Uni-Tübingen

Program for the Promotion of Junior Researchers

The Program for the Promotion of Junior Researchers offers postdocs and junior professors a start-up financing to set up independent research projects. This program is aimed at the development of a larger third-party funding application. It cannot be used as funding for the applicant’s job.

Next Deadline: March 2025 (tbc)

Requirements

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)

Funding

You may apply for

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

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

Deadline

  • Annual call
  • Activation of the online-application tool February 2025
  • Next Application deadline: mid of March 2025
  • Beginning of the funding period: August 01, 2025

Application

Proposal (5 pages max.)

Your project description should include the following aspects:

  • Short abstract
  • Scientific aims
  • Current state of research and your own preliminary work
  • Detailed, concrete working plan (including timetable)
  • Outline of the project’s future prospects (To which third-party sponsor or funding program do you plan to hand in your project proposal and when? What is yet to be done before third-party funding may be sought)?
  • Detailed financial plan: list of elements of funding with explanation (e.g. if applying for personnel costs: timetable, type and extent of work to be done)
  • Bibliography (not included in the 5 pages)
  • Formal requirements: Single line spacing, font size at least 11, margins at least 2 cm

Applications may be written in English or German. 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 Febrary 12, 2024 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.
  3. Send the entire application as a printed version as well as the orginial version of the “declaration & fact sheet” (available via the https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/70536 and in the application tool) to Marion Jäger, Division II, Section 2, Rümelinstr. 32, 72070 Tübingen.

Assessment

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)

Questions?

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

Online-Information: February 1, 2024, 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