Grant applications by video: what researchers and funders need to know

With the rise of platforms like Youtube and Tiktok, we’re arguably moving away from the text-dominated world that has existed since the advent of the printing press. Instead, video is beginning to become our prime form of communication. 

On the whole, research still runs on text, often for good reason. But one funder has taken a small step into the video age, asking for short video applications to save both applicants and reviewers time and effort. 

Since 2022, Germany’s Volkswagen Foundation, a private funder unrelated to the carmaker, has been asking applicants for 90-second videos as part of a first stage application to its Momentum grants, which give newly tenured professors in Germany the chance to shift their focus. …