Research grants for German researchers

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

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

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

COST funds research networks (COST Actions) on any topic, bottom-up, rather than research costs. The 2026 Open Call will fund up to 80 Actions.

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

ERDERA Clinical Trial Call 2026 (pre-announcement), listed under ERDERA on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

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.

Funds consortia to design and deliver Summer Schools and Certified Innovation Path Residentials in Health Data, Digital Medical Devices, High Value Care, or Biotech. Open to higher education institutions, research organisations, healthcare providers, and industry partners; funding spans programme iterations in 2027 and 2028.

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 consortia to design and deliver EIT Health Bootcamp learning paths for health start-ups covering digital health validation, deep tech/AI commercialisation, cross-border scaling and patient access. Funding covers max 50% of eligible costs via actual-cost model; remaining 50% must be co-funded from non-EIT Health sources. Individuals may not apply.

Call for a consortium of two Technology Transfer Offices and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver the Beyond the Lab: From Research to Venture programme, including masterclasses, mentoring and a Pitch Day for two cohorts over two years.

Call for new and renewal proposals under the Infrastructure Priority Programme on Antarctic research, open to researchers at German universities, universities of applied sciences and research institutions. Proposals must be written in English and submitted via the DFG's elan portal. Attendance at the mandatory coordination workshop (28–30 September 2026, Rostock) is required for new applicants and renewals.

Call for a consortium of one University Incubator and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver activities of EIT Health's Beyond the Idea: From Concept to Venture programme, supporting MSc and PhD students building healthcare ventures over two cohorts.

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.

Call for a consortium of two Technology Transfer Offices (universities/research organisations) and one Entrepreneurship Support Provider to deliver a six-month venture building programme helping researchers incorporate healthcare start-ups, including masterclasses, mentoring and a Pitch Day over two cohorts.

Novel ecosystems: biodiversity, socio-ecological consequence, listed under Biodiversa-plus on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Water4All 2026 Joint Transnational Call - Sustainable Water, listed under Water4All on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

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 support clinical trials or refinement of existing technologies.

New cancer-immunotherapy technologies at the pre-development concept stage. Routine application or refinement of existing technologies is generally non-responsive; clinical trials are excluded. Applicants need a tenure-track position at a nonprofit institution; co-PIs may apply.

SBEP Fourth Joint Call - 2026 (preannouncement), listed under SBEP on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Supported by the European Commission, this network of research and innovation funders across Europe and beyond advances a resilient and sustainable blue economy through transnational collaborative projects.

DUT Call 2026, listed under DUT on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

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, listed under M-ERA.NET 3 on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

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.

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.

Call for projects starting in 2028 ("HALO 2028") within the SPP 1294 priority programme on airborne atmospheric and Earth system research using the HALO research aircraft. Proposals must be written in English and submitted via the DFG elan portal; funding covers development of mission-specific high-tech sensors and instruments but not permanently installed HALO instruments.

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.

Call for individual project proposals within the second three-year funding period of the Priority Programme on combinatorics, covering themes such as enumeration, matroids, convexity, lattice points, statistics and mathematical physics. Proposals must be submitted via the DFG elan portal; renewal applicants and new applicants follow different submission routes.

Supports clinically relevant research that bridges laboratory and clinical discovery to advance immunotherapies for chordoma.

Supports pioneering immunotherapy clinical trials designed and led by academic researchers.

Improved system design for innovative PV applications, listed under EUPI-PV on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

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

Targeted Grants to Math+AI Institutes, offered by the Simons Foundation's Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division, support institutes working at the intersection of mathematics and artificial intelligence.

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

Team research on immune prevention or interception of primary cancer and recurrence. Clinical trials are excluded. Tenure-track assistant professor or higher by award activation; applicants without the appointment must supply institutional confirmation with the LOI. Nonprofit research institutions worldwide.

FORESTPathways, listed under FOREST on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Funding for participation in research vessel expeditions (RV MARIA S. MERIAN, METEOR, SONNE, POLARSTERN, ALKOR, HEINCKE, ELISABETH MANN BORGESE) and initial analysis of samples/data, for projects starting January 2028 or later. Proposals must be written in English and submitted via the DFG elan portal; applicants typically affiliated with German universities and research institutions.

Supports candidates intending to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in plant biology, understanding the inner workings of plants at the whole-organism level or below.

Funds German consortia (EXC, RI, RTG, CRC/TRR) to integrate an outstanding experienced researcher currently working abroad as a long-term fellow with extended residence periods in Germany, without requiring permanent relocation. Proposal must be in English; funding starts 2028.

Funds German higher education institutions hosting a DFG-funded Cluster of Excellence, Research Impulse, Research Training Group or Collaborative Research Centre to appoint an outstanding researcher from abroad (working abroad ≥3 years) to a long-term professorship. Proposal must be in English; funding starts 2028.

14th call of the Translational Oncology priority programme. Applicants must submit a Letter of Intent before a project outline and full application; see guidelines for required pre-application steps.

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

Summer research program for doctoral/PhD students hosted at IIASA; Finnish applicants apply via Research Council of Finland funding for participation.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing labs, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Submitted via Proposal Central.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects aiming for groundbreaking discoveries in DIPG/DMG. Submitted via Proposal Central.

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

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.

For researchers 5-15 years post-PhD with an excellent research proposal; project must be hosted at a public or private research organisation in an EU Member State or Associated Country. Applications accepted in any field of research on a bottom-up basis.

Call for the second three-year funding period of Priority Programme SPP 2436 on CO2-neutral concrete research, covering alternative binders, renewable aggregates, and carbonation strategies. Proposals must be submitted in English solely via the DFG elan portal; each PI may be involved in only one proposal.

Supports digital/AI-enabled medical devices (MDR/IVDR) at Innovation Maturity Level 6 aiming to reach IML 7, funding clinical validation, regulatory submission (CE-mark), product finalisation and market readiness. Commercialising entity must sign a Financial Sustainability Contribution Agreement.

Supports talented early career scientists in facilitating their transition into tenure-track faculty positions, with a $600,000 three-year faculty research grant focused on autism and neuroscience research.

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.

For mid-career scientists (tenure-track assistant professors with ≥3 years in role or associate professors with ≤3 years) holding an MD, PhD, or MD/PhD, committing ≥80% time to research. No citizenship restrictions; research may be conducted at non-profit medical schools/research centers in the US or abroad, but not at for-profit institutions.

Doctoral programme funding at the European University Institute; Finnish applicants apply via Research Council of Finland funding.

For early-career vascular surgery researchers in Germany (generally ≤6 years post-doctorate, pre-Habilitation) affiliated with a research-active working group; up to 20 participants develop DFG proposals excluding interventional clinical trials (Clinical Trials Programme scope). Requires €150 participant contribution.

Supports new faculty appointments in scientific software research within the Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) program, for appointments starting no later than September 1, 2028.

Supports excellent postdoctoral researchers for up to two years, with international mobility a key requirement. Includes salary/stipend, relocation allowance, and support for fellows with children. A host laboratory may support a maximum of one candidate per selection round.

Allows DFG consortia to integrate an outstanding, experienced researcher currently working abroad as a long-term Mercator Fellow, with 15-36 months total on-site presence in Germany over 5 years. Proposal must be in English, submitted via elan portal by the consortium spokesperson; funding starts in 2028.

Enables DFG consortia (Clusters of Excellence, Research Impulses, Research Training Groups, Collaborative Research Centres) to appoint an outstanding researcher working abroad for ≥3 years to a long-term professorship in Germany. Proposal must be in English, submitted via elan portal by the consortium spokesperson; funding starts in 2028.

Call for the second three-year funding period of Priority Programme SPP 2453 on mitochondrial protein import and cellular proteostasis. Proposals must be written in English and submitted via the elan portal; only tandem/tridem projects combining mitochondrial import and proteostasis expertise using yeast, C. elegans or mammalian cell models are funded. Review colloquium 7–9 April 2027 in Bonn.

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.

Applicants must be mentored postdoctoral researchers when applying. Applicants must never have held an independent faculty or equivalent position. Cancer immunotherapy research; at most five postdoctoral years unless CRI approves an exception; at least twelve mentored months before transition.

Call under Priority Programme SPP 527 for innovative research on data/cores from international ocean drilling programmes, preparation of future expeditions, or development of drilling tools/software; proposals must link to ongoing, past or future drilling projects. Proposals must be written in English and submitted via the elan portal.

Call for the second three-year funding period of SPP 2411, studying cortico-subcortical interactions in mammalian adaptive sensing. Projects must address microcircuit-level neuronal activity in awake mammals and focus on sensory (not disease) mechanisms; purely anatomical, theoretical-only or non-mammalian studies are excluded. Proposals submitted via the DFG elan portal using form 53.01.

Funds cancer target identification or validation using novel model systems, antibody or small molecule approaches for adult cancers. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; projects run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons' drug discovery scientists.

Funds hit identification, druggability assessment, and further development of early therapeutic projects for adult cancers using antibody or small molecule approaches. Open to academic researchers worldwide with their own lab; run collaboratively with Cancer Research Horizons.

Supports early-career scientists with mentorship, training, and resources to launch independent research in immunology and cancer immunology.

Supports postdocs with a doctoral degree pursuing hypothesis-driven cancer immunology research integrated with computational biology/data science, conducted under a sponsor (assistant professor or higher) at a non-profit host institution; no citizenship restrictions. Applicants must have fewer than 5 years of mentored research experience (exceptions for MDs).

For postdoctoral researchers in immunology or cancer immunology, conducted under a sponsor holding assistant professor rank or higher at a non-profit institution; applicant must have <5 years mentored research experience post-PhD. Can be performed in the US or abroad; no citizenship restrictions.

Supports digital or AI-enabled medical devices (MDR/IVDR) at Innovation Maturity Level 6 aiming to reach IML 7, requiring clinical validation, regulatory submission and market readiness activities. Lead applicant must be a commercialising company; solutions must target 150,000 EU patients/citizens and generate revenue within 3 years post-funding.

HORIZON-CL5-2027-02 - BATTERIES and ENERGY, listed under Batteries (BATT4EU) on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Joint DFG-SSHRC scheme funding one German-Canadian International Research Training Group in social sciences and humanities (excluding health-focused topics) for structured doctoral training with reciprocal research visits of 6-12 months. Lead PI in Canada must be affiliated with an SSHRC-eligible institution; proposal must meet SSHRC subject-matter eligibility guidelines.

Funds hypothesis-driven, innovative research projects addressing major challenges in DIPG/DMG with potential for groundbreaking discoveries. Focused on DIPG/DMG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma / diffuse midline glioma). Applications submitted via Proposal Central.

Production technologies for solar photovoltaics beyond the s, listed under EUPI-PV on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Supports newly independent DIPG/DMG researchers establishing a lab, or established researchers new to DIPG/DMG research. Focused on DIPG/DMG (diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma / diffuse midline glioma). Applications submitted via Proposal Central.

Supports life scientists who have been group leaders for less than four years at time of application in setting up their laboratories. Provides financial support for networking for four years, training opportunities, support for lab members and mentoring.

VolkswagenStiftung Momentum funds professors 3-5 years after their first tenured (full) professorship at a German university to develop their research strategy. Narrow career window; Germany-only.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Doctoral programme

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-COFUND-02): HORIZON TMA MSCA Cofund Postdoctoral programme

HORIZON-CL5-2027-04-Two-Stage - BATTERIES and MOBILITY, listed under Batteries (BATT4EU) on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-SE-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Staff Exchanges

Transnational call for international consortia of researchers and societal partners, part of Horizon Europe. SIA makes budget available per round for participation of Dutch hogescholen. Executed by the DUT partnership.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-CITIZENS-01): HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions

HORIZON-INFRA-2027-01 - Research Infrastructures 2027, listed under European Open Science Cloud on the ERA-LEARN call calendar. See the call guidance for funding, eligibility and consortium requirements.

Joint Lead Agency Procedure for Dutch-German research teams in NWO Domain Science areas (Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics). Applicants must be based in Germany (DFG) or the Netherlands (NWO). Proposals outside the defined scope cannot be considered. Unilateral funding of only one national part is not possible.

Three-year pilot for a joint Lead Agency Procedure between DFG and NWO (Dutch Research Council), open from 6 August 2024 until 30 July 2027. Facilitates bilateral research projects between researchers in Germany and the Netherlands through mutual opening of individual funding procedures.

Joint basic research proposals within NWO Domain Science (Astronomy, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics) and corresponding DFG review boards. Commercial companies excluded. Non-university German researchers must fulfil DFG 'duty to cooperate' with a German university partner. No fixed budget cap; standard DFG Sachbeihilfe rules apply. Proposals compete with all other individual grants.

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-PF-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - Global Fellowships

MSCA call (HORIZON-MSCA-2027-DN-01): HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral Networks

Supports life scientists pursuing a career in science journalism, and science journalists who wish to further their scientific education.

Call for consortia to design and deliver a capacity-building programme for health innovation ecosystem actors in Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) regions, combining online learning, workshops, mentoring and study visits.

For postdocs (up to 4 years post-PhD) and experienced researchers (up to 12 years post-PhD) from abroad to conduct a research stay of 6-18 months in Germany with a self-chosen host. Applicants must generally be living/working outside Germany; good knowledge of German or English required depending on discipline, German required for physicians working with patients.

Scholarships for students admitted to or enrolled in master's or doctoral programmes, and postdoctoral researchers, at internationally recognised universities, working on Armenian Studies broadly defined. Around 7-10 scholarships expected in 2026; fixed annual amounts detailed in the 'Requisitos, Critérios e Condições' document.

Funds travel and maintenance costs for multi-year scientific exchange networks of 10-20 doctorate-holding researchers in Germany or at a German research institution abroad, aiming for a specific joint outcome such as publications or research methods development. Not open to employees of purely commercial institutions or those restricted from publishing findings openly.

Early-stage, exploratory research testing novel hypotheses in autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Applicants and key collaborators must hold a PhD, MD or equivalent and a faculty position; no funding to institutions in China or Hong Kong; preliminary data not required but feasibility must be demonstrated.

Supports new international research collaborations and visits of up to three months to transfer expertise not available in the applicant's own laboratory.

Aimed at interdisciplinary tandems of two scientists in Natural, Life and Engineering Sciences (excluding medical sciences) developing unconventional, innovative research ideas; includes obligatory support programme with three workshops.