Postdoc Fund

Information and Guidelines

The Postdoc Fund 2026 of the Postdoc Career Academy supports researchers at an early career stage in independently developing and implementing their own ideas in research and teaching.
The programme runs from 1 February 2026 to 30 September 2026 and consists of three phases. Each postdoc may receive funding of up to EUR 2,000 in 2026 (this amount applies per year, including all three phases, not per phase).

Please note the following regulations.

Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are postdoctoral researchers who:

• hold a doctorate, are employed at the University of Mannheim, usually on a fixed-term contract with the aim of further academic qualification,
• do not already have access to suitable funding through other sources (e.g. Aversum for juniorprofessors, budgets for MZES fellows), and
• are registered members of the Postdoc Career Academy.

What can funding be requested for?

The following purposes are eligible for funding under the Postdoc Fund 2026:

1) Business travel (conferences, workshops, research stays)

Travel costs may be requested; however, funding is provided as a lump-sum grant depending on the destination. Any costs exceeding the lump sum may be covered by other funds. If the actual costs are lower than the lump sum, only the actual travel costs will be reimbursed from the Postdoc Fund.

2) Costs for student or research assistants

The applicable current pay rates apply. Please note that additional employer social security contributions may be incurred once a certain salary threshold is exceeded.

3) Other eligible expenses

These include: participant compensation, data acquisition, foreign-language proofreading, publication costs (excluding dissertations and habilitations), funds for organising conferences/workshops, fees for guest speakers, and career development measures [e.g. DHV (Deutscher Hochschulverband), GSO (Guidance, Skills & Opportunities for Researchers e. V.)].

Non-eligible expenses

The following costs are not eligible for funding:

• specialised software,
• subscriptions to AI tools,
• consumables and office supplies,
• basic technical equipment,
• maintenance and repairs,
• personnel costs for the applicant’s own employment position,
• printing subsidies for dissertations and habilitations,
• guest gifts,
• any other unspecified lump-sum applications, and
• any expenses not listed under the eligible funding purposes of the Postdoc Fund 2026.

How does the application process work?

1. One application per phase

Each postdoc may submit one application per phase. An application may cover multiple purposes. The total budget is capped at EUR 2,000 across all three phases (not EUR 2,000 per phase). If an application for EUR 2,000 is approved in Phase 1, no further applications may be submitted in subsequent phases.

2. Application periods and deadlines

Applications may be submitted in three phases:

1 February to 15 March: application period for Phase 1

1 April to 15 June: application period for Phase 2

1 July to 15 September: application period for Phase 3

3. Selection procedure

After checking the applications for completeness, selection will be carried out by lottery if the number of applications exceeds the available budget.

4. Notification of application status

Applicants will be notified about the status of their application within the following notification periods:

by 31 March at the latest for Phase 1 applications

by 30 June at the latest for Phase 2 applications

by 30 September at the latest for Phase 3 applications

5. Required documents

The application must include the completed and signed application form (DOCX, 80 kB) and all relevant supporting documents, depending on the purpose, for example:

for travel: invitation or confirmation of participation, as well as cost documentation
for publication costs, data, etc.: price lists, quotations, screenshots

Please send all documents by email as a single consolidated PDF file to postdocsmail-uni-mannheim.de. 

How does the disbursement of approved funds work?

If an application is approved, the costs up to the approved amount (maximum EUR 2,000 per postdoc) will be covered by the Postdoc Career Academy. The information required for cost allocation (PSP/fund or key accounting criterion) and other necessary process details will be provided in the approval letter.

Where possible, applying for an advance payment is strongly recommended.

Invoices and related documents must be submitted no later than 30 November 2026. Further information on the administrative process can be found on the intranet: Link.

I. General Information

1. What is the Postdoc Fund 2026?

The Postdoc Fund 2026 of the Postdoc Career Academy supports postdoctoral researchers at an early career stage in independently implementing their own ideas in research and teaching.

2. From when do these regulations apply?

All regulations apply starting with the 2026 funding year.

3. What is the maximum funding amount?

The maximum funding amount is EUR 2,000 per postdoc per year. This amount applies across all application phases, not per phase.

II. Eligibility to Apply

4. Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are postdocs who:

• have completed a doctorate,
• have an (as a rule, fixed-term) employment relationship at the University of Mannheim with the aim of further qualification,
• do not have access to other suitable funding sources, and
• are registered members of the Postdoc Career Academy.

5. Are junior professors eligible to apply?

No. Juniorprofessors (with or without tenure track) are generally not eligible to apply, as they have their own budget.

6. Are MZES Fellows or MZES postdocs eligible to apply?

No. MZES Fellows and MZES postdocs are generally not eligible to apply, even if their individual budget or corresponding MZES funding has been exhausted.

7. I have completed my doctorate but have not yet received my doctoral degree certificate. Am I still eligible to apply?

Yes, you are eligible to apply as soon as you have successfully completed your final oral examination (Rigorosum) or the oral defense of your doctoral dissertation (Disputation). Please submit a provisional confirmation of completion of the doctorate together with your application.

8. Can I apply for funds even if I am no longer expected to be employed at the University of Mannheim while they are being spent?

No, that is not possible. You must be employed at the University of Mannheim at the time the funds are spent.

9. Can I apply for funds to finance or extend my own employment contract, for example to bridge a certain period of time?

No, the resources of the Postdoc Fund cannot be used to finance or extend your own employment contract.

III. Eligible and Non-Eligible Expenses

10. Which expenses are eligible for funding?

Eligible expenses include, among others:

• business travel (conferences, workshops, research stays),
• costs for student assistants (according to current pay rates),
• participant compensation,
• acquisition of data,
• foreign-language proofreading,
• publication costs (excluding dissertations and habilitations),
• funds for organizing conferences or workshops,
• honoraria for guest speakers,
• career development measures (e.g. DHV, GSO).

11. Which expenses are not eligible for funding?

The following are not eligible for funding:

• specialized software,
• subscriptions to AI tools,
• consumables and office supplies,
• basic technical equipment,
• maintenance and repair costs,
• personnel costs for the applicant’s own employment position,
• printing subsidies for dissertations or habilitations,
• guest gifts,
• non-purpose-specific lump-sum collective applications,
• as well as all other expenses or purposes not listed among the eligible expenses.

IV. Application Structure and Budget Rules

12. How many applications can I submit? Can I combine multiple purposes/costs in one application?

Each postdoc may submit one application per phase.
An application may include multiple purposes or costs for two or more smaller projects.

13. How does the EUR 2,000 budget work across the phases?

• EUR 2,000 is the maximum total amount per year across all three phases.
• If the full amount of EUR 2,000 is approved in Phase I, no further applications may be submitted in the same year.
• If a lower amount is approved, the remaining amount may be applied for in later phases.

Example: distribution of the budget across multiple phases (e.g. EUR 500 for participant compensation / EUR 250 for proofreading / EUR 1,250 for a business trip to the USA).

14. What happens if an application includes multiple purposes totaling EUR 2,000?

If the application is selected in the lottery procedure, the entire application will be approved as submitted.

V. Application Phases, Deadlines, and Selection

15. When can applications be submitted?

Applications can be submitted in three phases:

• Phase I: 1 February to 15 March 2026
• Phase II: 1 April to 15 June 2026
• Phase III: 1 July to 15 September 2026

16. How are applications selected?

Selection is carried out by lottery.

17. Which applications participate in the lottery?

Only complete applications participate in the lottery. A complete application includes:

• a fully completed, signed, and dated application form, and
• all required attachments necessary for the requested purposes.

18. When will I be informed of the result?

Applicants will be informed exclusively within the following periods:

• by 31 March at the latest for Phase I applications,
• by 30 June at the latest for Phase II applications,
• by 30 September at the latest for Phase III applications.

19. What happens if my application is not selected?

Applications that are not selected are not automatically transferred to the next phase. In this case, a new application must be submitted in a later phase.

20. Can I change my application after submission or after receiving the approval letter?

No. No substantial changes are permitted after submission and approval.

Minor corrections (e.g. calculation errors or minor adjustments within the same application) may be permitted with justification.

Major changes, in particular changes to the funding amount or purpose, will not be approved. In this case, the application will be cancelled, and a new application may only be submitted in the next phase.

VI. Use of Funds and Expense Rules

21. From when may approved funds be used?

Funds may only be used after the lottery decision:

• approvals from Phase I: 1 April to 31 October,
• approvals from Phase II: 1 July to 31 October,
• approvals from Phase III: 1 October to 31 October.

22. By when must funds be spent and invoices submitted?

All funds must be spent and fully accounted for by 30 November 2026 at the latest.
Please note that retroactive funding is not possible. Costs or invoices must not be paid before receipt of the approval notice. Use of the funds (including advance payments, accounting, or reimbursement) may only begin after receipt of the approval letter.

23. Where can I find information on applying for advances as well as on accounting and reimbursement?

Detailed information can be found on the intranet: Link.

24. What should I do if funds cannot be spent or must be repaid?

Please inform us in due time by email at postdocsmail-uni-mannheim.de if you have received an advance payment and cannot spend the funds by 30 November 2026.

Information on repayment of funds can be found on the intranet: Link.

If no advance payment was requested or if you wish to withdraw your application, please also inform us by email, stating the reason.

25. What happens if an incorrect cost center was used?

Please initiate the rebooking process as described on the intranet.

VII. Business Travel and Research Stays

26. How are travel expenses funded?

Travel expenses are funded as a lump sum, depending on the destination.

27. What happens if actual travel costs exceed the lump sum?

Costs exceeding the lump sum must be financed from other funds.

28. What happens if actual travel costs are below the lump sum?

If total costs are lower than the lump sum, only the documented actual amount will be reimbursed.

29. Are research stays eligible for funding?

Yes. Research stays worldwide (excluding Germany) are eligible for funding of up to EUR 2,000.
Research stays within Germany are not eligible.
However, conferences and workshops in Germany are eligible for funding of up to EUR 250 per trip.

30. How many business trips or research stays can I apply for?

Postdocs may apply for any number of business trips and research stays, provided the total budget of the Postdoc Fund 2026 of EUR 2,000 is not exceeded.

31. When can business trips, conferences, or research stays be funded?

Funding may only be applied for once a confirmation of participation or acceptance is available.

The application should be submitted in a phase in which the funding decision is made before the start of the trip.

Funds may therefore only be used after the lottery decision:

• Phase I: trips between 1 April and 31 October,
• Phase II: trips between 1 July and 31 October,
• Phase III: trips between 1 October and 31 October.

32. Can trips before 1 April or after 31 October be funded?

No. Trips before 1 April or after 31 October 2026 cannot be funded.

33. Can a trip ending on 31 October be funded?

Yes, provided that an advance payment was requested and all invoices are submitted immediately after the trip.

VIII. Retroactive Funding, Combination and Transfer of Funds

34. Is retroactive funding possible for business trips, research stays, or other eligible purposes?

No. Retroactive funding is not possible. All costs must be incurred after receipt of the approval notice. Invoices with an earlier date will not be accepted.

35. Can I combine the Postdoc Fund with other funds?

Combining the Postdoc Fund with other funds is possible in individual cases, as long as these financial means do not come from external funding organizations such as DFG, DAAD, foundations etc. Combining the Postdoc Fund with funds provided by a chair or other internal budgetary resources is possible, but must be reported to the Postdoc Career Academy.

36. Can unused funds be transferred to the following year?

No. Funds from the Postdoc Fund 2026 cannot be carried over to the following year.