alignment with relevant IOER projects.