Volkswagen Foundation is offering fellowship for international young
researchers in all disciplines. Ten to fifteen fellowships for researchers will
be awarded per year.
The Freigeist
funding initiative provides an opportunity for outstandingly qualified,
creative and independent early career researchers to conduct their own
research. It aims to encourage exceptional research personalities to embark on
visionary, risk-taking research projects at the intersections between
established fields of research.
The ‘Freigeist’
initiative builds upon the previous funding scheme for junior research groups
and the Dilthey- and Schumpeter Fellowships which were terminated recently.
Their doctorate must
have been obtained not longer than five years previously (with regard to the
date of the defense relative to the deadline of the initiative).
Course
Level: Fellowships
are available for pursuing research programme at the university or research institution
in Germany.
Study
Subject(s): The
‘Freigeist’ scheme is deliberately open to all disciplines and topics.
Number of
Awards: Ten
to fifteen fellowships will be awarded per year.
Scholarship
Award: Ten
to fifteen fellowships will be awarded per year. The initial funding period is
five years; depending on the field of research and career experience, projects
in a total amount of up to 1,000,000 Euro can be applied for:
- The
Fellow’s position (salary scale TV-L 14, comparable to similar junior
research group leaders) - Positions
for scientific personnel (doctoral students, PostDocs) - Non-personnel
costs relevant to the project (e. g. consumables, travel expenses,
equipment)
Important: - The
Foundations does not grant any overheads. - In case
the maximum amount of funding has not been fully taken up with the initial
application, additional funds (so called modules) can be applied for
during the course of the Fellowship to provide flexible support (e. g. for
personnel, resources, sojourns abroad, cooperation measures, translations,
workshops, stays at institutions representing other research fields).
Applications for these modules should be submitted – if possible – within
the context of annual reporting on the funded project. - A
second funding period of up to three years may be provided. This requires
a positive evaluation (by the Foundation), generally at the end of the
fourth year, and a clear perspective for a permanent position for the
Fellow at the host institution. The maximum funding for this second period
amounts up to 400,000 Euro.
Scholarship
can be taken in Germany
Eligibility:
Anyone can apply who identifies with the goals of a ‘Freigeist’ Fellowship and
whose proposed research project fits in with the aims pursued by the Freigeist
initiative. Candidates must, however, conform to the following conditions:
- Their doctorate must have been obtained not
longer than five years previously (with regard to the date of the defense
relative to the deadline of the initiative). - The
Fellowship must from the outset be integrated within a university or an
extra-mural research institution in Germany. - Candidates
must already have changed their academic environment and moved to a new
location – at the latest when starting the Fellowship. A return to the
working context of the doctorate will only be accepted under exceptional
circumstances. - A
previously completed research sojourn abroad, at the latest integrated
into the proposed research project.
Nationality:
The
funding scheme is open to early-stage researchers of all nationalities.
College
Admission Requirement
Entrance
Requirement: Their
doctorate must have been obtained not longer than five years previously (with
regard to the date of the defense relative to the deadline of the initiative).
Test Requirement: No
English
Language Requirements: Applicants
from outside the home country will often need to meet specific English
language/other language requirements in order to be able to study there.
How to
Apply:
Applications must be submitted online via the Electronic Application System of
the Volkswagen Foundation. Instructions are found online. At the end of this
“Information for Applicants” there is a checklist for documents to be submitted
with their application.
Application
Deadline:
The next deadlines for applications is October 12, 2017.