Division Research

Funding Opportunities for

Postdoc Research Projects

Internal document – please do not disseminate outside the BGSMCS

Information for PhD Students in the BGSMCS, 07.02.2012

Your contact in the Division Research

Dr. Eva-Maria Silies (VI C 2)

Tel.: (030) 838 73610
E-Mail: eva-maria.silies@fu-berlin.de

Proposal advice and support for the Departments of History and Cultural Studies, Earth Sciences,
Education and Psychology, and John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies; proposals
to the Forschungskommission

Dr. Ursula Trappe (VI C 4)

Tel.: (030) 838 73613
E-Mail: ursula.trappe@fu-berlin.de

Proposal advice and support for the Departments of Philosophy and Humanities, Political and
Social Sciences, Law; School of Business and Economics; the Central Institutes of Latin American
Studies and the Institute for East European Studies; proposals to Einstein Stiftung Berlin

2
 Academic steps in the German University System

New Professorships/ Junior

1,2%
Professorships/ Permanent Positions

PhDs interested in an academic career 4%

Doctoral degrees awarded 10%

New PhD Students 24%

Master's degrees awarded 100%

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Source: www.academics.de (Boris Schmidt: „Hochschulkarriere – oder: was ein Würfel so alles aussagt…“, 2010)
Based on offical statistics and the earlier publication of Grühn/Hecht/Rubelt/Schmidt: „Der wissenschaftliche ‚Mittelbau‘ an
deutschen Hochschulen. Zwischen Karriereaussichten und Abbruchtendenzen?“ (Reihe anstöße) Berlin: ver.di, 2009.
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Relevance of Third Party Funding at
Freie Universität Berlin
Expenses of Third Party Funding 2002 to 2010
€ Mio.

100
23 Exzellenz-
initiative
19
80 12
without
Exzellenz-
initiative
60

40 84
77
72
56
48 45 46 48
20 43

0
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

[Source: Research Report of Freie Universität Berlin 2011]

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Sources of Third Party Funding

DFG (without
Third Party Funding at Freie Universität Berlin 2010 Exzellenzinitiave)

Federal Funding

6%
6% State- and communal
41%
8% funding

European and international

9%
Funding

Foundations and Trusts

2%

Industry and Trade

28%
Associations

other Sources of Funding/

Donations
Source: Statistik-Datenbank of the Freie Universität Berlin, 2011.

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Concepts of Funding

Top-Down Bottom-Up Mobility

Federal State Ministries DFG DAAD
EU Foundations Foundations (AvH)
Industry EU (ERC) EU
(Foundations) NIH DFG

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Longterm strategic considerations Deadlines…
Second project proposal during first project…
Research stay abroad necessary for some Postdoc programmes…

DFG Emmy Noether

DFG Eigene Stelle ERC

Starting
DFG Emmy Grant
Noether

AvH Feodor Lynen DAAD New

Postdoc VW/Thyssen
Fellowship
Marie Curie „Freigeist“
Thyssen International
Stipendium Outgoing
Fellowship
DFG Eigene
Stelle

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DFG Eigene Stelle

• Research grant (Sachbeihilfe) + funding for researcher position (Eigene Stelle)

• Funding for a project at a German research institution
• New: Funding of a combination of project modules, eletronic proposal system
• Researcher‘s own position (TV-L 13), further project costs: (student) research
assistant, consumables, workshop, travel costs, publication costs etc.
• Funding period of up to 3 years
• Labelling your proposal as a „First-Time Proposal“ (Erstantrag)
• Submission of proposals: any time, no deadline
• If you are applying from abroad or have been working within the German
academic/research system for less than three years: a supporting statement
from a researcher at your host institution is required.

Approval rate: 33 – 39%

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Fritz Thyssen Stiftung:
Stipendien/Projektförderung
• Promotion areas:
History, language & culture; State, economy & society;
Medicine and natural sciences; Image and imagery;
International relations
• Stipendien:
 Funding period of up to 1 year
 young researchers with a doctoral degree; normally within 1-2 years following completion of the
doctorate
 also for research stays abroad
 Basic payment € 1700/month + material and travel costs lump sum payment 100€/month + further
expenses
 Submission any time, no deadline, processing time 6-8 weeks

• Projektförderung:
 (Primarily) at a German research institution
 Personell costs (incl. Researcher’s own position, 13 TV-L) + travel costs (+ expenditures for
apparatus + special literature + running costs + other)
 Funding period of up to 3 years (2 + 1)
 Submission deadlines: February, 17th/ October, 1st 2012

AG Rinke, 26. April 2011 9

Gerda Henkel Stiftung:
Stipendien/Projektförderung
• ONLY within the following fields of research: History, Prehistory and Early
History, Archaeology, Art History, Historic Islamic Studies, Legal History,
History of Science, NOT within the fields of economics, linguistics and
literature studies, drama or film studies

• Stipendien:
 Funding period of up to 1 year
 also for research stays abroad
 Basic payment € 2000/month + € 500/month endowment for scholarships abroad + € 155-€ 260
daycare allowance + travel aid + material aid as required
 Approval rate (2010): 13%

• Projektförderung:
 At a German research institution
 costs for personnel, travel, materials, visiting researchers, other, funding for own post-condition: 5
years academic work experience after PhD
 Funding period of up to 2+1 years
 Submission deadlines: June, 29th/ December 2012 (estim.)
 Approval rate (2010): 25%

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DFG: Emmy Noether Programme
• Building up your own independent junior research group
• Funding for all disciplines
• Funding period: 3 + 2 (+1) years
• Group leader‘s own position (TV-L 15)
• Personnel, material, travel, publication costs + other cost
• Preconditions:
 2 – 4 years since doctoral degree (+ child care time)
 International research experience (min. 12 months during PhD/Postdoc)
 Rapid completion of research training
 Excellent track record + research project proposal
 No return to doctoral alma mater (exceptions)
• No submission deadlines
• Approval rate: 36%

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BMBF: Nachwuchsgruppe
• Building up your own independent junior research group
• Specific topics – calls for proposals

• Precondition: max. 35 years old

• Funding for a junior research group (own position, two phd students,
administrative support, travel and materias costs etc.)
• Funding period: 4 years

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ERC Starting Grant

• Building up your own independent junior research group in Europe

• Funding for all disciplines
• Funding period: up to 5 years
• max. € 1.5 Mio € (+ € 0.5 Mio)
• Preconditions:
 2 – 12 years of experience since the date of the doctoral degree
 Scientific independence and „proven potential“
 Project proposal: „pioneering frontier research“
• Call for proposals once a year (summer) with submission deadlines in autumn
• Approval rate (2011): 13% (Social Sciences and Humanities)

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Funding of Mobility I
Feodor-Lynen-Programm of the AvH-Stiftung

• Worldwide
• Open for all disciplines
• 6 – 24 months (Postdocs)
• Fellowship to cover living expenses; travel expenses; family allowances
• cost participation of the host institution is expected (up to one third of the grant;
exceptions possible)
• Preconditions:
 PhD < 4 years
 Research stay in the working group of an AvH-Alumni
• Submission any time, selection session in February, June and October,
processing time 3 – 6 months
• Re-Integration Grant up to 12 months

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Funding of Mobility II
Forschungsstipendium DFG

• Worldwide
• Open for all disciplines
• Up to 24 months
• Basic fellowship plus monthly lump sum payment to cover maintenance and travel
costs; cost participation of the host institution desirable
• Preconditions:
 Early Career Researcher
 Previously 3 continuous years of research activities in Germany
 No funding if already abroad as Postdoc
• Return Grant up to 6 months
• Proposal submission: any time, no deadline
• Approval rate: 55-62%

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Funding of Mobility III
Postdoctoral Programme DAAD

• Worldwide
• Open for all topics
• 3 – 24 months
• Research Fellowship, travel allowances, family allowances
• Preconditions:
 PhD < 4 years
 Summa/ magna cum laude
 No funding if already abroad as Postdoc for more than one year
• short-term fellowships (up to 6 months): submission anytime
long-term fellowships: deadlines in November, March and June
• Possible to apply during end phase of PhD; start of fellowship only after doctoral
degree is awarded

Funding for PhD-Fellowships (short-term (up to 6 months) or long-term (up to 1 year))

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Funding of Mobility IV
Intra European Fellowship for Career Development
(Marie Curie Actions, EU)

• Support of academic career and mobility

• Open for all topics
• PhD or 4 years fulltime research experience, all nationalities
• research stay of 1-2 years in an EU member state or an associated
country
• Rule of mobility: researcher has not lived, worked or studied in the
country of destination for more than 12 months during the last three
years immediately prior to either the time of application or the start of
the fellowship
• Funding of the researcher‘s salary and a contribution to research-
related costs
• Call for proposals once a year (next call expected for May, 13th
2012, with deadline: August, 16th 2012)

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Funding of Mobility V
International Outgoing Fellowship for Career
Development (Marie Curie Actions, EU)

• Support of academic career and mobility; with the aim to significantly

develop and widen the fellow‘s research competences
• Open for all topics
• PhD or 4 years fulltime research experience, all nationalities
• research stay of 1-2 years in a third country, followed by a mandatory
reintegration phase of 1 year in a EU member state or an associated
country
• Rule of mobility: researcher has not lived, worked or studied in the
country of destination for more than 12 months during the last three
years immediately prior to either the time of application or the start of
the fellowship
• Funding of the researcher‘s salary and a contribution to research-
related costs
• Call for proposals once a year (next call expected for May, 13th 2012,
with deadline: August, 16th 2012)

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Funding of Mobility VI
Gerda Henkel Stiftung:
COFUND and Fellowships
M4HUMAN (Mobility for experienced researchers
in historical humanities including Islamic studies)
 Marie Curie Fellowships
 PhD or 4 years fulltime research experience
 Aims: to increase networking between researchers, to promote transnational academic
exchange, to increase transnational mobility, to facilitate further education, to the long-
term advantage of the research environment in both, origin and destination countries
 24-months research grants worldwide
 stay at a host research institute (selected by the applicant, situated in a country other than
the country of origin) during at least 70% of the 24-months period
 Monthly fellowship (2.150 € + mobility and family allowances, research costs)
 Deadline: Call published in February 2012, with deadline: June, 15th

Fellowships, e.g.:
 Fellowships for national and international research institutions (e.g. Institute for Advanced Studies,
Princeton; Green Templeton College, Oxford; Historisches Kolleg München)
 Special conditions, open only for special fields of research
 Information on Homepage

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Funding by the FU Berlin/ Funding phd-endstage
Forschungskommission :
- allocates initiative resources (materials and staffing resources) as initial assistance for funding
applications
- Funding period: up to 1 year, max. € 10.000, cost participation of the Department (up to 20%) is expected
- Funding mainly as “contract of work and labour“ (Werkvertrag) - no fellowships or positions
- 4 deadlines/year; upcoming deadlines: June, 8th / September, 28th / November, 16th 2012

Dahlem Research School:

- Exzellenzinitiative: The first funding period ends September, 31st 2012…
- Travel Grants (international academic events, summer schools); Research Grants (up to 2,000 € per
person per calendar year); Completion Grants (financial support up to 3 moths in case of prolonged
illness, up to 6 months for child care, 1,200 €/ month)

Focus Areas -> Dahlem Humanities Center, Center for Area Studies:
- There have been calls for proposals, esp. for initial assistance for Postdoc funding applications
- No open calls
- Webpages/ coordinators of the Focus Areas

Fazit Stiftung
- Up to 2 years, convincing work plan, Letters of recommendation (Doktorvater, Zweitgutachter), explication
of future job plans, ‚urgent financial needs‘, pre-condition: no older than 28 years when starting to write
the PhD-thesis http://www.faz.net/dynamic/download/FAZIT/Fazit-Merkblatt-Promotionsstipendien.pdf

www.Stiftungen.org (Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen)

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Longterm strategic considerations Deadlines…
Second project proposal during first project…
Research stay abroad necessary for some Postdoc programmes…

DFG Emmy Noether

DFG Eigene Stelle ERC

Starting
DFG Emmy Grant
Noether

AvH Feodor Lynen DAAD New

Postdoc VW/Thyssen
Fellowship
Marie Curie „Freigeist“
Thyssen International
Stipendium Outgoing
Fellowship
DFG Eigene
Stelle

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Suggestions for all proposals

• Read Call documents/ Guidelines etc.

• In case of unsolved questions call contact person

• Get scientific support: Proofreading by colleagues

• Use expertise on funding proposals: Research Support Service

• Contact your Departement (Verwaltungsleitung) already in an early stage

• Consider the processing times when planning your proposal

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Further sources of information

„MARIE CURIE ACTIONS ROAD SHOW“ - Programme Info Day: 16.2.2002

Representation of the European Commission, Unter den Linden 78
http://www.helmholtz.de/marie_curie_roadshow

Departement Research – Research Support Service:

http://www.fu-berlin.de/forschung

‚Postdoc Portal‘ with newsletter:

www.fu-berlin.de/postdoc

Dahlem Research School – information for phd-students in graduate schools:

http://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/promovieren/drs

External databases:
www.kisswin.de
www.kowi.de

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Your contact in the Division Research

Dr. Eva-Maria Silies (VI C 2)

Tel.: (030) 838 73610
E-Mail: eva-maria.silies@fu-berlin.de

Proposal advice and support for the Departments of History and Cultural Studies, Earth Sciences,
Education and Psychology, and John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies; proposals
to the Forschungskommission

Dr. Ursula Trappe (VI C 4)

Tel.: (030) 838 73613
E-Mail: ursula.trappe@fu-berlin.de

Proposal advice and support for the Departments of Philosophy and Humanities, Political and
Social Sciences, Law; School of Business and Economics; the Central Institutes of Latin American
Studies and the Institute for East European Studies; proposals to Einstein Stiftung Berlin

24