Program for the Promotion of Junior Researchers

Yes. In this case you must hand in a statement by the Dean’s Office that your disputation has taken place. Your PhD certificate must be submitted when available.

The date of your PhD certificate may be a maximum of 5 years before the start of your planned project. Childcare leave is taken into regard according to DFG regulations: 2 years per child for mothers, 1 year per child for fathers or periods of official childcare leave (Elternzeit).

Since you cannot raise funds for your own position via this funding model, you need to be employed at the University of Tübingen. In individual cases, a scholarship that secures the project’s duration in Tübingen can suffice.

If your employment contract ends during the funding period but can be extended in principle, your professor/director has to declare in the supporting letter that they are willing to extend your contract. If your contract ends after 12 months of funding and cannot be extended, you can also apply for funding for 12 months.

Yes, you are welcome to apply. You should state in your application that you cannot fund the project from your personal budget.

Yes. If your proposal was rejected at a former date, you can re-apply with an updated version. If you have already successfully raised external funds within the scope of the program for the promotion of junior researchers, you can apply with a new project.

The duration is up to a maximum of 18 months. It is not a problem if you need only a year of funding. The submission of your third party funding proposal is, however, mandatory and must be documented.

• Travel funds (for conferences, meetings, short stays abroad or research trips).
  Please refer to the current travel regulations for business trips: https://uni-tuebingen.de/fileadmin/Uni_Tuebingen/Dezernate/Dezernat_IV/Abteilung_1/Dokumente/Rundschreiben/2021/rds-2021-17.pdf. For the calculation of flights, the climate tax has to be taken into account (see the information provided by the HR department on the reimbursement of costs: Kostenerstattung > Flugkosten / Klimaabgabe).
• Laboratory supplies (not basic equipment such as towels, disinfectants, etc.)
• Funds for literature (if the books are not available in Tübingen and cannot be obtained via the libraries).
• Funds for the organization of workshops/meetings that specifically serve the preparation of the third-party funding proposals (travel funds for guest speakers, student assistants, catering to a limited extent up to 60 €/day for predominantly external guests)
• Publication costs (please also note the offers of the Open Access Publication Fund of the University Library and the DEAL option)
• Equipment needed directly for the project (not basic equipment such as computers, notebooks, etc.)
• Compensation/vouchers for test persons (max. 10 €/hour)

For further details please read the funding guidelines of the Excellence Strategy: https://uni-tuebingen.de/de/70536#c1137469  

• Funding for your own position
• Basic equipment (office desk computers, notebooks, monitors, furniture, paper, office supplies, printing costs, towels, disinfectants, etc.)
• Honoraria for scientific lectures
• Repair costs for equipment or maintenance contracts
• Objects to be raffled off to test persons

For further details please read the funding guidelines of the Excellence Strategy: https://uni-tuebingen.de/en/70536#c1137469

You can apply for student assistants with or without BA - research assistants with MA only in justified exceptional cases.
You can find the current rates in the (internal) download area of the Human Resources Department https://uni-tuebingen.de/de/136867.
Please note that you must add up to 28% social security contributions to the hourly rate indicated.
Explain in the budget how many hours per month you are requesting for which category of student assistants.

You cannot apply for your own position. In a few exceptional cases, (co-)funding of technician positions (E8/E9) or positions for scientific staff is possible. However, please make sure to contact us in advance, as these persons generally cannot be employed with fixed-term contracts.

If you plan to purchase products abroad or place orders abroad (laboratory analyses, freelance service contracts, etc.), the costs will increase by 19% VAT. Please apply for correspondingly higher amounts in your proposal.

The “declaration & fact sheet” (available in the online application or via the Excellence Initiative’s Internal Documents) must be signed by:

• the applicant
• the dean
• the institute director (because of the commitment of facilities).

All signatures are mandatory. In exceptional cases, if it is not possible to obtain the signature of the institute director or the dean, the applicant must contact the research support office.

In such cases, digital signatures on the data sheet are sufficient. In addition, we require a personal e-mail from the head of the institute or the dean to sonja.grossmannspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de stating that the application is supported.

This funding is individual and linked to your employment at the university of Tübingen. Therefore, you cannot transfer it to another university or another colleague. Remaining funds expire. 

Please contact marion.jaegerspam prevention@uni-tuebingen.de, Tel. 07071-29-75078