Large-scale research equipment (Art. 91b para. 1 GG)
Large-scale research equipment (Art. 91b para. 1 GG)
What is a large appliance:
"A major appliance is the sum of the appliance parts, including accessories, which form a functional unit for an intended operating state. There should be an appropriate relationship between the basic device (including software) and the accessories - which may also include methodological and metrological additions or aids that are not directly necessary for operation." (Source DFG)
Further information can be found on the DFG website.
Forms of the University of Oldenburg for applying for a large-scale research unit (FGG)
In the administration portal of the University of Oldenburg you will find the budget registration for a FGGwith which the FGG can be registered with us. With this registration, the FGG is added to the large equipment list, which in turn is approved by the Presidential Board of the UOL.
The submission for the approval of an FGG is authorised by the Presidential Board through the Dean's Office.
The preliminary sheet for the proposal must be signed by the Presidential Board in order to be authorised for uploading to the DFG.
All of the above forms can be accessedvia the administration portal here.
What requirements must my proposal fulfil?
The gross investment sum of a major instrument must be at least 200,000 euros including VAT. The upper investment limit is 7,500,000 euros (as adjusted by the DFG on 19 December 2018).
"Major instrumentation proposals can be submitted at any time. They are submitted to the DFG in accordance with the respective state regulations. The assurance of 50% co-financing by the host state or university is required." (Source DFG)
New regulation: Initial maintenance and service costs can be co-financed as part of the procurement of a major instrument. See DFG publication dated 12 May 2026: "Extended funding options for large-scale research equipment".
How does the application process work?
We are here to help you with the application process. For a formal review, please send us your proposal by email to . We will then get back in touch with you and discuss the next steps.
Please have your proposal checked and approved by the Dean's Office of the department. Here you will find the document that will be signed by the Dean's Office.
We will submit the final proposal to the Presidential Board for you, where the submission to the German Research Foundation (DFG) will then be confirmed on the corresponding form(preliminary sheet for the proposal).
You then submit the proposal to the DFG electronically by uploading it via the DFG 's elan portal. When you upload the proposal to the elan portal, a receipt form is generated, which you must sign and submit to us in the original. You can find a sample receipt form from the DFG here.
We will forward the receipt form to the Presidential Board for signature. Finally, we will submit the documents to the DFG by post on your behalf.
The DFG initiates the review process and informs the Presidential Board of its decision.
Please note that if the investment amount exceeds 1 million euros, the entire proposal must also be sent in paper form once to the MWK and once to the State Court of Auditors (LRH). In addition, the Committee for Budget and Finance (AfHuF) must approve the procurement of the large-scale equipment.
The procurement of the large-scale equipment is ultimately carried out by Division 2 (Purchasing), which you should contact as soon as possible after approval.
Diagram: Financing of large-scale research equipment at the UOL
| Share (in million) | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| State share | 525.000 | 325.000 | 537.500 | 462.500 | 350.000 | 448.000 | 325.000 | 620.000 | 435.000 | 725.500 | 550.000 |
| Federal share | 1.325.000 | 337.500 | 974.000 | 3.754.650 | 350.000 | 448.000 | 3.243.500 | 927.700 | 840.000 | 1.652.500 | 649.500 |
| Own contribution UOL | 299.984 | 12.260 | 24.910 | 1.281.100 | 1.726.000 | 425.000 | 99.500 | ||||
| Appointments | 411.650 | 2.011.050 | 1.685.000 | ||||||||
| other | 850.000 | 405.000 | 1.200.000 |
All DFG funding programmes: click here for the links
Electronic application via the elan portal:
https://www.dfg.de/foerderung/grundlagen_rahmenbedingungen/elan/hinweise_antragstellende/index.html
Download application forms and information sheets for all funding programmes:
www.dfg.de/foerderung/programme/infrastruktur/wgi/formulare_merkblaetter/index.jsp
Details of the funding programmes:
www.dfg.de/foerderung/programme/infrastruktur/wgi/index.html
Good academic practice - recommendations and rules of procedure of the DFG:
www.dfg.de/foerderung/grundlagen_rahmenbedingungen/gwp/index.html