Postdoctoral Fellowships across the World

On this page, we aim to list all the available Postdoctoral Fellowships in European countries. Some of them are open for application now and some will open only at certain times of the year. You can find the application details and deadline for each fellowship in the relevant post.

Note that the country mentioned here is the country where funding is provided but that does not mean necessarily that the candidate is expected to conduct his/her research there. For example, DAAD postdoctoral Researcher International Mobility Experience is funding provided by a German funding body but it is intended for postdocs to conduct 65% of their research outside of Germany.

Global Postdoctoral Fellowships

According to the website of the Human Frontier Science Program, “The HFSP fellowship program sponsors projects for the frontier, likely transformative research in the life sciences. As such, proposals with high risk are especially encouraged. The projects should be interdisciplinary in nature and should change accepted practices by using different paths and methods. Scientifically, the proposals should address a major dilemma or a barrier to progress in the field. You can find out the details in The HFSP fellowship program.

European Commission’s Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Marie-Curie Individual Fellowship is the most prestigious and competitive fellowship of its own. You can read more about this generous type of Postdoctoral fellowship on our dedicated page of “Marie-Curie Fellowships“. What is particularly attractive about the Marie-Curie fellowship is its high salary. The basic salary starts from 4500 Euro per month and can go up to 7000 Euro if the project is conducted in some countries such as Denmark. You can find out more about the salary of Marie Curie Fellows in our earlier post. The proposal writing for this fellowship is very different from major funders. We have written a technical post detailing how to write a successful Marie-Curie fellowship proposal.

Postdoctoral Fellowships/Funding in Germany

Germany is one of the richest countries in the world which allocates a huge sum of money to research. That is why the funding possibilities in Germany is diverse and available for a range of backgrounds and discipline. In the following, we have summarised the most important funding and fellowship for Postdoctoral studies funded by German funders. Note that much of the funding enables researchers even to do their postdoc outside Germany.

Postdoctoral Researcher’s International Mobility Experience

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is one of the major funders of the study abroad or sponsor of incoming students into Germany. The Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME) is one of the funding provided by DAAD to support the international mobility of postdoctoral researchers through temporary positions at German universities in place of conventional scholarships. The scholarship gives the chance to junior scholars to do a Postdoc for 18 months in total. The twelve-month of the funding (one full year) should be spent outside of Germany while the last 6 months (re-integration phase) expected to be done at a German university. This particular type of scholarship is a unique opportunity for recent graduates to gain valuable experience in two different countries and institutions.

Humboldt Research Fellowship for postdoctoral and experienced researchers

The Humboldt Research Fellowship is for every nationality and all research areas and disciplines who wish to conduct research for up to two years in Germany. In the Humboldt Research Fellowship, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation support financially researchers with outstanding qualifications from every country of the world. As a fellow, you will benefit from individual support from the Humboldt Foundation and our diverse sponsorship portfolio.

Title: DFG Research Fellowships

Funding Duration: As a rule, up to 2 years

Purpose

To enable researchers at an early stage of their scientific career to carry out a clearly defined research project at a place of their choice abroad or to acquaint themselves with new scientific research methods

Eligibility Requirements

German researchers from all disciplines who have completed their academic qualifications (doctorate)
International researchers from all disciplines who have completed their scientific training (doctorate)

provided they have been resident in Germany for several years and have completed at least three years of scientific work as a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher in the German research system and state that they wish to continue to pursue their research in Germany in the future.

Limitations apply to early career researchers who, at the time of application, are abroad. As an exception, established researchers holding a doctorate may submit proposals to allow them to dedicate themselves to a research project of particular importance.

Proposal Requirements

High scientific quality and originality of a research project at an international level

Type and Extent of Funding

Basic fellowship plus monthly lump sum payment to cover maintenance and travel costs

Where applicable:

Foreign allowance
Travel allowance
Publication costs

Benefits for fellowship recipients with children:

Children’s supplement
Support for costs associated with parenting –fellowship extension or childcare allowance

In addition, funding may also be granted to establish or intensify scientific contacts in Germany or be used towards relocation costs on return to Germany (cf. section VI 1 and 2 of the guidelines). Following the research fellowship, candidates may apply for a return grant to facilitate their reintegration into the German academic and research system.

Title: Emmy Noether Programme

Purpose

To give highly qualified researchers the opportunity to satisfy the prerequisites for appointment as a university professor by leading an independent junior research group and performing relevant teaching duties

To attract outstanding early career researchers (back) to Germany from abroad

Eligibility Requirements

Early career researchers in all disciplines, normally up to 4 years after completion of the doctorate

Normally at least two years of postdoctoral experience
Substantial international research experience
Applicants from abroad are expected to continue their research careers in Germany after the funding comes to an end.
A written letter of intent must be attached to the proposal.
The ENP is not open to those who have already satisfied the requirements for a professorship, in particular those who have completed or are about to embark on the habilitation process, as the funding objective has already been achieved in these cases.
An individual is not eligible if they are in receipt of a type of funding similar to the ENP for an independent (junior) research group from a national research institution, programmes offered by the federal and state governments, or an international institution located in Germany.

Proposal Requirements: Excellent research project

Application Requirements:

Assessed on the basis of previous research work, ambitious publications in internationally respected journals or a comparable format

Funding Duration: 6 years

Time to Decision: Approx. 8 months

Postdoctoral Fellowships/Funding in Denmark

Title: CARLSBERG FOUNDATION REINTEGRATION FELLOWSHIPS

Two-year postdoctoral fellowships at Danish research institutions for postdoctoral fellows subsequent to an Internationalisation Fellowship from the Carlsberg Foundation or an otherwise funded research stay abroad. These fellowships are awarded to postdoctoral fellows who wish to establish research activities in Denmark after a research stay abroad.

Applicants with more than five years of experience since obtaining their PhD degree are not eligible. Any periods of leave will be accepted as extensions of this time limit (maternity leave, paternity leave, family care leave, illness, military service, etc.)

The Carlsberg Foundation Reintegration Fellowships are only awarded to applicants with previous strong connection to Danish research and a previous research stay abroad.

Application requirements:

The following appendices must be uploaded with the application in pdf format (please note that other formats are not accepted):

Project description
Curriculum Vitae
List of publications
Budget
Salary budget
Housing commitment from the host institution
Recommendations

Project description:
The project description must not exceed two A4 pages.

Curriculum Vitae:
The CV (with photo if possible) must not exceed three A4 pages.

List of publications:
Senior researchers are asked to list publications from the last five years.

Budget:
A budget for the amount applied for must be provided by filling in the Carlsberg Foundation budget template.

Salary budget:
Along with the budget, please attach a separate salary budget signed by the host institution certifying the accuracy of the salary applied for.

The Carlsberg Foundation covers general operating expenses with DKK 5,000 per month for experimental projects and DKK 2,500 per month for other projects.

Operating expenses are at the postdoctoral grant holder’s disposal to cover conferences, study trips, etc., and cannot be used to cover overhead costs and administration fees.

Housing commitment from the host institution:
The applicant must submit a confirmation from the host institution that it will provide adequate workplace and facilities during the research stay.

Title: The Novo Nordisk Foundation: Postdoc fellowship for research abroad – Bioscience and Basic Biomedicine

Purpose:

The Novo Nordisk Foundation invites young, ambitious researchers in Denmark to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship to conduct research outside of Denmark, with the purpose of:

obtaining knowledge, training, and research experience in an international research environment
associating the fellow to a Danish research institution throughout the fellowship, and thereby facilitating the return to, and integration in, the Danish academic research environment

Eligibility:

A research institution in Denmark must employ the applicant for the entire fellowship period and this institution must administrate the fellowship grant.

The successful candidate:

will carry out research at least 3 years abroad, followed by up to 1 year in Denmark
has obtained a PhD degree within 5 years of the fellowship start date
can apply as a PhD-student if the supervisor signs a declaration stating that the applicant is expected to graduate before the start date of the fellowship
can apply if he/she has already started a postdoctoral stay abroad. However, the time spent as postdoc abroad must not exceed 1 year at the time of application
has established contact with the laboratory abroad and has support from the principal investigator/lab head at the foreign research institution
has considerable prior association to the Danish education or research community.

Funding:

The total duration of the fellowship is 4 years. The Novo Nordisk Foundation awards up to DKK 1 million per year, for a total of up to DKK 4 million/fellowship.

Postdoctoral Fellowships/Funding in Switzerland

Title: The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science

The Branco Weiss Fellowship offers an opportunity for postdocs in all areas of the natural and social sciences and engineering who have conceived an original and independent research idea that falls outside the scope of large-scale research projects. The fellowship gives an unusual degree of freedom: Fellows are encouraged to choose the best possible location for their research, anywhere in the world. They will receive support for up to five years. They decide for themselves how the financial resources will be allocated – for their own salary, for staff, for equipment or for a combination of these.

But it’s more than mere funding. Fellows become part of a community of exceptional junior researchers and alumni (most often in faculty positions) from a large spectrum of fields and countries. They thus get to benefit from co-mentoring opportunities, and may even launch collaborative projects which are eligible for additional financial support. Career steps, typically to take up junior faculty positions, are encouraged and will not result in termination of the fellowship.

Title: ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowships

The ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship programme (ETH Fellows) supports incoming postdoctoral researchers at ETH Zurich. The programme is intended to foster young researchers who have already demonstrated scientific excellence in the early stages of their careers.

Applications have to be made jointly by the candidate and the potential host, who must be an ETH Zurich professor and willing to act as the mentor of the fellow. A professor may only submit with one candidate in each evaluation round. There must be convincing synergies between the host (group) and the ETH Fellow. The fellowships are intended as early support towards academic independence, hence priority will be given to applicants who propose their own projects. Thus, it is important that applicants come up with their own ideas and draft the application themselves, and that the applicant and mentor have not closely collaborated prior to the fellowship.

Title: Swiss Government Excellence Scholarships for Foreign Scholars and Artists

Each year the Swiss Confederation awards Government Excellence Scholarships to promote international exchange and research cooperation between Switzerland and over 180 other countries. Recipients are selected by the awarding body, the Federal Commission for Scholarships for Foreign Students (FCS).

Postdoc Positions in Europe:

Postdoc Positions Beyond Europe:

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