Approaching Host Institutions
This article outlines essential steps and considerations for approaching host institutions, along with an overview of key funding programs for different disciplines.
Securing research funding is a demanding process, whether you’re in Germany, planning to come back, or seeking international programs. In our first article, we introduced you to the programs in Germany. Let’s look at the steps to approach host institutions, what to consider, and how to find the right method for yourself.
Consider the hard facts!
- Understand the specifics of the junior group leader programs, including the amount of funding and the duration.
- Determine the time frame to be eligible for the program.
- Find out any special features of the program, such as the need for international experience, a tenure track option, or specific research topics.
- Check if the program has specific requirements regarding the disciplines:
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- All disciplines: Emmy Noether Programme, Walter Benjamin Programme, ERC Starting Grant, Leibniz-Junior Research Groups
- STEM: Helmholtz Investigator Groups, Fraunhofer Attract, Max Planck Research Groups, NEXUS, Klaus Tschira Boost Fund
- Topic specific: NRW-Rückkehrprogramm, BMBF Junior Research Groups, Robert Bosch Junior Professorship (Research into the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources)
- Especially for women: Lise Meitner Excellence Program
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While approaching, keep in mind:
- Invest in your lead time! Make contact with potential universities at an early stage. Prepare yourself well and make contacts in advance that can help you with the local conditions. This can be useful for gaining insights into the university’s specific research structures and projects.
- Think carefully about which university best suits your own research and would be a suitable host. Research potential collaborators/hosts. You can also ask or make use of the research management and funding departments of institutions and universities to help you with recommendations.
- Approach (a lot of) researchers and institutions to express your interest in collaboration. Briefly introduce your research and highlight potential synergies. Visiting in person helps immensely, as emailing often lacks essential details. Try to invite yourself to give a talk.