News for Early Stage Researchers

Here you will find announcements about:

the newsletter of the Graduate Services,
events and interdisciplinary workshops for doctoral candidates,
thesis defense,
external programmes and grant offers.

Furthermore you can register for the newsletter of the Graduate Services by following this link.

Newsletter of the Graduate Services

Current newsletter of the Graduate services

Gladly we will e-mail the newsletter of the Graduate services to you too!

You will receive the newsletter whenever the workshops for the „Academic Career and Qualification programme“ or scholarship announcements are made public. The newsletter will be send once a month at most.

To subscribe for the mailing list, please klick on this link and enter your e-mail address. Afterwards you will receive an e-mail to reconfirm that you have used a valid mail address.

You can unsubscribefrom the mailing list at any time.

Please notice the data protection formular (avialable in German only).

Events and Interdisciplinary Workshops

Academic Skills Training

The Academic Skills Training offers workshops focused on didactic progammes and interdisciplinary key competences. Further information can be found here.

Online event 5 June, 2-4 pm: Information about the doctorate

The University of Erfurt offers an outstanding research environment, and a diverse academic environment characterised by close supervision, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovative research projects. A doctorate at our university opens the opportunity to deepen your academic knowledge in an inspiring environment, gain new insights and optimally prepare for an academic or research-oriented career. In addition, doctoral candidates at the University of Erfurt benefit from a broad network, diverse support programmes and dedicated supervision by experienced academics.

We would like to inform you about the different types of doctorates and pathways at the University of Erfurt at an information event, which is offered as an online format.

A crucial issue for all prospective doctoral candidates is the question of funding. Doctoral scholarships play a special role here. Prestige, networking, funding opportunities for stays abroad, exclusive events and more flexibility and freedom in organising your own research are the advantages of a scholarship. However, the diversity of the German scholarship landscape and its requirements can make the application process confusing and difficult.

For this reason, Dr Maia George will give an overview of the foundation landscape in Germany and external funding opportunities in an informative lecture. We look forward to your participation and to supporting you in your academic career.

All Master's students and graduates who are considering a doctorate are cordially invited to attend the information event, as are academic staff who are considering a doctorate or are looking for alternative funding options.

Please register in advance at nachwuchsfoerderung@uni-erfurt.de by 3 June 2025 so that the access link to the event can be sent to you in good time.

Thesis Defense

External Programmes and Grant Offers

Research Career: Information by the DFG

The German Research Foundation (DFG) offers a wide range of funding opportunities for postdoctoral researchers in the early career phase. The DFG regularly provides information about these opportunities in the online discussion series "Prospects". Throughout the year, specific funding instruments and programs for the time after the doctorate are presented in various online seminars. Also interesting for doctoral candidates!

The next events in the Prospects series are:

26/05/2025, 03:30 - 05:00 p.m. CEST – Walter Benjamin Programme
27/06/2025, 10:30 - 12:00 a.m. CEST – DFG-Förderangebote für die wissenschaftliche Karriere (in German)
18/07/2025, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. CEST – Emmy Noether Programme
15/09/2025, 02:00 - 03:30 p.m. CEST – DFG Funding Opportunities for Postdocs
14/10/2025, 01:30 - 03:00 p.m. CEST – Walter Benjamin-Programm (in German)
11/12/2025, 04:00 - 05:30 p.m. CET – DFG Funding Opportunities for Postdocs

Further information on the event and the slides of past lectures in the Prospects series can be found at: https://www.dfg.de/en/research-funding/funding-opportunities/research-careers/info-talks

German PostDoc Network: A Journey to Professorship

Are you wondering what comes next after your postdoc? The new talk series, Beyond the Postdoc, offers insights into diverse career opportunities beyond postdoctoral research.

In this lunch talk, we will discuss the path of Prof. Gokhale from India to a professorship in Germany, the support systems that helped him along the way, and the challenges he faced. We will also explore how his daily life as a professor compares to his time as a postdoctoral researcher and hear his perspective as an international scholar navigating the German academic system.

Join for an engaging discussion on what it means to be a professor at a German university, Prof. Gokhale’s journey, and the skills and competencies that contributed to his success!

Date: 15 May, 1pm - 2 pm

Location: Zoom

Further information and registration

Mobility grant ‘Technologies d'avenir’ - research stays in France (Master's to postdoc)

The French Embassy in Germany and the Institut Francais Germany support German-French research. With the ‘Technologies d'avenir’ scholarships, Master's students with a research focus, doctoral students and postdocs from German universities can spend 1-3 months at a French research institute (start of stay: 1 September - 31 December 2025).

Funding amount (lump sum)

- Postdoc 2 100 €/month

- Doctorate 1 770 €/month

- Master 1 200 €/month

+ climate bonus for environmentally friendly travel

Focus areas include eco & energy transition, AI/quantum, health, culture & creative industries (see call for details).

Application deadline: 4 June 2025

Call & forms (DE/FR/EN): www.science-allemagne.fr/non-classe-nodisplay/du-master-au-post-doctorat-lappel-a-candidature-technologies-davenir-est-ouvert/

DAAD Funds Congress and Lecture Visits

Since 01 March 2023, the DAAD again offers funding for participation in congresses and lectures.

In the congress travel program active congress participation is funded, in the lecture travel program a lecture activity outside of congresses and conferences is funded. The announcements can be found at www.daad.de/kongressreisen and www.daad.de/vortragsreisen (both pages are available in German only).

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact the DAAD Infocenter. You can reach our advisors by calling 0228-882 180 at the following times: Monday to Thursday 9am - 12pm and 2pm - 4pm (CEST), Friday 9am - 2pm (CEST), or via DAAD contact form

"Writing-Fridays" for Doctoral Candidates

The schreibzentrum.berlin offers doctoral candidates free online writing-days. Each first Friday in a month from 9:30 to 12:00 am doctoral candidates meet each other and get additional support for their writing process by professionell coaches. Doctoral candidates from all research fields are welcome to join, regardless of how much progression they have with their own thesis. Joining the writing-days is possible to any time.

Application and further information can be found here (in German only).

DocColloq for Doctoral Candidates

The "DocColloq", founded in 2018 at the University of Trier by the research assistants Camilla Haake and Natalie Tröller, forms an interdisciplinary network for doctoral candidates from all research subjects and institutions. Digital meetings will take place on a regular basis to further the Germany-wide exchange between doctoral candidates, the networking with each other and to encourage to get insights outside their own disciplines and researches. In those two hour meetings up to three doctoral candidates will give an insight into their own research in short 15-minute presentations, followed by joint discussion of the plenum. All doctoral candidates are invited, no matter which university, research area, progress of their dissertation or if they just want to pay attention to the presentations.

The meeting takes place via Zoom. People interested in joining are asked to register by mail at doccolloq@uni-trier.de You will get a link to the meeting afterwards.

FAZIT Foundation

The FAZIT Foundation is a non-profit publishing company that specifically promotes science and research by awarding doctoral scholarships and grants for printing and travel costs.

Applications for a two-year doctoral scholarship as well as grants for printing costs and travel expenses are possible at any time.

The foundation provides information on further requirements and documents to be submitted on its website: https://www.fazit-stiftung.de/bewerbung.html

Leopoldina Postdoc Scholarship

The German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina) awards two-year postdoctoral fellowships to postdoctoral researchers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland who completed their doctorate no more than seven years ago for a research stay abroad. The scholarship includes a basic scholarship of 1,750.00 euros per month and monthly material resources of 250.00 euros.

Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis. Award decisions are made three times a year.

Further information can be found at: https://www.leopoldina.org/en/funding/leopoldina-fellowship-programme/leopoldina-postdoc-scholarship/