RUB Research School

Postdoc in Germany or abroad?

Funding Opportunities

When planning your time as a postdoc, a first consideration should be whether you want to take your first career step after your doctorate at a German research institution or go abroad as a postdoc. An international research network and international visibility are relevant career factors on the way to a professorship, even if it depends on the respective research cultures which relevance longer or also shorter research stays abroad have for an academic career.

You can stay in Germany as a postdoc, go abroad, or build your international network through shorter research stays abroad. For all career steps, there are different types of funding and different funding programs.

Regardless of whether you stay in Germany or go abroad, you should use the early postdoc phase after your doctorate to develop your own research profile and expand your research expertise independently and on your own responsibility. If you would like to get an overview of funding programs, please feel free to contact us.

Postdoc Position at a University

As a postdoc, you can be employed with a temporary research assistant position at a department, a research group, or a research institute. With these positions, you have the opportunity to conduct your own self-responsible research and work at the chairs and/or in third-party funded research projects. In many cases you will be responsible for teaching. These positions are advertised and granted by the chairs and/or research institutes.

There is also the possibility to raise funding for your own position within a project grant. This is a separate funding module that allows you to solicit funding for your own research assistant position in addition to project funding.

Fellowship or Funding for Own Position

You can also finance yourself as a postdoc through a fellowship or your own scientific position, which you acquire independently. You can develop your own independent research project and freely choose the research institution. Person-based funding programs fund a fellowship to finance your living expenses in Germany or abroad and provide research allowances, but no extensive funding for material resources. This contribution is expected from the chairs, working groups, or institutions where conduct your research.

There is also the possibility to raise funding for your own position within a project grant. This is a separate funding module that allows you to acquire funding for your own research assistant position in addition to project funding.

We will be happy to help you with questions about the various funding options for your early postdoc phase.

Funding Program RUB Research School: Gateway Fellowship - stipend for a research stay abroad for up to 9 months

You can make your first international research experience as a postdoc with our Gateway Fellowship. With this funding line, Research School supports the first career steps as a postdoc for those who just completed their doctorate at RUB. The Gateway Fellowships come with an individual stipend for a period of up to 9 months.

Information funding opportunities for Postdocs (by funding organisations)

DFG Guidance to Funding Opportunities for Postdocs:
Overview & online Info-Talks
DFG Walter Benjamin Programme & Emmy Noether Programme:
Video Clips

Information at RUB about funding opportunities for a postdoc in Germany:

Please contact Dr. Stefan Riedel.

Information at RUB about funding opportunities for a postdoc abroad:
Your contact:

Dr. Ursula Justus