Funding opportunities

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.
 

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

September

  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) 2023-2024: Postdoctoral Fellowships call will open on 12 April. You can get support from KoWi (European Liaison Office of the German Research Organisations). Further details to be announced. Deadline: 13 September

  • Canon Foundation Europe-Japan research fellowships are open to all disciplines at any host institution and researchers do not need to be enrolled or employed when applying. European fellows are expected to pursue a period of research in Japan (and vice versa). Fellowships last between 3 months and 1 year. Deadline: 15 September
     
  • Banting Postdoctoral Fellowshipsare open to postdocs in the areas of health research, sciences/engineering or social sciences/humanities. $70,000 per year (taxable) for 2 years research.  Potential fellows should wish to study in Canada (if non-Canadian). If you are Canadian, you can apply to study outside Canada (if you got your PhD in Canada) or in Canada (if you studied elsewhere). Please check eligibility of your potential host institution and the other criteria. Deadline: 20 September
     
  • RDM (Research Data Management) Project Grantsfrom KonsortSWD (Consortium for the Social, Behavioural, Educational and Economic Sciences)to support researchers in preparing and making available relevant new data collections for secondary use in accordance with the FAIR principles. Funds up to around €30,000 (plus DFG program allowance if eligible). Applications in German or English (but template only available in German). Deadline: 30 September

October

  • Daimler and Benz Foundation scholarshipsfor postdocs, junior professors and heads of junior research groups in any discipline and in particular underrepresented fields such as humanities, social sciences and cultural studies). The aim is to reinforce independence and creativity and consist of €40,000 per scholarship for two years and can fund research assistants, equipment, trips and conferences. It also enables network building and the interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. Deadline: 1 October

  • Gerald D. Feldman Travel Grants to support academics in their qualification phase with an international focus working in the humanities/social sciences in two or three host countries which are home to MWS institutes or at the Richard Koebner Minerva Center for German History in Israel (see website for full details) for not more than three months in total. Academics are expected to have their own research project which should be transnational and transregional. The funds cover travel, subsistence and lodgings. Deadline: 6 October

  • Science4Life Business Plan Competition for technology start-upsin Life Sciences, chemistry and energy sectors. Those who take part will get written feedback on their business plan and the chance to attend training courses and win prize money. Deadline for the ideas phase: 16 October

  • Deadlines for Horizon Europe ERC applications:
    ERC Starting Grant, for individuals with 2-7 years of experience since completion of PhD.  Deadline: 24 October
    ERC Consolidator Grant - for individuals with 7-12 years of experience since completion of PhD │ Deadline:12 December
    Please contact your local research grant funding office as soon as possible to discuss potential applications and check the internal application process. If you’re applying through the University, contact the University’s EU Office (Team) and check their internal procedures and deadlines here. If you’re not at the Uni, contact your local funding office as soon as possible.

  •  (in German and English)HECTOR Research Career Development award: for junior research group leaders/W1 assistant professors (with or without tenure) who did their PhD within the last seven years in natural or engineering sciences, medicine or psychology at German universities or research institutes to further their independent research. Award includes €25,000 with additional funding for one doctoral position, five years as member of the network of the Hector Fellow Academy plus opportunities to submit related funding applications. Deadline: 30 October

  • 3rd Call **University staff and students only**: Dorothea Schlözer Programme - Career promotion of female scientists: to support projects or achievements that significantly improve the chances of reaching the next career level. Applications can be made for financial and time resources. Call opens 15 September. Deadline 30 October

  • John F Kennedy Memorial Fellowships for German citizens in the process of writing up their habilitation (or similar) and within 7 years of completing their PhD provide a stipend for 10 months of residential research between September and June. Fellows should be working on topics focussing on Europe or the US in the fields of political science, contemporary history, economics, sociology, political economy, anthropology and international relations. Fellows will join other visiting researchers at Harvard’s Centre for European Studies. Deadline: 30 October

  • AIMS-DFG Cooperation Visits Programme in the Mathematical Sciences- The African Institutes for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the German Research Foundation (DFG) will fund international cooperation between early career researchers from Germany and the African countries in the mathematical sciences. Funding is available for either a German researcher to visit an AIMS centre or for a fellow from Africa to visit a host institution in Germany but the German researchers must make the application. If you have not used the ELAN application system before, you will need to register by17 October. Deadline: 31 October

  • CAIS College (Research for the Digital Age) fellowshipsoffer researchers an inspiring environment (Bochum) and the freedom to concentrate on a project of their choice for three to six months. This is for those researching the social, political, media-related or cultural effects of digitalisation. Deadline: 31 October

November

  • Max Planck Society (MPG) and the Weizmann Institutes of Science (WIS) joint postdoctoral programmefor outstanding researchers in physics, chemistry, maths, computer science and earth science – four year’s funding. You will need supportive hosts in both MPG and WIS for your application as well as a number of recommendation letters. Deadline: 1 November

  • Max-Eder Junior Research Group by the Deutsche Krebshilfe to support highly qualified early career researchers (under 35 years) specializing in oncology to establish an independent research group and further develop their scientific career by changing location. They last 4 years (+ 3 years extension) and cover salaries, consumables, facilities, travel. Deadlines: 7 November and February 2024 (to be confirmed)

  • Deutsche Krebshilfe Mildred-Scheel-Postdoc Program for early career medical doctors and natural scientists (PhD within 10 years) with permanent residence in Germany to carry out projects in clinically oriented oncological basic research or clinical cancer research at renowned institutions abroad.  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. 7 November

  • Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship are open to all researchers around the world in all fields who received their PhD after 1 Nov 2019, to enable them to carry out research in a number of Israeli universities or research centres. All nationalities are eligible except those who have Israeli citizenship/residency. Deadline: 15 November

  • ZIF (Center for Interdisciplinary Research) funding for research in groups – open to PhD holders from all disciplines to fund a research project with a group of colleagues (preferably international). The group will be hosted on campus at Bielefeld University. The project must meet three criteria: interdisciplinarity, academic quality, originality on an international level and interdisciplinary collaboration must be necessary for the project. Costs for travel, accommodation, workshops and conferences could be requested. It could be one stay of 1-3 months, one stay 4-6 months, one stay of ten months over the course of three years (information here). Personnel time (in the form of buy-outs) can be included for the 4-6 month stay. Deadlines:  28 November, and 23 April 2024.

  • CNV-Foundation grants for excellent women scientists in experimental natural sciences, in particular female postdocs who have changed their area of research after their PhD. The grant is €500 per month for one year to enable academics have more time for research (for instance by funding a babysitter, dishwasher, washing machine etc) to help to reduce the amount of time spent on household tasks. All nationalities may apply who are conducting research in Germany or are continuing their research abroad (having left Germany). Deadline: 30 November.

  • Laura Bassi Scholarships – established to provide editorial assistance to early career researchers whose research focuses on neglected topics of study in any discipline. Costs awarded are $2,500 for PhD students, $500 for other early career researchers. Note that there is a voluntary application fee of $10.  Deadline: 30 November and 31 March, 31 July 2024.

  • (In German) (Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und –prüfung): Adolf Martens Fellowship Programmefunds 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: Deadline: 30 November, and 31 March, 31 July 2024

December and later

  • **University staff and students only**: ENLIGHT mobility awards for R&I projectsaround flagship areas between early career researchers from different ENLIGHT consortium partners for a maximum of €1,000 to deepen collaborations. Seed money to stimulate collaborative projects on ENLIGHT challenges between early career researchers from different consortium partners. Deadline: 15 December

  • (in German)Walter Schulz Stiftung:Cancer research prize €10,000 for early career scientists under 40 years of age who have made outstanding achievements in tumour research. Deadline: 31 December

  • Helmholtz Prizeis awarded for extraordinary achievements in the field of precision measurement in either: fundamental research in physics, chemistry and medicine, or: in applied metrology in the fields of physics chemistry and medicine. For each category, the prize is a certificate and €20,000. Deadline: 31 January 2024

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.
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