Funding and Awards

Here you find a selection of funding programmes for international senior researchers and faculty by various funding organisations. For more funding opportunities please search our funding databases.

Selection of funding programmes (alphabetical order):

Alexander von Humboldt Professorship

Award winners receive the opportunity to carry out long-term and groundbreaking research in Germany.

Bilateral Exchange of Academics

The programme supports research and study visits up to three months within the framework of the bilateral exchange of scientists and scholars.

DLR-DAAD Research Fellowships in Space, Aeronautics, Energy and Transportation Research

Outstanding doctoral students, scientists and researchers can complete a doctorate or conduct special research at an institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

ERC Advanced Grants

Senior researchers of any nationality can carry out research projects at the frontiers of knowledge in all disciplines. Interdisciplinary projects are highly encouraged.

ERC Consolidator Grants

International senior researchers who completed their PhD thesis between 7 and 12 years ago can strengthen their research independence through the consolidation of their own research team.

ERC Synergy Grants

The ERC Synergy Grants target excellent emerging scientists at the start of their career as well as established researchers with outstanding scientific track records.

Fraunhofer Attract

International specialists in application-oriented research can set up a new research group at a Fraunhofer Institute to develop their ideas into actual innovations.

Fraunhofer-Bessel Research Award

Senior researchers from outside Europe are invited to work closely with a partner at one of the Fraunhofer Institutes in Germany. They become part of a global network of researchers maintained by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award

Outstanding international researchers are invited to spend a period of 6 to 12 months cooperating on a research project with fellow experts at a research institute in Germany.

Georg Forster Research Award

Senior researchers from developing countries, emerging economies and transition states are invited to cooperate on a long-term research project with fellow experts at a research institute in Germany.

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Grants to Support the Initiation of International Collaboration

These grants support international collaboration by enabling eligible German and international researchers and academics to plan partner visits, trips abroad and/or joint workshops with their partners.

Heisenberg Programme

Excellent researchers can prepare for a leading position in science and research and spend time working on an advanced research topic at an institution of their choice.

Humboldt Research Award

Researchers from abroad are invited to cooperate on a research project with fellow experts at a research institute in Germany.

Humboldt Research Fellowship

International junior and senior researchers in all disciplines can carry out their own research project in cooperation with an academic host of their choice at a research institute in Germany.

International Visiting Researchers at Max Planck Institutes

International researchers can conduct independent research at a Max Planck Institute. The programme aims to strengthen cooperation and promote networking between Max Planck Institutes and their international partners.

International Visiting Scholars at Leibniz Institutes

International senior researchers can conduct research at a Leibniz Institute in Germany that relates to their specific field of interest.

Leibniz Programme for Women Professors

The programme seeks to significantly increase the number of excellent female researchers in leading positions at Leibniz Association institutions by offering them reliable career prospects.

Lichtenberg Endowed Professorships

Outstandingly qualified researchers can pursue highly innovative developments in contemporary areas of research at a university in Germany.

Max Planck-Humboldt Research Award

Excellent researchers from abroad are given the opportunity to set up a permanent research project at a host institution of their choice in Germany.

Philipp Schwartz Initiative

The Philipp Schwartz Initiative enables universities and research institutions in Germany to host researchers at risk on the basis of a full fellowship.

Research Grants

Junior and senior researchers can realise a research project on a specific subject within a limited period of time. The programme can provide support for project costs, staff and equipment required to carry out the project.

Scientific Networks

Scientific Networks offer researchers with a PhD to engage in multi-year scientific exchange and cooperation on a topic area of their choice across various locations.

Search funding databases

There are more funding programmes available for international researchers. For more information you can either search the funding databases or go straight to funding organisations’ websites.