UDE Postdoc Seed Funding
Financial Support For Your Own Grant Application
Are you a postdoctoral researcher at UDE, distinguished by outstanding achievements and excellent scientific potential, and striving for an academic career?
With UDE Postdoc Seed Funding, we invest specifically in your research future: with up to €30,000 in seed funding, we enable you to develop an independent, competitive and innovative third-party funded project and advance your career at UDE.
The Rectorate announces the programme twice a year. The calls for applications are usually published at the end of January and the end of July each year. The call is announced publicly within the university via the dean's offices, in Campus:Aktuell and here. Applications can only be submitted on the specified dates.
Call for Applications
41th funding round
Applications for the 41th funding round are now open. The call is aimed at postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines except the Faculty of Medicine. Applications can be submitted by 24 April 2026.
Please find further information on submitting applications and eligibility criteria in the guidelines available for download in the „Documents“ section below.
Please note: The programme is open to members of all Faculties of UDE except the Faculty of Medicine, who is running an own programme, called "Career Kickstart".
Please also note: No originals are required; digital signatures (or scans) are sufficient for the submission. If you have any questions about submitting an application or would like to get advice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Simon Kresmann (Graduate Center Plus/SSC).
Brown Bag Session about Seed Funding on 27 March 2026
Would you like to prepare your first third-party funding proposal? Do you have questions about the UDE-programmes or would you like to know whether seed funding or the DFG Erstantragsvorschuss is the more suitable support format for you?
On 27 March 2026 from 11:00 to 12:00 hours you will have the opportunity to ask your questions at a virtual brown bag session after a short introduction to both programmes and receive an assessment of which may be the better option for you.
Your contacts are Simon Kresmann & Bastian Walter-Bogedain.
You can register for the Brown Bag Session here until 26 March 2026: eveeno.com/bbs_seedfunding_1-2026
Programme purpose
The UDE Postdoc Seed Funding programme aims to support excellent and particularly high-performing postdoctoral researchers at the UDE in developing independent, innovative research projects and preparing successful proposals for third-party funding.
Funding is provided for preparatory work that directly leads to the independent formulation and application for a third-party funded project. Funding for personnel, equipment and travel expenses can be applied for up to a maximum total amount of €30,000. As a rule, the funds must be spent within one year. The decision on funding is made by the university rectorate on the recommendation of the Commission for Research, Early Career Researchers & Knowledge Transfer (FoKo).
Requirements for your application
- Your doctorate was completed less than five years ago (in exceptional cases up to seven years, see guidelines).
- You are pursuing an academic career and would like to use the funding to sharpen your own research profile and further develop your potential for excellence.
- Your list of publications is of above-average quality and quantity for your discipline and career stage and demonstrates outstanding scientific achievement.
- At the time of application, you have not secured funding for a major research project (rejected applications and personal scholarships do not count).
- You are not yet receiving funding from the UDE's internal DFG Erstantragsvorschuss (see below).
- You may already have received awards (advantageous).
- You may already have experience abroad (advantageous)
- You are planning a scientifically ambitious, innovative and original project and can explain it clearly to an interdisciplinary committee.
- The third-party funding you are seeking is for a research topic that fits well into the research landscape and profile of the UDE
When evaluating applications, particular consideration will be given to the candidates' outstanding scientific achievements, the innovative potential of the project and the prospects for excellence. The evaluation is carried out in two stages. The FoKo first reviews the written applications (expected on 18 May 2026) and then invites selected candidates to a short presentation and interview (15 June 2026, in person – please note: you must be available on this date, there are no alternative dates!). The FoKo's recommendation for funding is ultimately confirmed by a decision of the Rectorate.
Contact
Application counselling:
Simon Kresmann
Graduate Center Plus/SSC
☎ +49 (0)201 183 2015
simon.kresmann(at)uni-due.de
Submission of applications
Please send your application as one PDF file by the specified deadlines to:
and CC the dean's office of your faculty.
Commission meetings:
Dr. Barbara Bigge
Research promotion/SSC
☎ +49 (0)201 183 3254
barbara.bigge(at)uni-due.de
Documents
- Call for applications 41th round (in German only)
- Guideline for application
- Application form
Please use only the current template and do not take older versions.
We recommend the following tool for staff cost calculation (in German only): https://uni-due.kalkoed.de/.
UDE-internal DFG Erstantragsvorschuss
Tip: Are you planning your first third-party funding application with the German Research Foundation (DFG)? Under certain conditions, the UDE-internal DFG Erstantragsvorschuss (10,000 euros lump sum) may be a suitable alternative to applying to the UDE Postdoc Seed Funding programme. Please note that funding from both programmes is not possible.