Mobility for researchers
Internationality of research does not only mean going abroad as outgoing. Guest stays of foreign visitors also contribute to the formation of cross-border networking. Shorter mobility phases for both international and German researchers at all career levels, e.g. for participation in conferences, for temporary research, or guest stays, are supported by the assumption of the travel costs and by further grants from different sponsors – also from TU Dortmund University!
In many formats of project funding, you can request costs for travel and stays abroad as additional budget. If travel for research purposes is required outside a project, there are a variety of funding opportunities. The following overview gives you an insight of the range of options.
The DAAD supports lectures and active participation in conferences abroad for all career levels and disciplines (funding is currently only available to a limited extent).
The FAZIT Foundation also offers open-subject sponsorship to doctoral candidates.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation supports the participation of former Humboldt Research Fellows from all disciplines in conferences in Germany.
In addition to these subject-open sponsorship formats, some professional associations offer grants , such as the Chemical Industry Fund or the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation. The organizers of the congresses themselves also offer grants in some cases.
Please note that applications must usually be submitted around six months before the conference trip.
During a shorter research stay, you can conduct research in laboratories and archives, carry out experiments and field research and expand your networks.
The DAAD's postdoc program offers short scholarships for three to six months for applicants with above-average qualifications.
There are also numerous grants for specific regions, such as the Fulbright Commission for the USA, and for specific subjects, such as the Fritz Thyssen Foundation (humanities, social sciences, biomedicine), the Boehringer Ingelheim Fund (basic biomedical research) and the Max Weber Foundation (humanities, social and cultural sciences).
Young researchers at TU Dortmund University can also apply for the Rudolf Chaudoire Prize.
There are various opportunities for postdocs in particular to conduct research abroad for an extended period.
The DAAD offers postdoctoral researchers a twelve-month phase abroad followed by a six-month integration phase at a German university as part of the PRIME program.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation sponsors stays abroad of up to 24 months with the Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship and the DFG as part of the Walter Benjamin Program in the scholarship funding line. A further opportunity for multi-year stays abroad is offered by the Heisenberg Program of the DFG.
You can find more information on this on our overview page on research fellowships.
Would you like to engage in intensive exchange with international researchers in Dortmund? Such guest stays incur travel and mobility costs , which can be covered in full or in part by various funding bodies.
For example, the TU Dortmund University's Gambrinus Fellowship , which allows you to invite international researchers for a period of up to six weeks, could be interesting for initiating new research contacts. For longer exchanges, the Heinrich Hertz Foundation offers a scholarship for up to twelve months. A number of other funding bodies offer funding options for different career stages, disciplines and regions of origin. Please feel free to contact us.