Career Kickstart - FAQ
Does it have to be a completely new project, or do we need to have preliminary data?
No preliminary data is required. However, the project itself should not have started yet.
Do applicants need to have a permanent employment contract?
No, however, applicants with fixed-term contracts must have a contract term of at least 18* months from the Career Kickstart submission deadline. This can be demonstrated by a corresponding employment contract or a written confirmation from the institute or clinic director.
*Resolution of the Research Commission dated 7 July 2026
Is it mandatory to submit a DFG grant application afterward?
No, an application can also be submitted to other funding agencies.
Is there an age limit?
No, however, the DFG criteria for Early Career Researchers (ECR) apply: Eligible to apply are all researchers up to the rank of W1 professor whose doctoral degree was awarded no more than 8 years prior to the date of application; Parental leave: For mothers, a maximum of 2 children, each counted as 2 years, is taken into account; Fathers: a maximum of 2 children, each for 1 year, are counted if parental leave was taken; time spent providing care may also be counted.
The cutoff date for calculating academic seniority according to the ECR criteria is the deadline for the respective call for proposals.
How is academic rank calculated if a person holds more than one doctoral degree (e.g., Dr. med. and Dr. rer. nat.)?
Eligibility is always determined based on the date of the first doctoral degree.
Should caregiving hours for children and / or family members be reported?
Please use the appropriate field on the application form for this purpose. These periods are taken into account when evaluating academic performance, both in Career Kickstart and, as a rule, by external funding agencies.
Which labor cost rates should be used for the calculation?
You should request reimbursement for the actual costs incurred. These can be calculated using the “KalkÖD” tool (https://uni-due.kalkoed.de/, accessible only from the UK Essen / UDE network). For staff who have not yet been designated at the time of application, a maximum experience level of 2 shall be applied.
Am I eligible to apply if I have already secured third-party funding (both internal and external)?
Since this funding program is specifically designed to pave the way for applicants to secure their first independent project grant, applicants must not have received more than 50,000 € in total project funding in the past. Furthermore, applicants must not have received individual grants to establish their own research group (e.g., DFG Emmy Noether, UMEA Advanced, ERC Starter, etc.). Funding for one’s own position, such as through BIOME-PEP or the DFG Walter Benjamin Program, is permissible.
Are collaborative projects possible?
Yes. This is contingent on all applicants meeting the application criteria. The maximum grant amount remains at €50,000 per application, regardless of the number of applicants.
What if not all approvals (e.g., animal research application/ethics committee approval) have been obtained by the time the application is submitted?
This must be explained in the relevant appendix. If permits are required to carry out the project, any approval granted will be subject to certain conditions. The funding period of up to 12 months begins once the legal requirements have been met.
When is the deadline for submitting applications?
Applications may be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on the specified date (e.g., October 1, 2025, by 11:59 p.m.).