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Research funding
Information on European and international research funding can be found here.
National research funding and fellowships for postdoctoral researchers.
1. German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG)
- Individual support – introductory page with overview
- Material support to implement a research project, even with its own position
- The Walter Benjamin Program for a research project abroad with a fellowship or in Germany with its own position
- The Emmy Noether Program to lead your own junior research group
- The Heisenberg Program for a fellowship, position or professorship once you earn the qualification to be appointable as a professor
You can apply for these programs at any time.
2. Foundations and others
- The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation – promotes scientific collaborations between excellent foreign and German researchers
- The Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship for postdocs from Germany to support a research stay at a research institution abroad
- The Humboldt Research Fellowship for postdocs from abroad to support a research stay at a research institution in Germany
- The Georg Forster Research Fellowship for researchers from developing countries with a research project relevant to development policy, the implementation of which in Germany enables the transfer of knowledge and technologies to developing countries.
- The Daimler and Benz Foundation – promotes interdisciplinary research to clarify interrelationships among people, the environment and technology
- Fellowships for postdocs, junior professors or heads of young research groups to finance research assistants, technical equipment, research trips or participation in conferences
- The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) – promotes the international exchange of students and researchers
- P.R.I.M.E. Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience for positions at a German university with a phase abroad and an integration phase in Germany
- The Fritz Thyssen Foundation – supports research in the following funding areas: history, language & culture, state, economy & society, medicine, and natural sciences, as well as in the cross-sectional area of image/sound/language
Research fellowships for a research project shortly after the doctoral degree
- The Gerda Henkel Foundation – fellowships for scholars from the fields of archaeology, history, historical Islamic studies, art history, history of law, etc.
- Research fellowships – for project collaborators
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The Helmholtz Association – cutting-edge scientific-technical and medical-biological research in the fields of energy, earth & environment, health, aeronautics, space and transport, matter, and key technologies
- The Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences – represents German science at international bodies
- The Leopoldina Postdoctoral Fellowship for Scientists from the Natural Sciences and Medicine from Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- The Max Planck Society – cutting-edge basic research in the natural sciences, biosciences, humanities and social sciences
- The Max Planck Research Groups for your own position (head of an “in-house” or “open-topic” junior research group)
- The Peter and Traudel Engelhorn Foundation – fellowships for outstanding young researchers, postdoctoral fellowships in the field of life sciences
- The Volkswagen Foundation – promotes science and technology in research and teaching
Please note the respective application deadlines. This list is not exhaustive. Smaller, thematically specialized funding offers can provide additional interesting funding programs. As a member of UMR, you can register for and research these free of cost here. You can also do further research in this funding-database (German) and here. In addition, you can find information about workshops and coaching to get third-party funding via the MARA events calendar.
You can find further information on research funding here.