Securing Third-Party Funding as a Postdoc
The most common funding opportunities are easy to find, such as the Walter Benjamin Programme, the Individual Research Grant, or the Emmy Noether Programme of the German Research Foundation (DFG). In addition, there are many other options, and the sheer number of funding lines and research awards can seem overwhelming at first glance. To help you get started, the process is divided into three steps.
Minimal effort, maximum overview: MLU employees can use their work email address to subscribe to the University of Kassel’s FIT newsletter (Note: excluding the Faculty of Medicine). There, you can customise your own funding newsletter in just a few minutes (e.g., using keywords such as “early-career support,” “awards,” and your research field) and even choose the day of the week you’d like to receive it.
- If you know which direction you want to go in, subscribe to the newsletters of the relevant funding organisations so you don’t miss their calls and important developments (e.g., DFG, ERC National Contact Point, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, or Volkswagen Foundation).
- By the way, if you’d like to stay informed about research data management, subscribe to the newsletter via the DFN Listserv (available in German) for information and discussions on all relevant topics related to research data: the organisation and technology of research data management, accessibility and quality assurance of research data, as well as incentives and guidelines for handling research data.
- Important sources of information and inspiration include the DFG GEPRIS Database and the ERC Funding Dashboard, where you can easily filter results by project type, discipline, and year.
- At the Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, you’ll find postdoc funding opportunities sorted by academic discipline; the Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists has compiled a detailed list of individual fellowships for postdocs; and the DAAD Scholarship Database provides an initial overview of funding opportunities abroad.
- If you’re employed at a non-university research institution, find out about its funding opportunities and important deadlines.
- Ask experienced postdocs and professors in your network for tips and insights, for example, how they got started with smaller initial grant proposals and which calls for proposals are suitable and common in your field.
- Would you like to hear a podcast overview of funding programs and awards? Then we recommend the NachwuchsFragen (available in German) from the Graduate Academy at Leibniz University Hannover.
- Funding organisations offer their own webinars with background information and Q&A sessions (e.g., DFG Info Talks) or summarize the key points on-demand (e.g., YouTube channel on the ERC application process).
Tip: Create a profile on the Saxony-Anhalt research portal (Forschungsportal Sachsen-Anhalt, available in German). The portal helps you find inspiration for research projects, network with other researchers, initiate collaborations, and locate infrastructure and equipment. It also helps increase the visibility of your profile, your (external-funding) projects, and your publications.
You can find the contact persons for EU funding (including MSCA and ERC) through the EU Academic Network. Be sure to contact the relevant contact persons well in advance, as they are experts on all deadlines, changes in funding policy, and specific requirements for EU research grant applications, and can therefore offer tailored and optimal advice.
For DFG, federal and state funding, or foundations, you’ll find an overview of research funding opportunities at your institution below. Contact the staff at your institution’s research funding advisory office well in advance. They are experts on the major funding agencies, stay up to date on current developments, funding rates, and deadlines, and can provide you with personalised support for your grant proposal.
You can find comprehensive introductory information on major funding sources such as the DFG, the Federal Government, the EU, foundations, the Investment Bank of Saxony-Anhalt, and the Ministry of Science, Energy, Climate Protection, and Environment of the State of Saxony-Anhalt on the website of Department 6 – Research, Transfer, and External Funding Services at MLU.
Here you will also find:
- the respective contact persons at MLU for grant application advice,
- information on additional research platforms,
- registration for the FIT newsletter,
- an overview of individual funding programs,
- a comprehensive overview of funding programs specifically designed to support academic career development.
The team at the OVGU Magdeburg Research Funding Advice offers individualized consultations for OVGU researchers:
- Assessment of project ideas, assistance with funding requirements, grant applications, and cost estimates,
- Research into suitable funding sources,
- Support in finding partners, facilitating contacts,
- preparing cost estimates,
- support with the general sections of the project description, providing institution-specific text templates,
- reviewing applications in terms of objectives and specified evaluation criteria,
- submission of project proposals, contract negotiations, and project management,
- services for the EU Academic Network of Saxony-Anhalt,
- services for the Centre of Expertise for Economic, Social and Political Entrepreneurial Cooperation (WiSO-Kompetenztentrum Sachsen-Anhalt).
Up-to-date information is shared on LinkedIn.
The newsletter is sent via the Research Portal of Saxony-Anhalt (Forschungsportal Sachsen-Anhalt, available in German). To receive it, you must be registered as at least a “user” of the portal.
At Anhalt University of Applied Sciences, the Center for Research, Transfer and Entrepreneurship provides information and advice to university members on all matters related to their research activities.
You can find Harz University of Applied Sciences’ grant application and advisory services at their Application Lab.
For employees of Magdeburg-Stendal University of Applied Sciences, the Project and Grant Application Service (available in German) provides advice and support in applying for third-party funding.
Research funding advising provided by the research focus managers (available in German) is available to all employees of Merseburg University of Applied Sciences.
If you have any questions about research funding advice or research structures at Burg Giebichenstein – University of Art and Design Halle, please contact plaul@burg-halle.de.