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.
Search for universities and research institutes
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.
GERiT – German Research Institutions
GERiT is a website containing information about more than 29,000 research institutions in Germany. GERiT allows the user to search easily by location or subject. It provides all the information needed to choose an institution at which to research, study or do a doctorate.
Job pages of the four major research institutes
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 of German industry and industry-related services. It represents more than 40 trade associations and over 100,000 enterprises with roughly eight million employees.
BDI websiteGermany Trade & Invest (GTAI)
Germany Trade & Invest promotes Germany as a business and technology location and supports companies based in Germany with global market information.
GTAI websiteSearch for companies by research field
In our "Research Areas" 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.
Research fields
Here you will find a list of job portals that specialise in certain research fields, such as economics, law, logistics, ICT etc.
