Ruhr-Uni-Bochum
Cyber Security in the Age of Large-Scale Adversaries

Finances

Everything you need to know about finances at CASA.

Eligible Costs

  • Personnel costs for PhDs/PostDocs/SHKs
  • Project-related material resources (equipment, licenses…)
  • Travel expenses with PRECISE project reference
  • Costs for CASA guests, other network activities related to the project
  • Workshops, Lectures, other events with PRECISE CASA project reference
  • Central expenses for the cluster (marketing, office staff)
  • Funds for Equity & Diversity 
  • Promotion

Necessary Documents:

Application for Equipment and Fees

Application for Additional Funding of Student Assistants or Research Assistants

Travel Expenses Form

Non-Eligible Costs

  • Basic equipment (laptops, desks, etc.)
  • Internal services (e.g. IT services)

Questions? Contact us at » info(at)casa.rub.de!

Fundamentals

  • All investment decisions up to a maximum of 3,000 euros can be decided by Inga, Anna or Patrick. All CASA investments above this amount must be decided through the CASA MB.
  • Exception: Patrick can decide about travel expenses exceeding 3,000 euros.
  • Costs for Research Visits beyond 10k will be decided through the CASA MB.
  • Excluded from MB decisions are expenditures that are made centrally by the CASA Management Office, or which have been predetermined through the CASA 2.0 application (e.g. costs for our annual retreat, the biannual WISC, summer schools, website expenses, etc.)

 

International Exchange in CASA

Measures for International Exchange: CASA will be able to continue funding for exchange measures from 2026 onwards. However, following the 24% cuts by DFG, we will have to be restrictive regarding individual applications for support. The following exchange measures are open for support through CASA (following individual applications): 

  • Incoming CGS visitor program
  • Incoming /outgoing female visits
  • CASA Visiting Scientists
  • CASA Distinguished Partners

Applications

  • Recruitment applications for SHKs outside of FRPs must always be decided via MB.
  • Equipment and SHK/WHK can only be funded if there is strong evidence that this is crucial for the proposed research and if there are not alternative funding sources.
  • Research Visit costs exceeding 10k will be decided upon by the CASA MB.

Starter package/initial equipment

  • Every new CASA PhD/Post-Doc, or newly appointed professor funded by CASA can receive a budget of 3,000 € gross for initial equipment. This can only be offered to RUB employees, as it is financed by the CASA premium (overhead).
  • The inventory is carried out by the respective chair. The equipment remains the property of RUB and must be returned to the chair when leaving RUB.

Contract / Funding Extensions

  • In CASA 2.0, only Phds of non-tenured Professors and Research Group Leaders will receive extensions of up to 6 months.
  • This rule applies equally to all project formats. 
  • This rule applies to all contracts (including CASA 1.0 PhDs) that extend beyond December 31, 2025.
  • Applications will be accepted between eight and three month before the contract expires.
  • Contract extensions: No further student assistants or other project funds will be provided for the duration of the extension. CASA only covers the personnel costs in the extension period.
  • Participation in CASA events (retreat, summer school) is of course still possible.

Promotion of PostDocs

  • As default, postdoctoral researchers within CASA are paid according to remuneration group E13. If postdoctoral researchers meet expectations within the first six months of their contract, CASA PIs may aspire for them to be upgraded to remuneration group TVL E14, within the course of the first year of the employment.
  • There is no automatism for postdoctoral researchers to be upgraded to a higher salary group. PIs have to apply and justify to the personnel department.

Various

  • CASA will discontinue to fund / sponsor scientific conferences in the field. 
  • Reimbursement to foreign private individuals (speakers, guests, scholarship holders, services): From 2025, it will be necessary to have a German tax ID in order to transfer money to private individuals.
  • We will continue to support travel costs and accommodation for CASA visitors. However, in general we cannot continue to finance service/fee contracts with individual researchers to pay for their visits to Bochum. Exception is a new rule for Distinguished Partners CASA 2.0: Distinguished partners, that is: outstading and well-known leading international cybersecurity researchers can receive a remuneration of up to 10k Euro max. per month when staying with us for a research visit (Financing must be clarified with » Anna on a case-by-case basis). 
  • From 2026 on, CASA offers no more scholarships / stipends for internships, as this is no longer possible due to new DFG regulations.
  • Research equipment purchased with CASA project funds must be specially marked (sticker “DFG financed”).