Funding for postdoctoral researchers and habilitation candidates
Funding for postdoctoral researchers and habilitation candidates
FAU supports young researchers with their work and professional development through a variety of measures.
The University has recently launched the Emerging Talents Initiative (FAUeti).
Emerging Talents Initiative (FAUeti)
The aim of the Emerging Talents Initiative (FAUeti) is to support young researchers. The initiative is open to any FAU young researcher up to four years after their doctoral degree who does not have a habilitation or has not completed an intermediary evaluation for a junior professorship. First-time applicants and female candidates receive particular support. Young researchers from the Faculty of Medicine are not part of the Emerging Talents Initiative. They are eligible for funding through the FAUelan programme for young researchers run by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Clinical Research (IZKF).
FAUeti funding supports outstanding postdoctoral researchers by enabling them to apply to an external funding provider (e.g. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) or European Research Council (ERC)) during the funding period (12 months). The maximum amount of funding that may be awarded is 15,000 euros.
Within this budget, postdoctoral researchers may apply for any measures required to prepare their application for third-party funding, such as staff costs, consumables, publication costs or travel expenses. In addition, all recipients of FAUeti funding are offered supporting measures such as mentoring, courses on third-party applications and a network of young researchers.
More information on the programme and the current application deadline is available on the Emerging Talents Initiative page.
Applications must be made online in the CRIS research information system. Please be aware that uploading and storing your publications in CRIS requires at least one day’s notice. Please address any questions to the CRIS team (CRIS@fau.de).
Bridging scholarships for postdoctoral researchers from funds of the Ilse-und-Dr.-Alexander-Mayer Stiftung
Bridging scholarships for postdoctoral researchers from funds of the Ilse-und-Dr.-Alexander-Mayer Stiftung are a new funding option provided by FAU which facilitate the transition of outstanding young researchers from the doctoral to the postdoctoral phase of their careers.
Promising young researchers can apply for a scholarship of 2200 euros per month for a period of six months. In order to be eligible for such funding, applicants must be already assigned to a planned research project and have received an offer for a research associate position at FAU or they must have submitted an application for a postdoctoral scholarship.
More information on the requirements for an application is provided in the Scholarship guidelines.
Applications
Applications for these scholarships can be submitted to Young Researcher Support and the Graduate Centre. Application form
If you have any questions, please contact Dr Christian Schmitt-Engel.
Other research funding that can be applied for
EFI – a successful part of FAU’s research strategy
FAU’s Emerging Fields Initiative (EFI) aims to promote outstanding, preferably interdisciplinary research projects at an early stage and in a flexible and non-bureaucratic way. By applying for EFI funding, renowned FAU researchers can put visionary ideas into practice, allowing them to react more effectively to upcoming research challenges.
The first two rounds of EFI resulted in 18 ambitious projects from all five of the University’s faculties. FAU is currently funding these projects with a total of 12.4 million euros in funding.
DFG funding programmes
It is possible to apply to the German Research Foundation (DFG) for individual funding for specific purposes.
- Grants
- Academic networks
- Research scholarships
- Emmy Noether programme
- Reinhart Koselleck projects
- Clinical trials
- Young researchers academy
The research representatives at the faculties are happy to advise you on this subject.
EU funding programmes
The European Union’s Marie Curie actions provide a range of opportunities for postdoctoral researchers to apply for funding for international projects.
Detailed information is available from FAU’s Office of Third-party Funding and Related Legal Affairs, which is responsible for EU research funding.
Vacancies for postdoctoral researchers and habilitation candidates
Postdoctoral positions at FAU
Information on positions for postdoctoral researchers is available on the FAU job portal. From here, you can look for suitable positions in UnivIS by selecting the category Wissenschaftlicher Dienst and the appropriate faculty.
Please note that vacancies are often posted directly on chairs’ website and therefore may not be listed in UnivIS. You can find an overview of the chairs on each faculty’s website:
Vacancies for postdoctoral researchers at research institutes affiliated with FAU
Research institutes affiliated with FAU also post open positions:
Stays abroad
Funding and support for postdoctoral researchers planning a stay abroad
Erasmus+ teaching mobility provides funding for guest lecturers at European partner universities in programme countries which have a valid Erasmus Charter for Higher Education and some universities in specific partner countries.
This is an opportunity for some FAU professors to gain initial experience teaching in another country while working on their own research.
The position as a guest lecturer is usually filled by the coordinator named in the inter-institutional agreement as part of this programme. If they do not wish to carry out the stay as a guest lecturer themselves, another person from the same subject may take their place, provided the partner university agrees, and may then apply for funding with the coordinator’s consent.
Funding and support for international postdoctoral researchers and German researchers returning from abroad
The DAAD offers a return fellowship for postdoctoral researchers who would like to return to Germany after spending time in another country.
Postdoctoral researchers should also take a look at euraxess Germany. which provides information for international researchers who would like to come to Germany for a research project or German researchers who are planning a research stay in another European country.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the DAAD offer fellowships for international postdoctoral researchers who are coming to Germany and researchers based in Germany who want to go abroad.
FAU’s Welcome Centre supports international postdoctoral researchers with all organisational questions before they arrive and during their stay in Erlangen or Nuremberg. In addition, FAU’s Dual Career Service can provide assistance for partners of international postdoctoral researchers when looking for work.
Further information on research funding
FAU’s pages on services for researchers also provide comprehensive information on research funding. The Faculty of Medicine has its own website on research funding at the Faculty.
It is also worth taking a look at the funding databases that we have listed for you.