164 Small Disciplines, 3217 professorships: Small Disciplines may be small, but they are important for the international competitiveness of Germany as a research location, for its reputation, for the standing of its universities and for the training of young academics.
From medical history to linguistics and religious studies to regional studies – around 80 percent of the Small Disciplines are in the humanities and social sciences. Well-networked and internationally positioned, they enable the understanding of cultural, social and economic developments. This is an essential contribution to solving social challenges, as well as to research and preserving our cultural heritage.
With the current framework programme of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, a new chapter is commencing in the success story of Small Disciplines: the funding guideline " Small Disciplines – strong together” (Federal Gazette of September 2, 2019) aims to promote and network young researchers. In the selected projects, interdisciplinary research groups work on a topic of their own choice under the direction of the minor subjects. This is also intended to contribute to the structural strengthening of the minor subject.
In order to strengthen the small subjects, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) published the call for proposals "Small Subjects - Great Potential" (funding guideline in the Federal Gazette of 24 June 2016), through which almost 60 early career researchers were funded. They have succeeded in shaping a unique university profile in research and teaching, developing attractive study programmes and opening up new fields of research for young academics. In addition, studies, annual meetings and conferences have constantly improved knowledge in and about the minor disciplines.
The “Small Disciplines – university weeks” that were organised in 2019 by the German Rectors' Conference have also made the Small Disciplines better known in selected German universities and beyond. In addition, the BMBF funded another competition " Small Disciplines: visibly innovative", which was conducted by the German Rectors' Conference, and in doing so provided additional impetus for communication and networking in the context of Small Disciplines.
The BMBF has supported the Small Disciplines Research Centre at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz in setting up the www.kleinefaecher.de portal in order to enable stronger networking at a national and international level. The Small Disciplines Research Centre in Mainz will continue to receive support, as the development of this subject group is to be studied and documented. In the current funding project, the mapping of Small Disciplines is being expanded, on the one hand, in the form of a nationwide survey of study programmes and the status of Small Disciplines as doctoral subjects and, on the other hand, to include the locations of Small Disciplines at other types of higher educational institutions such as universities of applied sciences.
