PhD Fellowships
Federally-funded Scholarship Foundations (BMBF) Political, religious and social foundations. For all of the following foundations the scholarships are 1450 EUR per month for 3 years. They all fund PhD students of all nationalities and in all disciplines. PhD topics close to the interest of the foundations are sometimes favoured, but are not required. For the political foundations, party membership is not required.

Besides excellent performance in education or research, the scholarships demand the identification with the values and topics of the respective foundation and voluntary work in this area.

• Heinrich Böll Foundation (political foundation, Bündnis 90/Die Grüne)
• Friedrich Ebert Foundation (political foundation, SPD)
• Konrad Adenauer Foundation (political foundation, CDU)
• Friedrich Naumann Foundation (political foundation, FDP)
• Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (political foundation, Die Linke)
• Hanns Seidel Foundation (political foundation, CSU)
• Cusanuswerk (religious foundation, Catholic)
• Evangelische Studienwerk Villigst (religious foundation, Evangelic)
• Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk (religious foundation, Jewish)
• Avicenna Studienwerk (religious foundation, Muslimic)
• German Academic Scholarship Foundation
• Hans Böckler Foundation (foundation by the German Trade Union Confederation)
• Foundation of the German Economy

Other foundations

• Polytechnic Foundation of Frankfurt am Main - PhD at the Goethe University Frankfurt
• FAZIT Foundation - For applicants in financial need. All disciplines can be supported, but there is a strong focus on journalism.
• Evonik Foundation (*) - Yearly changing funding topics (in chemistry)
• Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (*) - Biomedical fundamental research

PhD fellowship (no foundation)

• DAAD Research Grants - Doctoral Programmes in Germany. For excellently-qualified young academics and scientists of certain home countries

Postdoctoral fellowships

• Daimler and Benz Foundation - Open for all scientific disciplines
• Fritz Thyssen Foundation (*) - Medicine and natural sciences, current funding focus “Molecular causes in the development of diseases”
• Peter and Traudl Engelhorn Foundation (*) - life sciences (including biophysics)

Prizes and other financial support for PhDs and postdocs

• Christiane Nüsslein Volhard Foundation - Financial support for female PhD students with children
• Richard Winter Foundation - For financially distressed applicants. Fellowship of 450 Euro per month for max one year.
• Giersch Foundation - Giersch Excellence Awards together with the graduate school HGS-HIRe
• Carlo and Karin Giersch Foundation - Support for research at TU Darmstadt (e.g. fellowships and prizes)
• Walter Greiner Society - Support for fundamental physics research at the Goethe University Frankfurt and the Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS). Several prices, e.g. the Walter Greiner Prize for the best PhD thesis.
• Behnken Berger Foundation (*) - Prizes for junior scientists in the area of radiation protection, ionising radiation and radiology
• Wilhelm and Else Heraeus Foundation - PhD prizes in physics (at certain physics Departments)
• Joachim Herz Foundation (*) - Support for international networking and further interdisciplinary training in the life sciences area
• Bayer Foundation (*) - Chemistry, biochemistry, biology, medicine
• Beilstein Institute (*) - Chemistry and related areas

Projekt funding

• Giersch Foundation - Funding for projects in the Rhine-Main Metropolitan Region in science, medicine, art and culture
• Klaus Tschira Foundation - Funding for projects in education and science communication of natural sciences.
• Müller Reitz Foundation - Goal is to transfer scientific results to schools. For researchers that were part of an DFG project.
• Kurt und Lilo Werner RC Darmstadt Stiftung - Funding of local projects in the Darmstadt region (amongst others in research and education)

(*) These foundations fund only projects in certain scientific areas.