Potential employers

Here you will find databases where you can search for universities, research institutes and companies in your research field; as well as links to the jobs and career pages of the four major German research institutes. Please note that additionally, many organisations publish their job vacancies on their corporate website.

Two scientists are talking in a lab.

Job pages of the four major research organisations

In the following databases you can search for universities and research institutes in Germany.

Search engine for higher education institutions

The German Rectors’ Conference has compiled a database containing contact details for all German higher education institutions as well as information on the study programmes and doctoral programmes they offer and international links. The database is available in English and German.

www.higher-education-compass.de

GERiT – German research institutions

GERiT is a website containing information about 29,000 research institutions in Germany. GERiT allows the user to search easily by name, location or subject. It provides all the information needed to choose an institution at which to research, study or do a doctorate.

www.gerit.org
A young researcher is preparing for an experiment for high-temperature nano wires.

Job pages of the four major research organisations

In Germany there are four large non-university research organisations. The profiles of these organisations differ considerably. Here you will find links to their jobs and career pages.

Jobs at Fraunhofer

Fraunhofer offers researchers the opportunity to engage in independent, creative and, at the same time, targeted work. International researchers can develop their professional and personal skills that will enable them to take up positions of responsibility at Fraunhofer, at universities, in industry and within society. You will find current Fraunhofer offers on its Jobs and Career page.

www.fraunhofer.de > Jobs and Career

Jobs at the Helmholtz Association

Helmholtz Research Centres cover a wide range of research fields and also operate large research infrastructures. Vacancies at all Helmholtz Research Centres – including positions for postdocs – are published on the Helmholtz Association's Job Vacancies page.

www.helmholtz.de > Job Vacancies

Jobs at the Leibniz Association

Leibniz Institutes conduct both basic and applied research, often with an interdisciplinary approach. Leibniz Institutes offer jobs individually, and the Leibniz Association additionally advertises its vacancies on its job portal.

Leibniz-association.eu > Careers

Jobs at the Max Planck Society

The Max Planck Society focuses on basic research in the natural sciences, life sciences, humanities and social sciences. Details of research grants and job vacancies can be found in the central Max Planck Society database or on the websites of the 86 Max Planck Institutes and research facilities.

www.mpg.de > Jobboard
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Search on companies' websites

Please note that many companies also publish their job vacancies on their corporate website.

Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie e. V. (BDI)

The BDI is the umbrella organisation for 40 affiliated industrial associations that represent the interests of over 100,000 companies with more than 8 million employees.

Explore

Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)

Germany Trade & Invest promotes Germany as a business and technology location and supports companies based in Germany with global market information.

Explore

Search for companies by research field

In our “Research fields” section you can search for companies and research institutes by research fields. You can also find links to various subject-specific online portals and databases that can help you in your search. 

Here you will find a list of job portals that specialise in certain research fields, such as engineering, law, logistics, pharmacy etc.

Two researchers are walking across a field.