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Individual Research Grants

If you would like to submit an individual application for a research project, we provide a comprehensive advisory service and take your individual situation into consideration.

Our advisory service covers all funding applications for individual proposals to national funding institutions, and especially in the context of the DFG’s Research Grants, as well as funding from the major research foundations and regional programmes supported by the state of Lower Saxony.


Individual Grants Programme / Temporary Positions for Principal Investigators

The German Research Foundation (DFG) supports young academics at all levels of their scientific career.

The DFG offers a range of funding measures for individuals, in particular, via DFG Research Grants.

A DFG research grant can also be used to fund an individual academic post. Researchers planning a first funding application should visit the DFG's website and enter the search term "Your First Proposal."


Emmy Noether Programme

The Emmy Noether Programme gives exceptionally qualified early career researchers the chance to qualify for the post of professor at a university by leading an independent junior research group for a period of six years.

The programme is open to postdocs and junior professors with temporary contracts who are at an early stage in their research careers.

The DFG would like to point out that during the review process, individual proposals must speak for themselves. Reference letters from third parties are not encouraged and, to ensure the equal treatment of all applicants, are not forwarded to reviewers or decision-making committees.


New: Walter Benjamin fellowship

The programme promotes early research careers with the aim of fostering the mobility and thematic development that are crucial in this career phase; therefore, the programme generally requires that the applicant change his or her research institution.

Only postdoctoral researchers at an early career phase are eligible to apply to this programme. The project may not be based at an entity that is for-profit or that does not permit the publication of findings in a generally accessible form.

Special provisions apply for individuals applying for a Walter Benjamin fellowship (abroad):

Funding abroad can only be provided if researchers are integrated into Germany’s academic research system. This is the case if, immediately prior to submitting a proposal, they have worked as a researcher in Germany for a continuous period of at least three years during their doctoral and/or postdoctoral phase.

If researchers are already based abroad, funding can be provided abroad if they have completed the majority of their schooling and higher education in Germany and, as of proposal time, have not spent more than three years abroad for research purposes after completing their doctorate in Germany or abroad.

Furthermore, they must not have worked longer than one year at the host institution selected for the Walter Benjamin fellowship as of proposal time.


Heisenberg Programme

If you already meet all the requirements for appointment to a permanent professorship, you can apply to the Heisenberg Programme. While you prepare for a future senior academic role, the DFG provides funding to enable you to carry on with high-quality research at the institution of your choice and continue building your academic reputation.

The Heisenberg Programme is directed primarily at those researchers who have qualified for professorship via the Emmy Noether Programme, leadership of a junior research group, DFG project staff positions, private-sector research or mid-level faculty positions. The target group also includes junior professors who have received positive evaluations, those who have achieved their habilitation or an equivalent qualification, and German researchers returning from abroad, as well as appropriately qualified foreign researchers looking to pursue careers in Germany.

Four types of funding are available within the Heisenberg Programme:


  • Heisenberg position
  • Heisenberg temporary substitute position for clinicians
  • Heisenberg professorship
  • Heisenberg fellowship


Once you have been accepted to the Heisenberg Programme, you can select between the four funding types or combine them during the five-year funding period.

The DFG would like to point out that during the review process, individual proposals must speak for themselves. Reference letters from third parties are not encouraged and, to ensure the equal treatment of all applicants, are not forwarded to reviewers or decision-making committees.