Funding opportunities

Several funding programmes are available for young academics at the Göttingen Campus:

If you are part of the University, check out the Research Department, here and (for EU projects) here and Göttingen International for Education and Mobility programmes. If you are part of the wider Göttingen Campus see the GAUSS page. You may like to sign up to FIT (Forschung Internationales Transfer) which provides current calls from a range of funders. You can subscribe to FIT and select the type of calls and how often you want to be informed. Postdocs will also find this funding website useful - Research in Germany.

Upcoming Funding opportunities

Sorted by deadline

July 2019

  • Greek Partnership Programme (DAAD) 
    to contribute to the internationalisation of Greek and German universities by initiating and consolidating new partnerships and scientific. Funds workshops, strategy meetings, conferences, summer schools, exchanges, guest lectures. Contact: see your local contact below and check website above.
    Deadline: 1 July 2019
  • "Experiment!"–the Volkswagen Foundation supports researchers active in science, engineering, and the life sciences – including neighbouring areas in behavioural research – who want to put a potentially transformative research idea to the test. Researchers are given the opportunity to demonstrate preliminary evidence for a concept’s potential during an exploratory phase (up to 18 months). Up to €120,000 flexible funding. A brief outline of the project is sufficient for application. 15-20 applications selected by a jury and the same number of projects drawn in a lottery. Deadline: 10 July 2019
  • Postdoc-Stipendien in Lebenswissenschaften
    Peter und Traudl Engelhorn Stiftung awards postdoctoral fellowships to outstanding early career researchers in the field of life sciences, in particular in the sub-disciplines of biochemistry, genetics, proteomics, molecular biology, cell biology, biophysics, systems biology, microbiology, bio-medical engineering, biotechnology, bioinformatics – for up to two years. Deadline 15 July 2019
  • Fast Forward Science is a competition for science videos to make research understandable, combine learning and laughter or develop scientific visions of the future.  This year, the challenge also introduces a new platform; Instagram stories on a given topic. Fast Forward Science is organised by Wissenschaft im Dialog, a German initiative to promote discussion and exchange about research in Germany.  Deadline 22 July
  • Sofja Kovalevskaja Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation– Open to researchers from all countries and disciplines, up to 6 years post-PhD, with the support of a host institution in Germany. Successful applicants can receive up to 1.65 million € for 5 years to establish a research group and setup innovative projects. Deadline 31 July

August 2019

  • ERC Advanced Grants– The 2019 call for Advanced Grants from the European Research Council is open. Applications open to experienced researchers from all disciplines who have produced outstanding scientific results over the past 10 years. Per project: maximum duration 5 years, maximum budget 2.5 million €. Deadline 29 August
  • DAAD – Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience – PRIME 2019/20–to support the intentional mobility through fixed term positions (funded by EU, DAAD and BMBF). Support is for 18 months of which 12 months must be spent abroad and the rest at a German university. Contact Anne Sennhenn at Göttingen International for the University and see below for the other campus contacts. Deadline 30 August (to start between 1 May 2020 and 1 Sept 2020)

September 2019

  • Deutsche Krebshilfe Mildred-Scheel-Postdoc Program(info in German) – Stipends available for early career (up to 10 years post PhD) natural scientists and medics with permanent residency in Germany, to carry out projects in clinically oriented oncological basic research or clinical cancer research at renowned institutions outside Germany, for a duration of 3 months to 2 years. Deadline 4 September and 4 November 2019
  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Individual Fellowships 2019–- Support for experienced researchers undertaking mobility between countries, optionally to the non-academic sector.  Covers two years’ salary, mobility allowance, research costs. Individual researchers submit proposals in liaison with their planned host organisation.  Contact your proposed host organisation in the first instance. 
    Deadline 11 September
  • Government of Canada – Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships – Up to Can$70,000 per year for 2 years, for projects in health research, natural sciences or engineering, or social sciences or humanities. Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents in Canada, or other citizenships with a host institution in Canada for the duration of the Fellowship. Deadline 18 September
  • Research Grants in Fundamental Neuroscience – The Schram-Stiftung (Schram Foundation) awards research grants in the field of brain research. Funding is primarily given to independent early career scientists who want to explore new research topics. Priority is given to innovative, partly risk-taking projects in basic neuroscience that involve new methodological approaches. Up to 100,000 €/year for maximum 3 years to cover costs for staff, scientific equipment, supplies, travel, and other expenses. Deadline 30 September

Later in the year

  • Fulbright-Postdoc funding sponsorship for 4 to 6 month visits in the USA for Postdocs with German citizenship (see website for full eligibility details) conducting a research project at a US university/scientific institution within the framework of the Fulbright programme.  Benefits include: organisation and finance of flights, monthly maintenance allowance of €1,600, health insurance, visa sponsorship etc. All Postdocs are eligible with the exception of medical subjects. Contact here. Deadline1 October (to start from May 2020)
  • The Universitätsbund Göttingen e.V. conference funding supports (among many other initiatives) scientific and cultural events at our University, eg by providing assistance for excursions and conference trips or funding to organise conferences. Conferences trips can be applied for at any time as long as there is at least 4 weeks before the start of the trip.  Next deadline likely to be 12 November

On-going

  • International Scientific Collaborations – MWK
    Every year Göttingen International Department applies to the Ministry of Science and Culture of Lower Saxony for funding to promote scientific cooperation with foreign countries. The aim is to promote grants in particular to initiate and implement sustainable collaborative projects in research and teaching as well as fostering partnerships at university or faculty/department level. Contact: Katharina Schüssler. Deadline: on-going
  • Leopoldina Postdoc Scholarship
    Postdoctoral scientists in Germany, Austria and Switzerland who already show independence in natural science or medicine to conduct research abroad. Contact: PD Dr Andreas Clausing, Deadline: 4 times a year and applications can be submitted at any time.
  • Fritz Thyssen Foundation Research Stipends
    to support highly qualified individual junior scholars who received their doctoral degree one or two years ago. Funding in the following areas: history, language and culture; interdisciplinary field “image-sound-language”; state, economy and society; medicine and the natural sciences. Contact, applications can be submitted at any time and an answer is generally provided within 8 weeks.
  • TWAS – The World Academy of Sciences offers postdoctoral fellowships lasting from 6 months to 3 years, for scientists from developing countries who have recently earned their PhD. Several programmes and deadlines, check the link above for more details.
  • Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship– The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation provides sponsorship for research stays worldwide (length of 6 to 24 months for postdocs), for researchers from Germany in all disciplines and all career stages. Applicants choose an academic host from some 15,000 academics in the Humboldt Network abroad. Apply at any time, selection committee meetings in February, June and October
  • The Göttingen International Monthly Alert provides information about international and national calls for funding, for researchers and students. If you have any questions regarding a call, please get in touch directly with the organisers or respective institution. Read the Monthly Alert for July 2019 here and subscribe here.