Funding opportunities

To put in a fellowship or research grant funding application, get in touch with the appropriate experts across the Göttingen Campus with as much notice as possible (see below).

If you are a researcher in Göttingen, make sure you are signed-up to receive the GC Postdoc Network newsletter to get regular updates about funding, prizes, and similar opportunities, as well as tips and training to make sure you put in the best application.

Several funding programmes are available for postdocs and other early career researchers 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.

Göttingen Campus Resources

GAUSS new webpage tool: find research funding opportunities in MINT (STEM): attracting research funding is one of first steps on the road to academic independence. There are lots of options for postdocs depending on your career level, length of the project or research plan. To support you in navigating through the different funding schemes, explore your options here.
GAUSS collection of Trainee Programmes for MINT (STEM) – check out their webpage tool
A training program is one option to start your career in industry and can be a great opportunity. As there are many in different sectors (eg Pharma, Chemical Industry, Consulting, Precision Engineering), we collated nearly 50 and listed them on this webpage categorised by industry and all with a short profile. At all these companies, alumni of GAUSS/GGNB are employed at all these companies. Find out more here.

External Sources

A very useful external source of advice is the Federal Funding Advisory Service on Research and Innovation. They can help you identify a whole range of funding opportunities from various German government initiatives. They can also help you find local, national and EU research schemes, recommend partners, support international projects and much more. You can contact them by phone or email.
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.
Individual grants: German Research Foundation (DFG) has published a How-To Guide about individual grants programmes - whether for individual projects or people. It also includes tips for your proposal.

Upcoming Funding opportunities

Sorted by deadline

July

(In German) DAAD central calls has just been published including the Project-Related Staff Exchange Programme for the Promotion of Binational Research with universities in Selected Partner Countries (Japan, Portugal, Scotland). Many of these programmes require central approval and signature so contact your local EU/Mobility program funding advisor (Jakob Hedderich at Göttingen International) as soon as possible.
Wissenschaftspreis Niedersachsen 2025: for all research centres and unis in Lower Saxony. Applications are submitted by the Presidential Board of the Uni or equivalent for where you based. There are several categories including early career researchers within 6 years of their PhD for outstanding achievements, students for student engagement, and lecturers for innovative teaching. Prize money is €3,500 – €25,000 for different prizes. Contact your local Forschung department to understand the internal procedure and if you are associated at the Uni, contact Dr Jens-Peter Krüger in Forschung and Transfer by 11 July.
EMBO Postdoctoral Fellowships: support excellent postdoctoral researchers in laboratories throughout Europe and the world for a period of up to two years. International exchange is a key requirement. The fellowship includes a salary or stipend, a relocation allowance and support for fellows with children. The career development is further supported by the EMBO Laboratory Leadership course and networking through the global network of EMBO Fellows. Deadline: 11 July
Peter Traudl Engelhorn Stiftung Postdoctoral fellowships for outstanding scientists to carry out research in Germany, Austria or Switzerland in the field of life sciences – natural sciences pharmacy, medicine - to get 2 years funding. Deadline: 15 July
(Regular call) Indo-German Science & Technology Centre (IGSTC) Bilateral Workshops: IGSTC invites proposals for organising Indo-German workshops on areas of mutual interest with an aim towards creating platforms for substantive interactions between scientists / researchers from academia and industry. The workshops have to take place in India or in Germany and to be designed around a specific research topic out of thematic areas relevant to both DST and BMBF, which includes the thematic areas of 2+2 project calls. Any other relevant topics of very high importance may also be considered. Deadlines: 31 July, 31 January
DWS - Wissenschaftspreis 2025 for outstanding theses, processed between 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025, by those from law or economics in the fields of tax law, business tax or finance. It is worth €3,000. Deadline: 31 July
ThyssenLesezeit: funding to support humanities and social sciences scholars to take time to engage in thorough reading and study by providing support for six months. The award acknowledges increasing expectations on scholars to digest large amounts of information together with other work expectations. Deadline: 31 July
Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung: Adolf Martens Fellowship Programme funds postdoc junior scientists who obtained their PhD (in an area of expertise matching BAM’s scientific direction) outside Germany within the last 3 years. BAM tests, researches and advises on protection for people, the environment and materials, and sets safety standards in technology and chemistry for Germany and its global markets. Please email for more informationbefore submitting any documents. Funding is for one year: Deadlines: 31 July (30 November, 31 March 2026)
INSTAND Dissertation Award is given annually to scientists under 35 years of age for up to two outstanding dissertations (theses) in German or English completed in the last two years in the field of quality assurance in laboratory medicine. The prizes are worth €1,500. Deadline: 31 July
(Reminder) Deutsche Immobilien-Akademie an der Universität Freiburg (DIA) Research Award for dissertations, habilitations (as well as diplomas and Master’s) in this fielddealing with economic and business topics. The prizes are €1,000 or €2,500. Deadline: 31 July

August

(in German) Michael Schuhen Prize and interdisciplinary workshop for early career researchers in Consumer Research. The prize is awarded to the researcher who has performed outstanding scientific work in this field in 2024/2025. Achievements in all phases of the research process are explicitly included. Early career researchers are invited to submit their work for a presentation (panel or poster) The workshop is on 11 and 12 November in Berlin. Deadline: 11 August
ERC Advanced Grant Call 2025 aimed at established leading scientists, regardless of nationality who have an outstanding track record and wish to explore new areas of research. Remember to consult with the local EU research grant office at the earliest point possible if considering an application and note that the National Contact Point can provide feedback on applications submitted to them by 1 August. Deadline: 28 August
DAAD PRIME: aimed at postdoctoral researchers at German universities who want to go abroad, regardless of nationality. However, applicants currently living abroad may also apply (see FAQs). Funding for stays abroad and open to all nationalities and residencies although restrictions may apply when choosing the destination. The main criteria: academic performance; quality of the proposed project; and long-term career perspectives (in Germany), as for example shown by the suitability of the project for a sustained academic career. This call is for research visits starting between 1 June 2026 to 1 November 2026. Deadline: 30 August
(In German) Zia fellowship programme by ZEIT publishing gives female early career researchers the opportunity to further their professional and personal development through the Visible Women in Science programme. The programme strengthens the fellows' potential in research through the exchange of experiences, networking and meeting with role models and institutional supporters from research, business and the public sector. Workshops and online meetings on various topics take place throughout the year. Deadline: 31 August
Jung Career Advancement Award for medical professionals in training who have completed at least two years of scientific research (preferably abroad), have a documented record of scientific achievement and who return to Germany to complete their training. The award is around €210,000. The research should be carried out at a German hospital and the applicant should be relieved of clinical duties for at least one year before resuming training. Deadline: 31 August

September

Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Postdoctoral Fellowships to enable researchers in any discipline with a PhD to move to another country to gain experience and skills, pursue excellence, and enhance their careers. There are two types of fellowship: European Postdoctoral Fellowships for researchers of any nationality, moving within Europe or coming to Europe and last 1-2 years; or Global Postdoctoral Fellowships (check guidance for nationality restrictions) to fund mobility outside Europe and lasting 2-3 years, of which the first 1-2 years will be spent in a Third country before returning to the EU). Please get in touch with the research grant office where you hope to hold your award as early as possible. The research grant experts across Göttingen are shown here (scroll down). Reminder: KoWi (European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations) has a free consultation service to support applicants here. Deadline: 10 September
Canon Foundation Research Fellowships Europe-Japan for European and Japanese researchers to pursue a period of research in any discipline with any host in the other area for 3 months to one year. You must have an MSc or PhD awarded in the last 10 years and priority is given to researchers who plan to travel rather than extend their current stay. The award is flexible funding up to €30,000 per year or pro rata. Deadline: 15 September
(in German but theses can be in English) Deutsche Thermoelektrik-Gesellschaft Young Talent Award for the best submitted thesis in the field of thermoelectrics, which should not be significantly older than one year. Dissertations, diploma and master's theses as well as outstanding bachelor's theses that cover at least one subfield of thermoelectrics can be submitted, including theory, material development, measurement technology, material and module technology, system engineering and/or applications of thermoelectrics. Scientific and technological originality and inventiveness, which lead to new solutions or applications, are essential criteria and the prize is worth €1,000. Theses can be in English or German but the short summary must be in German. Deadline: 15 September
(Regular call, In German) Max-Eder Junior Research Group by the Deutsche Krebshilfe to support highly qualified early career researchers (normally under 35 years) specializing in oncology to establish an independent research group and further develop their scientific career by changing location. The funds last 4 years (+3 years extension possible) and cover salaries, consumables, facilities, travel. Deadline: 25 September (February 2026, May 2026 to be confirmed)
(Regular call, In German) Deutsche Krebshilfe Mildred-Scheel-Postdoc Program – for early career medical doctors and natural scientists (PhD within 10 years and applicants normally under 35 years) to carry out projects in clinically oriented oncological basic research or clinical cancer research within Germany for the February deadline (and at renowned institutions abroad for the deadline in November). Funding is a stipend, monthly allowance for conferences and consumables plus one-off start-up fund, family travel allowance. Funding lasts 3 months to 2 years. Deadlines:25 September(February 2026, May 2026 to be confirmed)
AI Research Groups Lower Saxony funds research groups in computer science, artificial intelligence, applications thereof with up to €2m for up to 5 years. The money can be used to fund research staff to support a senior researcher and the application must be supported by the host institution. Deadline: 30 September

October

Daimler and Benz Foundation Postdoctoral Programme for researchers in any discipline to reinforce the autonomy and creativity of the up-and-coming generation of scientists and to support their careers, as well as the interdisciplinary exchange through its network of scholars. Applications from underrepresented fields such as humanities, social sciences and cultural studies are particularly welcome. There are 12 scholarships worth €40,000 over 2 years. Deadline: 1 October
Klaus Tschira/GSO Boost Fund offers flexible funding for explorative, independent projects and career development to promote researchers in biology, chemistry, computer science, geosciences, mathematics, neurosciences and physics. It is possible to apply for up to €120,000 for up to 24 months. In addition, there are personal development workshops as well as access to the career advice and coaching services and join their alumni network. Deadline: 1 October
Humboldt Foundation Feodor Lynen Research Fellowships for researchers at all career levels and in all disciplines from Germany to carry out research abroad with members of the Humboldt Network around the world for 6-24 month research stays. Female scientists and members from underrepresented groups are expressly invited to apply. You will need to identify a suitable host using their search tool and note that most of these – depending on country – are expected to contribute approximately one third of the costs (there are exceptions – see details). Deadline: completed application documents including references to be available for their October,June or February meetings
Humboldt Foundation Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) research fellowships for Postdocs with German citizenship or permanent residence in Germany (but not citizenship/permanent residence in Japan) in any discipline. The fellowship will provide up to 24 months funding with a stipend and other allowances including for travel and insurance. You should have completed your PhD no more than six years ago, have already published and have a very good command of English. Japanese is only necessary if it is crucial for your research topic. Applications in English only and you must have a host in Japan. Deadline: completed application documents including references to be available for their October,June or February meetings
Volkswagen Fund “researching research” funding for summer schools and workshops that reflect, combine, and experiment with the various methodological approaches or theoretical challenges in the area of research on research. Events are meant to introduce early career researchers from various disciplines to research on research and to enhance the participants’ skills and knowledge in this area. This is for researchers in Germany but international co-applicants are possible. Deadline: 30 October

On-going

ALEXANDER von HUMBOLDT JSPS Research Fellowship up to 24 months in Japan for postdocs with permanent residence in Germany in all disciplines. Applications are generally processed four to seven months. Deadline: open

MSC4Ukraine (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for Ukraine)has been launched to support postdocs and PhD candidates from Ukraine (in residence on 24 February 2022 and displaced after that date or ready to relocate). The programme will match researchers with institutes and fellowships will be offered on a rolling basis from January 2023. Deadline: open
DFG Emmy Noether programme applications: for highly qualified early career researchers and junior professors (normally up to 4 years after PhD completion and at least 2 years of postdoc experience) on temporary contracts who want the chance to qualify for the post of professor at a university by leading an independent junior research group for six years. (The eligibility period has been extended by 3 months due to the coronavirus pandemic for those who would otherwise have to apply by 31 December 2022). Deadline: proposals can be submitted at any time.
DFG Walter Benjamin Programmeenables researchers in the postdoctoral training phase to independently conduct their own research project at a location of their choice for 2 years. The project can be carried out at a research institution in Germany or abroad, with the host institution providing support for the project. Applications can be submitted at any time. Frequently asked questions are here. Contacts are subject-specific and can be found here. Deadline: at any time
EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) Postdoctoral Fellowshipssupport researchers for two years and international mobility is a key requirement. Fellowship includes a salary or stipend, laboratory leadership training, access to an EMBO global network, relocation allowance and support for those with kids. Applications accepted throughout the year.
EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) Scientific Exchange Grantssupport researchers for up to three months between laboratories in eligible countries – facilitating collaborations with research groups with expertise, techniques or infrastructure that is unavailable in the applicant’s laboratory. They cover travel and subsistence costs. Applications accepted throughout the year.
EMBO (European Molecular Biology Organization) Core Facility Fellowshipssupport training for core facility staff (including scientists and technicians) in specific techniques in core facilities that provide services to research institutions or universities. The fellowships contribute towards travel and subsistence costs. Applications accepted throughout the year.
Exist Business Funding for University-based Business Start-ups by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate funding. The application comes from the University/research institute but is driven by researchers (potential entrepreneurs) who hand their business idea to the University. More info about the scheme is here. Applications must be in German. Deadline: on-going
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. Deadline: Apply throughout the year but well in advance of committee meetings in February, June and October
Fritz Thyssen Foundation Research Stipendsto support highly qualified individual junior scholars who generally received their doctoral degree one or two years ago. It provides postdocs with an opportunity to focus on a research project for a limited period of time and the stipends can be used to enable scholars to familiarise themselves with a new field of research or to write an article for publication. Funding in the following areas: history, language and culture; interdisciplinary field “image-sound-language”; state, economy and society; medicine and the natural sciences. Deadline: applications can be submitted at any time and an answer is generally provided within 8 weeks.
Fulbright Germany: Reisestipendien für deutsche Wissenschaftler*innenfor scientists with German citizenship for teaching or research stays in the US for 3 to 12 months. Fulbright Germany encourages applications from diverse groups who are traditionally underrepresented in academia. No deadline but apply at least nine months before you intend to travel
Liebig Postdoc Fellowships are to help start the careers of prospective university teachers in the field of chemistry. Postdocs from chemistry and related fields can get funding to continue their scientific experience at another working group and university (different from their PhD which should have been completed within three years). Deadline: at any time
Leopoldina Postdoc ScholarshipPostdoctoral 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: applications can be submitted at any time and are considered four times a year.
VolkswagenStiftung: support in Germany for Scientists/Scholars from Afghanistan (or who have fled Afghanistan): scientists in Germany are eligible to apply if they have received research funding from the VolkswagenStiftung in the last 10 years. Scientists can apply to bring researchers from Afghanistan (or scholars/scientists who have fled Afghanistan) to work on their research project. Potential PhD students could be funded although the initial funding period would only cover 2 years. In all cases, please discuss potential applications directly with the VolkswagenStiftung before applying. Open deadline.
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds travel grants for postdocs, PhD researchers and medical students working on experimental projects in basic biomedical research who want to travel for courses with at least 50% practical work and laboratory visits. Deadline: open but you must apply at least six weeks and no more than six months before the planned date of departure.
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds MD Fellowships – 18 months for medical students to pursue ambitious, experimental projects in basic biomedical research (worldwide). Applicants must study human medicine in Germany and change cities and institutions for at least ten consecutive months to work in an internationally renowned laboratory. Benefits include a monthly stipend, seminars, travel allowances, individual support, access to a network. Deadline: open but you must apply at least three months before the planned start date.
UniBund conference funding: for postdocs to cover travel and fees can be applied for at any time for a Göttingen researcher as long as it is at least four weeks before the trip. The funding covers costs to present your own results in the form of a lecture or poster. Unibund also provides funds for central lecture series about research, cultural activities, student excursions and institutional conferences at the Uni. Deadline: open ended

Research Grant experts across the Campus to support your application

To put in a fellowship or research grant funding application, get in touch with the appropriate experts across Göttingen Campus with as much notice as possible:

UNI	Lisa Grow	lisa.grow@zvw.uni-goettingen.de	(0551) 39 28252	Research Dept, National and international funding (Humanities)
UNI	Felix Spöler	felix.spoeler@zvw.uni-goettingen.de	(0551) 39 28245	Research Dept, National and international funding (Natural and Life Sciences)
UNI	Ricarda Blumentritt	ricarda.blumentritt@zvw.uni-goettingen.de	(0551) 39 21320	Göttingen International, EU programmes (Horizon Europe MSCA and Erasmus+)
UNI	Jakob Hedderich	jakob.hedderich@zvw.uni-goettingen.de	(0551) 39 21326	Göttingen International, DAAD
UNI	Claudia Sueltmann	Claudia.sueltmann@zvw.uni-goettingen.de	(0551) 39 28254	EU Office
UNI	Christian Schöpper	Christian.schoepper@zvw.uni-goettingen.de	(0551) 39 28253	EU Office
UMG	Team Research Management	forschung@med.uni-goettingen.de	(0551) 39 61270	Research Management
MPI	Kerstin Mosch	kmosch@gwdg.de	(0551) 3899 453	Forschung EU
MPI	Ulrike Gerischer	ulrike.gerischer@mpinat.mpg.de	(0551) 201 1283	Forschung
DPZ	Björg Pauling	bpauling@dpz.eu	(0551) 3851 454
DPZ	Robert Teepe	rteepe@dpz.eu	(0551) 3851 122