Junior researchers (also Junior professors) with a doctorate at the University of Tübingen are invited to apply,

• who have a longterm scholarship or an employment contract with the University of Tübingen, at least until the end of the funding period
• whose PhD was not attained more than five years ago (date of PhD certificate, extension for childcare).
• who are not members of the Faculty of Medicine (Funding opportunities of the Faculty of Medicine)

You may apply for

• Material resources/consumables
• Investment funding
• Funding for assistants
• NOT: Funding for own position; basic equipment

Total funding per application: max. € 35,000 for up to 18 months

For details on eligible expenses and their calculation see the FAQs https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/78465

• Annual call
• Next deadline: March 15, 2026

Proposal

Please use the provided template for the application. Your project description must be no longer than five pages (bibliography is not included in the 5 pages). Please illustrate the project’s innovativeness and relevance.
Applications may be written in German or English (German template). The application must be written in such a way that persons outside your discipline are able to understand the content.

Annexes

The following appendices must accompany your project description:

• Your academic career to date/academic CV
• List of publications
• A brief statement by the relevant institute director or supervising professor
• Form “declaration & fact sheet” (available in the online tool or via the Excellence Initiative’s Internal Documents)
  Important: Please note that the signatures of the Dean and the institute’s director are required!

Submission

1. Fill in the data sheet online in the electronic application system, available from February 15, 2026 at https://www.antraege-zv.uni-tuebingen.de/ A registration in the system is necessary.
2. Upload your project description and annexes as one pdf-document in the electronic application system, including a scan of the signed “declaration & fact sheet” (see above)

Please note: In principle, it is possible to apply simultaneously to the Program for the Promotion of Junior Researchers and the Elite Program for Postdocs with the same project topic; however, double funding is not possible. Since the decision on the Program for the Promotion of Junior Researchers is made earlier than that for the Elite Program, your project will be approved conditionally if it receives a positive evaluation of the Research Commission and only get funding in case the proposal for the Elite Program is rejected. 
If you plan to apply to both programs, we strongly recommend that you contact us in advance.
 

After a formal check by the administration, the application is evaluated by reviewers. The Research Commission of the University of Tübingen discusses and selects the proposals. A final funding decision is made by the Rectorate. Applicants will be notified at the beginning of July.

Assessment criteria:

• Quality of the project and relevance of the research topic (innovation and originality)
• Prospects for continued research and further third-party funding
• Research environment and feasibility of the project (concept and content of the work program)
• Qualification and independence of the applicant (e.g. on the basis of lead authorship of publications)

For FAQs please see https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/78465

Online-Information: February 5, 2026, 12:00 as part of the Research Funding Snacks

For further information, please contact

Dr. Marion Jäger, Tel. 07071/29-75078
E-Mail: marion.jaegerspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de