The "Lower Saxony Professorship" addresses exceptional academics who are professionally excellent and have several years of (management) experience in the science system. They are expected to have the capacity to shape the profile and structure of their university location and impact the research region at large.

Deadline: December 31, 2025

Second deadline: December 31, 2026

Addressees: Scientists with a doctorate

The Walter Benjamin Programme enables researchers in the postdoctoral training phase to independently conduct their own research project at a location of their choice for up to two years. The project can be carried out at a research institution in Germany or abroad, with the host institution providing support for the project.

Deadline: December 31, 2025

Second deadline: December 31, 2026

Addressees: Early-career postdocs

The Emmy Noether Programme gives exceptionally qualified early career researchers the chance to qualify for the post of professor at a university by leading an independent junior research group for a period of six years.

Deadline: December 31, 2025

Second deadline: December 31, 2026

Addressees: Early-career researchers up to 4 years after completion of their doctorate

The Heisenberg Programme is directed primarily at those researchers who have qualified for professorship via the Emmy Noether Programme, leadership of a junior research group, DFG project staff positions, private-sector research or mid-level faculty positions. The target group also includes junior professors who have received positive evaluations, those who have achieved their habilitation or an equivalent qualification, and German researchers returning from abroad, as well as appropriately qualified foreign researchers (who have not yet achieved a full professorship) looking to pursue careers in Germany.

Deadline: December 31, 2025

Second deadline: December 31, 2026

Addressees: Researchers in all disciplines who have qualified for a professorship

Interdisciplinary research is often particularly challenging and requires special efforts at newly emerging interfaces. In order to create an additional opportunity for interdisciplinary research and to make the achievements of scientists who conduct research at scientific boundaries more visible, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) launches an open call under the Reinhart Koselleck programme. The aim is to enable outstanding researchers with a proven scientific track record to pursue exceptionally interdisciplinary and innovative projects.

Deadline: December 31, 2025

Second deadline: December 31, 2026

Addressees: Scientists with or eligible for a professorship

In principle, researchers at a German institution in Germany and abroad can always submit a research project proposal (usually Individual Research Grants Programme ) with international participation if the appropriate co-financing is available.

Deadline: December 31, 2025

Second deadline: December 31, 2026

Addressees: Scientists with a doctorate

The Office for Science and Technology of the French Embassy in Germany aims to strengthen Franco-German cooperation in research and innovation by supporting the mobility of young researchers. The Procope Mobility program specifically supports the mobility of young researchers affiliated with a laboratory or research institute in Germany to France. These mobility grants will enable them to conduct research in a laboratory or research institute in France. All research fields are eligible. The mobility grant will fund a stay of one, two, or three months, beginning no earlier than May 18, 2026, and no later than December 31, 2026.

Deadline: January 12, 2026

Addressees: Doctoral students or early-career postdocs affiliated with a German institution