Germany's main awarder of science grants, the DFG, is calling for applications for the third phase of its Excellence Initiative, a programme aimed at promoting top research and raising the calibre of German universities and research institutions.

This phase will award some €2.7 billion (US$3.8 billion) in research funding to German universities and institutions; the funding is part of an overall €18-billion investment in science and education approved in June, the largest such single amount in Germany's post-war history (see http://tinyurl.com/l768c6). Awards will start in 2012 and will run for five years.