Leipzig University provides impetus for research with its own internal funding programmes and structures, both with funding for scientists in early career phases (Early Career Researchers) and with strategic instruments for teams of researchers to acquire collaborative projects.
Our measures to promote early career researchers
The group of early career researchers is an important driving force for the Leipzig path. In order to strengthen research profiling and competitiveness, Leipzig University has established the following packages of measures, structures and programmes for them:
- Doctoral preparation programme (Pre-Doc Award),
- Leipzig Excellence Fund for Young Researchers (LE4YOU),
- Support structures for doctoral candidates (Graduate Academy Leipzig and graduate schools),
- Leipzig Researcher Development Programme (LRDP) and
- Leipzig Tenure Track Programmes (LTTP)
In addition, Leipzig University has developed strategic instruments for internal research funding:
- the Leipzig Flexible Fund for Early Career Researchers,
- the Leipzig Seed Fund for collaborative projects and
- the Leipzig Review Fund for collaborative projects.
All funding programmes serve to implement the strategic goals of the Leipzig Way and are anchored in the University Development Plan (HEP 2025).
Pre-Doc Award
In the Pre-Doc Award, a pre-doc and a postdoctoral researcher work together in tandem to jointly plan a one-year research project. On the one hand, Leipzig University thus supports graduates during their doctoral preparation and, on the other hand, postdocs in their ability to supervise (future) doctoral students. The award also recognises previous academic achievements (for pre-docs) or research achievements and third-party funding successes (for post-docs). The aim is to jointly mature the doctoral project during the funding phase of the Pre-Doc Award and to acquire funding for it. Leipzig University supports 12 to 15 tandems each year.
Support structures for doctoral candidates
Leipzig University offers a variety of structured doctoral programmes in many faculties, from graduate schools and the International Max Plack Research School to third-party funded research training groups.
The Graduate Academy Leipzig offers all doctoral candidates and early postdocs a programme for interdisciplinary qualification and skills development, advice on general questions, career orientation and conflicts, support for participation in international conferences and quality assurance measures for doctorates. With the Leibniz Mobility Programme, it also supports early career researchers in inviting international guest researchers (Leibniz INVITATIONS ) and in research and network stays at universities and research institutions worldwide (Leibniz TRAVEL ).
LE4YOU
Since 2021, the Leipzig Excellence Fund for Young Researchers (LE4YOU) has been creating flexible conditions for the competitive funding, recruitment and integration of outstanding early career researchers in the R1 and R2 career phases with a focus on collaborative research and excellence development. In addition to individual funding, Leipzig University is creating an attractive research environment for excellent, internationally visible early career researchers for consortia and collaborative initiatives in cutting-edge research through three flexible funding lines in LE4YOU. The LE4YOU has the necessary flexibility (flexibility of duration, flexibility of target groups) to promote the scientific strengths of excellent research areas and bridging structures.
Support structures for postdocs and junior professorships
- Leipzig Researcher Development Programme
The Leipzig Researcher Development Programme LRDP bundles support services and networks for postdocs in an early and advanced career phase, including junior research groups, junior and tenure-track professorships. - Leipzig Tenure Track Programme
Leipzig University offers excellent early career researchers with a doctorate an attractive and predictable career perspective via the Leipzig Tenure Track Programme LTTP. - Leipzig Flexible Fund - start-up funding for postdoctoral researchers in early career phases
The Leipzig Flexible Fund provides postdocs, junior research group leaders and junior professors with a fixed-term position at Leipzig University with funding for preparatory activities for their own third-party funding application. The aim of the funding is to submit a third-party funding application - for example to the German Research Foundation (DFG), foundations, federal and state ministries or the EU.
Research promotion fund for collaborative projects
Leipzig University has two research promotion funds available for start-up financing for DFG collaborative proposals: the Leipzig Seed Fund and the Leipzig Review Fund:
- The Leipzig Seed Fund provides flexible financing for the preparation of full proposals.
- The Leipzig Review Fund is used to finance external reviews of the project outline or project proposal prior to submission.
Information and guidelines on our research promotion funds can be found on the intranet (restricted access).
Internal research funding of the Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine offers various internal funding programmes to finance excellent research.