Research grants for German researchers

Horizon Europe RIA under the EU Cancer Mission supporting development of validated microbiome tools for early cancer prediction before disease onset, including AI risk modelling, longitudinal cohort studies, and comparison with liquid biopsy tests. Proposals must address multiple cancer types where possible and collaborate with large cohorts/registries. Lump sum grant; one grant expected.

BATT4U Call 03-2026 (Batteries and Energy) — joint transnational call by the Batteries (BATT4EU) European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participatin

Horizon Europe RIA under the EU Cancer Mission call HORIZON-MISS-2026-02. One indicative grant of approximately €15M. Full topic description available in the Work Programme. Consortia must include eligible entities from at least 3 EU member states or associated countries.

Horizon Europe Innovation Action under the EU Cancer Mission call HORIZON-MISS-2026-02. One indicative grant of approximately €7M. Full topic description available in the Work Programme. Consortia must include eligible entities from at least 3 EU member states or associated countries.

Finances strategic advice from consulting professionals to prepare and conduct orientation and scientific advice meetings with regulatory authorities for planning and approval of clinical trials ('pre-IND meetings'). Focused on translation of medical/clinical projects.

Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action under the EU Cancer Mission call HORIZON-MISS-2026-02. One indicative grant of approximately €5M. Full topic description available in the Work Programme. Consortia must include eligible entities from at least 3 EU member states or associated countries.

Open to postdoctoral researchers of any nationality with up to 8 years research experience post-PhD, in any scientific field including Euratom research. Applicants must apply jointly with a prospective supervisor and host organisation; Global Fellowships require a third-country host plus a mandatory 12-month return phase in Europe.

HORIZON-CL5-2026-09 - BATTERIES and ENERGY — joint transnational call by the Batteries (BATT4EU) European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participatin

Funds strategic advice from consulting professionals to prepare and conduct orientation and scientific advice meetings with regulatory authorities (e.g. pre-IND meetings) for planning and approval of clinical trials in medical translational research.

Horizon Europe RIA (lump sum) for academic investigator-initiated pragmatic clinical trials on immunotherapeutic interventions for refractory cancer patients. Proposals must include a clinical studies annex, disaggregate data by sex/gender/age, and engage patients in endpoint definition. Applicants must include diverse stakeholders and plan to join the EU Cancer Mission 'Diagnosis and Treatment' cluster. ~3 grants expected.

Horizon Europe RIA under the Cancer Mission. Requires development of multiscale AI-integrated Virtual Human Twins for cancer onset, progression and personalised treatment. Proposals must include clinical study annex if clinical studies are envisaged. Interdisciplinary consortia including healthcare professionals, patient representatives, AI experts and SMEs expected. Open science principles mandatory; data must be shared via UNCAN.eu and Advanced VHT Platform.

Funding for private SMEs (min. 4 FTE) in biotech, medtech, digital health, AI, biomarkers or diagnostics that have closed at least €2M equity investment within the previous 36 months. Requires minimum Innovation Maturity Level depending on sector (IML 5-7); EIT Health funds max 50% of costs, remainder must be co-funded by the company.

Second funding period (2027–2030) of SPP 2431 'New Data Spaces for the Social Sciences'. Open to researchers at German institutions. Covers four areas: data integration/linkage, respondent-driven designs, instrument validity, and multimodal data acquisition. Proposals must be submitted via the DFG elan portal. Host institution must have implemented DFG Code of Conduct for Good Research Practice.

Shaping the Future of Animal Health and Welfare — joint transnational call by the EUPAHW European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funder

Funds design and delivery of an EIT Label-certified Biotech pathway (personalised learning courses) within the Certified Innovation Path portfolio. Consortium must include ≥2 HEIs in ≥2 eligible Member States (at least one in an EIT RIS region) and ≥1 industry/non-academic partner. At least one HEI must be authorised to award ECTS credits. Focus on health biotech innovation, entrepreneurship, and translation to market-ready solutions across Europe.

Funds mature digital, data-driven and AI-powered healthcare solutions ready to scale across Europe, covering commercialisation pilots, usability testing, go-to-market strategy, health economics and reimbursement pathway development. Funding covers up to 50% of costs; applicants must be legal entities in eligible Horizon Europe countries.

Funds development of an EIT Label-certified Biotech pathway within the Certified Innovation Path portfolio, designing personalised learning courses covering EU Biotech Act, Clinical Trials Regulation and MDR/IVDR translation and scale-up. Requires consortium of HEIs (one authorised to award ECTS credits) plus active industry/non-academic partner involvement in curriculum and assessment.

Call for consortia to develop an EIT Label-certified micro-credentials programme in entrepreneurship, innovation and project management for advanced Master's and PhD students in life sciences, medtech and biotech. Open to EIT Health Members and Non-Members, of special interest to universities, incubators, accelerators, business schools, industry and start-ups.

Call for the second three-year project funding period (2027-2030) of a long-term Infrastructure Priority Programme on new data spaces for social science panel surveys, covering four research areas including AI-based data integration and multimodal data acquisition. Proposals must follow DFG forms 53.01 and 53.200 and be submitted via the elan portal.

Transnational call under the European Partnership on Animal Health and Welfare covering two topics: Animal Welfare, and Prevention & Control.

Global Health EDCTP3 Calls for proposals 2026 — joint transnational call by the GH EDCTP3 JU European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating fu

Open only to researchers who already hold an ERC grant, to explore the innovation potential of their ERC-funded frontier research project.

Call for the overarching coordination structure and its leadership for the Priority Programme German Pancreatic Cancer Alliance (Deutsche Allianz Pankreaskarzinom).

RAMP Joint Transnational Call 2026 — joint transnational call by the RAMP European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

Call for the third funding period (beginning 2027) of the annually open Priority Programme on continental scientific drilling; proposals must have a clear link to a future, ongoing or past ICDP drilling campaign and must be written in English and submitted via the DFG elan portal.

Joint international call supporting collaborative research on quantum technologies (algorithms/encryption, communications, computing, materials, sensing). German applicants at non-university institutions must submit DFG form 55.01 and apply via the elan portal alongside the NSERC submission.

For postdoctoral researchers with a PhD in a biological discipline moving to a new country and new research area. PhD must be conferred after 24 Sep 2023 (≤3 years prior to Full Proposal deadline). Applicants must change country, cannot work in country of nationality or PhD country. 100% FTE commitment required. At least one lead-author publication required. Purely applied, clinical, or pharmaceutical projects are ineligible.

For postdoctoral researchers holding a doctoral degree from a non-biological discipline (physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, computer sciences) with no or little life sciences experience, moving to a new country. PhD must be conferred after 24 Sep 2023. Applicants must change country, cannot work in country of nationality or PhD country. 100% FTE commitment required. At least one lead-author publication required.

PPP subsidy for Dutch SMEs and research organisations for international R&D collaboration on cell and gene therapies (CGT) and Organ-on-Chip (OoC) technologies, requiring industrial research/experimental development (TRL 4-7) and co-funding (in-kind and/or cash) from all partners. Dutch companies must submit a 'No Undertaking in Difficulty' declaration; use of the mandatory consortium agreement template is required.

Annual call for cancer research projects with Nordic collaboration. Funded through the Norwegian Cancer Society's annual contribution to the Nordic Cancer Union. Applications via NCU's portal. Questions to ncu@kreftforeningen.no.

Annual call for cancer research projects with Nordic collaboration. Norwegian Cancer Society contributes annually to this Nordic Cancer Union initiative. Information and application portal on NCU's website. Questions to ncu@kreftforeningen.no.

Annual Nordic Cancer Union call funding cancer research projects with Nordic collaboration, administered via the Norwegian Cancer Society. Total call budget is €950,000.

PRIMA Call 2026 Section 2 — joint transnational call by the PRIMA European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

Annual call for cancer research projects with Nordic collaboration. Total pool of €950,000. Applications submitted via NCU's own portal. Questions to ncu@kreftforeningen.no.

Annual call for cancer research projects with Nordic collaboration, funded by Nordic Cancer Union with Norwegian Cancer Society contributions. Total budget €950,000. Information and application portal on NCU's website. Questions to ncu@kreftforeningen.no.

Annual call for cancer research projects with Nordic collaboration. Total budget €950,000. Applications submitted via NCU's own portal. Nordic cross-country collaboration is required.

Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowship funds ambitious basic biomedical PhD projects. Europe-wide: EU citizens anywhere, or non-EU citizens whose PhD is at a European host. Experimental basic biomedical research only.

Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds MD Fellowship funds medical students (primarily enrolled in Germany) for an experimental basic-biomedical research project in a leading lab away from their home institution.

PRIMA Call 2026 Section 1 — joint transnational call by the PRIMA European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

Directly funded by the European Union and fully managed by the PRIMA Foundation. Supports transnational research and innovation projects among Mediterranean countries. Focuses on water management, agricultural systems, and the agri-food chain (water-energy-food-ecosystems nexus). Consortium of partners from Mediterranean/EU countries required.

CETP Joint Call 2026 — joint transnational call by the CETP European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

HORIZON-CL5-2026-10 - BATTERIES and MOBILITY — joint transnational call by the Batteries (BATT4EU) European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participat

HORIZON-CL5-2026-10 - BATTERIES and MOBILITY — joint transnational call by the Connected and Automated Mobility (CCAM) European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call

IHI Call 13 — joint transnational call by the Innovative Health Initiative European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

Achieving open strategic autonomy in digital and emerging en — joint transnational call by the Made in Europe European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for

For promising early-career researchers with 0-10 years of experience since completion of PhD, of any nationality, wishing to establish an independent research career and team based at a host institution in an EU Member State or Associated Country.

Residential fellowships at the Gulbenkian Institute for Advanced Study (IGEA) for internationally renowned scholars, emeritus professors, independent academics, and artists. Open to most research domains without laboratory/experimental requirements; work must not be predominantly practical or applied. Applications submitted individually with CV, project description, and two referees.

NERC/UKRI call addressing ecosystem transitions relevant to resilient economy and security. Applications submitted via UKRI Funding Service (not Je-S). Only the lead research organisation may submit. Project partners are encouraged to contribute cash or in-kind. No matched funding requirement beyond 20% FEC contribution.

Trans-Atlantic Platform (TAP) call supporting collaborative transnational social sciences and humanities (SSH) research on societal preparedness for uncertain futures. Requires international, interdisciplinary research teams; submission via the elan portal or national partner agencies.

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-STEP-DEFENCE-01): HORIZON EIC Equity Only

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01): HORIZON EIC Grants

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01): HORIZON EIC Grants

EIC call (HORIZON-EIC-2026-PATHFINDERCHALLENGES-01): HORIZON EIC Grants

ERDERA Clinical Trial Call 2026 (pre-announcement) — joint transnational call by the ERDERA European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating fun

Invite-only full application stage for NERC Large Grants. Applicants must be based at UK research organisations eligible for NERC funding. Associated studentships may be available. Proposals must align with NERC's environmental science remit.

Consortium of two Technology Transfer Offices (universities/research organisations) and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider (venture builder, incubator, accelerator, or entrepreneurship consultancy) to deliver a six-month venture-building programme for researchers moving from research to start-up incorporation.

Funding to deliver a venture-building programme for Master's and PhD students developing early-stage healthcare solutions; applicants must form a consortium of one University Incubator and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider with demonstrated venture-building experience.

Infrastructure Priority Programme funding natural science research in Antarctica, extended 2025-2030, with annual proposals for funding periods up to three years. Proposals must be written in English and submitted via the DFG's elan system; geological projects should focus on Antarctica's recent history (not older than ~34 million years).

Call for multidisciplinary consortia (Industry, Education, Research) to design an EIT-labelled online course on healthcare entrepreneurship across three learning levels. Consortium must include 2-3 independent legal entities from at least 2 Horizon Europe countries with mandatory industry partner involvement.

Funds a consortium of two Technology Transfer Offices and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver masterclasses, mentoring and Pitch Day for a six-month venture-building programme supporting researchers moving research into incorporated healthcare start-ups.

Call for consortia to design and deliver EIT Health Bootcamp learning paths for health start-ups (foundational and thematic paths: digital health validation, deep tech/AI commercialisation, cross-border investment, patient access). EIT Health funds max 50% of costs; remaining 50% must be co-funded. Individuals cannot apply.

Consortium of one University Incubator and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider delivers activities of the 'Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture' venture-building programme for MSc/PhD students in healthcare, incl. masterclasses, mentoring and Pitch Day for two cohorts over two years.

Open to researchers at German universities, universities of applied sciences, and research institutions. Proposals must be written in English and submitted via the DFG elan portal. Focuses on four Antarctic research topics (climate dynamics, environmental change, polar connectivity, polar processes). Projects with geological questions must address Antarctic history ≤34 million years. Partner infrastructure (e.g. AWI) required for Antarctic access.

Novel ecosystems: biodiversity, socio-ecological consequence — joint transnational call by the Biodiversa-plus European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page fo

Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call - Sustainable Water — joint transnational call by the Water4All European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for parti

Seed funding for early-stage, pre-development technology concepts in cancer immunotherapy; applicants must hold a tenure-track position at a not-for-profit research center or institution. Does not fund clinical trials or refinement of existing technologies.

Supports early-stage, pre-development concepts with potential to transform cancer immunotherapy. Targets bold, innovative technology ideas prior to formal development stage.

SBEP Fourth Joint Call - 2026 (preannouncement) — joint transnational call by the SBEP European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

DUT Call 2026 — joint transnational call by the DUT European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

Topic HORIZON-JU-EUROHPC-2026-TIPT-09-01. Funds scale-up of European trapped-ion quantum computing platforms to >1000 physical qubits, integrated with HPC, targeting TRL 4→7. Participation limited to legal entities in EU Member States or EuroHPC JU Participating States; entities controlled by non-eligible countries require guarantees. Indicative 1 grant of up to €20M.

M-ERA.NET Joint Call 2026 — joint transnational call by the M-ERA.NET 3 European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating funders.

Covers MSCA Doctoral Networks, Joint Doctorates (joint/double/multiple doctoral degrees) and Industrial Doctorates (mandatory non-academic sector involvement); beneficiaries must recruit and host doctoral candidates under full employment contracts.

MSCA Doctoral Networks fund partnerships of universities, research institutions, businesses and other socio-economic actors to implement doctoral training programmes, including Industrial and Joint Doctorates with joint supervision arrangements. Open to organisations from EU, Associated and third countries.

Call for projects starting in 2028 ("HALO 2028") using the HALO research aircraft for atmospheric and Earth system science; proposals must be in English and submitted via the DFG elan portal. Funds cover development of mission-specific high-tech sensors/instruments; permanently installed instruments aboard HALO are not fundable.

Funding for scholarly conferences and events. Applicants must hold a doctoral degree and apply from a university or non-profit research institution. Max 15-20 speakers; congresses, large conferences, doctoral workshops and summer schools are not supported. German research connection required.

Individual project proposals within the existing Priority Programme on combinatorics, covering themes such as enumeration, matroids, convexity, lattice points, statistics and mathematical physics. Applicants must register and submit via the DFG elan portal; both new project and renewal proposals are accepted.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers. Requires a clinical trial focus; applicants must be academic investigators leading immunotherapy trials.

Supports team-based translational cancer immunology research bridging lab discovery and clinical application, focused on immune prevention/interception of primary cancer and recurrence. Candidates must hold tenure-track assistant professor or higher; not for-profit institutions excluded; clinical trials not funded.

Improved system design for innovative PV applications — joint transnational call by the EUPI-PV European Partnership, listed on the ERA-LEARN joint-call calendar. Funded by national/regional agencies in participating countries; requires a transnational consortium. See the call page for participating

Supports innovative investigations at the intersection of laboratory discovery and clinical application in cancer immunology, accelerating translation of immunological discoveries into cancer therapies.

Funds investigator-initiated phase I/II or II immunotherapy clinical trials emphasizing novel approaches, mechanistic investigation of clinical response, and predictive biomarker discovery/validation. PI must lead the study; research may be conducted at non-profit medical schools or research centers in the US or abroad (no support for for-profit institutions). Includes a co-funded chordoma-focused track with Chordoma Foundation.

Third call under SPP 2520 for participation in vessel expeditions and initial analysis of samples/data aboard German research vessels (e.g. RV METEOR, RV SONNE, RV POLARSTERN); proposals must be in English and submitted via the elan portal; funding starts January 2028 or later for cruises from May 2028 onward.

Recognises groups or organisations contributing to the fight against blindness and visual impairment, primarily in developing regions, or developing innovations/technologies benefiting the visually impaired. Open to laboratories, organisations or collaborative projects of any size, local to international.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing labs, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Application via Proposal Central; opens 16 October 2026.

Supports the transition of distinguished postdoctoral researchers into independent tenure-track investigators in cancer immunotherapy. Targets early-career scientists at the postdoc-to-faculty transition stage.

Supports the transition of distinguished postdoctoral researchers into independent tenure-track investigators in cancer immunology.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects addressing major challenges in DIPG/DMG research with potential for groundbreaking discoveries. Application via Proposal Central; opens 16 October 2026.

Supports mid-career scientists pursuing high-risk, high-reward research at the leading edge of cancer immunotherapy.

For mid-career, tenure-track assistant or associate professors (M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent) with 3 years in that position, working on high-risk, high-reward cancer immunotherapy research; requires minimum 80% research time commitment; research must be conducted at non-profit medical schools or research centers, US or abroad (no for-profit institutions).

Branco Weiss Fellowship (Society in Science, administered by ETH Zurich) funds postdocs (PhD ≤5y, before first faculty post) pursuing independent, interdisciplinary research at any host institution worldwide. Not host-country-restricted.

Supports internationally mobile postdoctoral researchers for up to two years at a host lab abroad; international mobility is a key requirement. Includes salary/stipend, relocation allowance, and support for fellows with children. Applications accepted throughout the year with periodic hard-deadline cutoffs.

Supports the transition of distinguished postdoctoral researchers into independent tenure-track investigators.

Project funding in the humanities, social sciences and medicine. Open to applicants holding a doctoral/post-doctoral degree at universities or non-profit research institutions. The project must have a clear connection to the German research system, personally, institutionally or thematically.

Call for the second three-year funding period of a Priority Programme studying cortico-subcortical loops in adaptive sensing in mammals. Projects must study/model corticofugal connections and microcircuit-level neuronal activity in awake mammals; non-mammalian model systems and purely anatomical or disease-focused studies are excluded.

Open to established researchers or teams led by an established researcher based at eligible not-for-profit organisations in the UK, Republic of Ireland, or low- and middle-income countries (excluding India and mainland China). Research must fit within Wellcome's Discovery Research remit and have potential to improve human life, health, and wellbeing across any discipline including STEM, humanities, social science, and public health.

Postdoctoral fellowship in immunology/cancer immunology, must be conducted at a non-profit institution under a qualified faculty sponsor; open worldwide with no citizenship restrictions. Applicants must have <5 years mentored research experience post-PhD.

Supports postdoctoral scientists pursuing hypothesis-driven basic or translational cancer immunology combined with computational biology/data science training. Requires a formal sponsor (assistant professor or higher) and a co-sponsor at a non-profit host institution; no citizenship restrictions but applicants must have <5 years mentored research experience post-PhD.