The next deadlines for applications are
October 15, 2015, October 13, 2016, and October 12, 2017
The ‘Freigeist’ initiative is directed toward enthusiastic and charismatic scientists and scholars with an outstanding record: through a highly flexible funding scheme junior researchers are given the opportunity to enjoy maximum freedom in their early scientific career.
Who can apply?
Anyone can apply who identifies with the goals of a ‘Freigeist’ Fellowship.
Candidates must,however,conform to the following conditions:
- Their doctorate must have been obtained not longer than five years previously
- 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 integratedin the proposed research project
Scholarship Worth:
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)
How to apply?
Applications must be submitted online via the Application Portal on the Volkswagen Foundation’s homepage: https://portal.volkswagenstiftung.de; instructions are found online.
At the end of this “Information for Applicants” there is a checklist for documents to be submitted with your application.
For More Information: