External Calls for Proposal

The Stifterverband is once again inviting applications for the Ars legendi Award for Excellence in Higher Education Teaching. Endowed with €30,000, the award highlights the outstanding importance of university teaching in educating the next generation of academics. It also aims to create a strong career incentive for educators to engage in and advance excellent teaching beyond their own institution.

This year's call focuses on the theme "Teaching and Learning Writing in the Age of AI." The award recognizes a teacher at a German higher education institution, regardless of academic status, who has made an exceptional contribution through their teaching and commitment to fostering writing as a core academic competency in the context of generative AI.

Nominations may be submitted by faculties, academic departments, or student representative bodies. Self-nominations are also welcome.

Application deadline: 16 August 2026.

Further information on the application process, the full call for applications including submission guidelines, and background information on previous award recipients can be found hereExternal link.

Previous tenders were as follows:

• Network Focus 2026 – Strengthening networks as drivers of innovation
• The world is my campus
• 'Freiraum 2026' - Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching
• 'Lehrarchitektur.' Shaping the university of the future
• 'Freiraum 2025' – Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching
• 'Freiraum 2023' – Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching
• 'Fokus Portale/Fokus Netzwerke' – Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching
• 'Freiraum 2022' – Foundation for Innovation in University Teaching
• Empowering University Teaching through Digitalisation

Previous tenders were as follows:

• eTeach free spaces in the eTeaching Network Thuringia
• Cooperative impulse projects in the eTeach network Thuringia 2024
• Cooperative impulse projects in the eTeach network Thuringia 2023
• Cooperative impulse projects in the eTeach network Thuringia 2022

Previous tenders in this area were as follows:

• Ars legendi prize for excellent university teaching 2025
• Ars legendi prize for excellent university teaching 2024
• Ars legendi prize for excellent university teaching 2023
• Ars legendi Faculty prize in Medicine
• Ars legendi Faculty prize in Mathematics and Natural science

Previous tenders in this area were as follows:

• Fellowships for Innovations in digital University Teaching 2025/26
• Fellowships for Innovations in digital University Teaching 2024/25
• Fellowships for Innovations in digital University Teaching 2023/24
• Fellowships for Innovations in digital University Teaching 2022/23
• Fellowships for Innovations in digital University Teaching 2021/22

Previous tenders in this area were as follows:

• FUTURE SCOUTS MINT 2026/2027: Impulses for a Future-Ready and Attractive STEM Degree (in cooperation with Ernst-Hellmut-Vits Foundation)
• MINTchallenge 2026
• MINTchallenge: expertise in sustainable development
• SMART qualifies 2022: MINT for digital world
• SMART qualifies: MINTplus - plusMINT

Previous tenders were as follows:

• Digital Education Area - FMER announcement on the development of a digital education platform
• Promotion of artificial intelligence in higher education (federal-state initiative)

Previous tenders were as follows:

• FUTURE SCOUTS 2026/2027: Impulses for the Structural Strengthening of Future Skills at Higher Education Institutions (Stifterverband and Rheinhard Frank-Foundation)
• German Employer Award for Education 2025
• Futureversities: Strengthening universities as drivers of social transformation
• Data Literacy Learning Steps (Stifterverband)
• AI-Campus searches Teaching Fellows 
• Employer award for education 2022
• Room laboratories - Stifterverband and Dieter Schwarz Stiftung (Stifterverband)
• DigitalChangeMaker Fellowships (Stifterverband)
• 'Kolleg Didaktik:digital': Junior Fellwoships of the Joachim Hertz Stiftung
• Curricula of the future