Students are not permitted to apply for funding for their own project – Bavarian student conference files lawsuit

With around 120 participants from across Germany, the student conference Engagiert Denken took place in Würzburg in 2026. From 7 to 9 April 2027, it is to take place for the second time, on the topic of "Science for Democracy". A requested grant from the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space Travel (BMFTR) was rejected on 10 July 2026. The reason given: it was not a student initiative, but an event of the university.

Organised on a voluntary basis, formally not eligible to apply

The conference is conceived and carried out exclusively by students on a voluntary basis. According to the funding guidelines, however, only permanently established student associations and legally capable organisations are eligible to apply. In all federal states except Bavaria, the AStA or another legally capable student representation can submit such proposals. In Bavaria, there is no such constituted student body and therefore no legally capable student representation. On the advice of the DLR, the project carrier commissioned by the BMFTR, the proposal was therefore submitted on behalf of the university. This is now being held against the initiative as a reason for rejection.

"We submitted the proposal in consultation with the responsible authorities," says Freya Staab, co-organiser of the conference. "The rejection raises the question of whether student organisations in Bavaria can apply for this funding at all."

Legal action with fundamental significance

The initiative has brought legal action before the Administrative Court in Cologne. But here too, the formal obstacle threatens: the BMFTR responds by questioning the right to bring legal action. Bavarian students would thus be doubly excluded, from funding and from legal protection.

"This is about more than our conference," says Ingo Heide – co-organiser of the conference. "It is about the question of whether students in Bavaria are treated equally in federal funding and whether they can assert their rights in court at all. We ask the court to examine this question objectively."

Demand: legally secure regulations for Bavaria

Engagiert Denken expects equal treatment of Bavarian student initiatives in applying for federal third-party funding. "We see the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art as responsible for creating legally secure regulations for us Bavarian students," says co-organiser Henry Mörtl.

The Bavarian State Student Council (BayStuRa) affirms that student engagement in Bavaria must not be disadvantaged in federal funding programmes. "Bavarian student representations must therefore receive the same legally secure conditions and access opportunities to funding as student representations in other federal states," say the speakers of the BayStuRa.

The conference will take place

Regardless of the outcome of the proceedings, the conference can take place in 2027 thanks to university's own Tuition Substitution Funds. The call for participation runs until 1 December 2026. Students from all disciplines are invited to submit their own contributions, which address what science and students can contribute to strengthening our democracy.