FAQs

For the sponsorship programmes Starter and Booster Grants and Short Term Grants, researchers of German nationality are eligible to apply if their regular residency abroad has been or has the prospect of at least five years. Potential applicants who have completed their school education and one university degree or one university degree and their doctorate in Germany are subject to the regulations applying to German citizens.

Applicants for Starter/ Booster Grants and Short Term Grants must have lived outside Germany for a minimum of 12 months in total in the 18-month period prior to submission of the application. This includes private and professional stays; when in doubt please contact the Office prior to submitting your application to sort out eligibility.

The Centre offers its Grants to applicants in all disciplines that can be supported at the University of Bayreuth. Please note, however, that members of the Cluster of Excellence (as defined by § 11 (3) of the Cluster Rules) cannot act as host if the research focus of the application is on African Studies. This is due to regulations of the German Research Foundation stipulating that the Centre cannot provide funding to enhance resources of the university’s Cluster of Excellence. In case of doubt, please contact our office before applying.

In order to apply for a Starter/ Booster Grant or Short Term Grant applicants are asked to contact a potential host from the University of Bayreuth in advance of the application deadline to discuss and develop a joint research proposal. Applicants are asked to explore possible hosts at the relevant faculties and institutes. Eligible hosts include full professors, junior professors, habilitation candidates, and independent junior research group leaders. Principal Investigators from the Cluster of Excellence “Africa Multiple” cannot act as host.

Yes, however, please state the surplus benefit of the Starter & Booster Grant or Short Term Grant for the University of Bayreuth in your research proposal and the supporting letter.

Periods during which you have interrupted academic activities for care work can be taken into account upon examination. Please indicate interruptions in your CV.

No, we only accept applications that are complete prior to the deadline. In case of doubts about your eligibility, submission of documentary evidence may be requested after the deadline.

Given you have signed and accepted the corresponding declaration of acceptance and guidelines, we ask you to keep to the following periods:

Please read our Application Guidelines and according online form carefully and have a look at our FAQs. We happily address individual inquiries via email, phone, or in person. In addition we offer info sessions once every semester. We will publish current dates on our website and circulate all details among potential hosts on campus in due course.

According to our guidelines, applicants must have a PhD, and it is indispensable that the PhD procedure is fully completed (including PhD diploma).

In addition to the relevant Application Guidelines, hosts from UBT may consult our Application Guidelines Host. All documents are available from our Download section (access to Application Guidelines via UBT ID).

For individual queries not covered by these Guidelines and Handout, please contact the office of the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre. 

For further information please refer to the respective programmes.

In case the resources that are necessary to realize the research collaboration at the University of Bayreuth are not allocated with the host, a written consenting statement of the resource holder is required.

Yes.

There is no restriction.

As a formal requirement PhD candidates cannot act as host.

Hosts may cover costs that arise from the Grantees' visit to UBT. This includes office space and an up-to-date infrastructure including access to library systems and laboratories, hard-/software, consumables, printing costs etc. Additional laboratory costs, travel costs etc. exceeding the amount of the host subsidy may be included in the budget plan submitted with the Starter & Booster Grants application.

The supporting letter should express the substantial support from the host(s) to realize the collaborative research project. This includes basic infrastructure to provide the applicant with, but, more importantly, how the applicant and the project are included in the broader structures and how the collaboration benefits the University of Bayreuth.

Please address the following points in your supporting letter:

• Scientific expertise, excellence and suitability of the applicant
• Nature and scope of the planned research collaboration
• Your role in and involvement in the planned research collaboration
• Benefits of the research collaboration for you, the department and the UBT

The Starter & Booster Grants programme aims at the direct contact between the researchers themselves, therefore the Administrative Office of the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre cannot and should not be involved in the search for a host at the University of Bayreuth. Please take a look at the Faculties and the Focus Areas at the University of Bayreuth and find out if any of the scientists (who are potential hosts) is researching on a topic matching the one you have in mind so you can contact her/him with your research proposal.

With each Call for Applications we include a timeline in the corresponding Application Guidelines. We will notify all applicants once the selection process is finalized.

The main selection criteria are the scientific excellence of the applicant and the proposed research collaboration, respectively, as well as the networking potential on campus and the institutional interconnection with the University of Bayreuth.

The success rate is mainly determined by the number of applications as the total budget available for our programmes is limited. For the former Fellowship programme the median success rate is about 27 %, for Short Term Grants 44 %, for Strategic Scientific Workshops 60 %.

In general, it is possible to re-apply; rejected applicants may receive feedback from the Centre’s Office upon request.

We showcase all Awardees and Grantees on our website in due course after the selection has been made.

This Call for Applications is open once a year, generally from July to October; we also publish the Call for Applications for Starter & Booster Grants and Short Term Grants on international platforms, and update Bayreuth researchers on a regular basis.

Funding may cover all costs related to the proposed research stay incl. travel, accommodation, fees, subsistence expenses, staff and related costs. The local host at the University of Bayreuth receives a monthly subsidy of 500 € (humanities and social sciences), respectively 800 € (natural, life and engineering sciences) during the Grantee’s stay at the University of Bayreuth. Additional laboratory costs, travel costs etc. exceeding the amount of the host subsidy may be included in the budget plan submitted with the Grant application. For more information, please consult the Centre’s Office.

Potential hosts of applicants for the Starter & Booster Grants of the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre are all active professors of the University of Bayreuth as well as any structurally independent scientists with a long-term perspective at the University of Bayreuth to ensure the sustainability of the international collaboration. Members of the Cluster of Excellence (as defined by § 11 (3) of the Cluster Rules) cannot act as host if the research focus of the application is on African Studies. This is due to regulations of the German Research Foundation stipulating that the Centre cannot provide funding to enhance resources of the university’s Cluster of Excellence. In case of doubt, please contact our office before applying.

The budget plan should give a broad overview of your estimated expenses during the research stay. It should become clear which are the main costs and they should all be related to your Grant.

Possible items are

• Living expenses
• Travel/Moving costs
• Research expenses (please specify, e.g. workshop costs, staff members..)
• Taxes
• Additional laboratory costs, travel costs etc. of the host may also be included in the budget plan.

PhD students cannot apply for funding. 

1. The Grant commences when the applicant accepts the Grant by signing the Declaration of Acceptance. If the applicant does not accept the Grant within one month of having been offered the Grant, the Centre withholds the right to revoke the Grant.

2. The Grant will be transferred to the Grantee when arriving at UBT. The Centre recommends to visit UBT shortly after accepting the Grant. Several visits to UBT are possible. If the Grantee does not visit UBT within 12 months after signing the Declaration of Acceptance, the Grant is automatically revoked.

3. The report on the Grant must be submitted no later than 15 months after the Declaration of Acceptance has been signed. In the report, the Grantee must address in how far the self-defined criteria for success have been fulfilled. In case the Grantee decides to apply for a Booster Grant, the fulfillment of the criteria will play an important role in the evaluation of the Booster Grant application.

This Call for Applications is open twice a year, generally late January - late April, September - November; we also publish the Call for Applications for Fellowships and Short Term Grants on international platforms, and update Bayreuth researchers on a regular basis.

The duration is 1-3 weeks.

PhD students cannot apply for funding.

A Short Term Grant includes return travel from your home institution to Bayreuth, as well as accommodation in Bayreuth, visa fees (if applicable) and a daily allowance.

Potential hosts for a Short Term Grant are senior faculty members of the University of Bayreuth, i.e. Professors, Junior Professors, Habilitation candidates, and independent Junior Research Group Leaders. Members of the Cluster of Excellence (as defined by § 11 (3) of the Cluster Rules) cannot act as host if the research focus of the application is on African Studies. This is due to regulations of the German Research Foundation stipulating that the Centre cannot provide funding to enhance resources of the university’s Cluster of Excellence. In case of doubt, please contact our office before applying.

This Call for Applications is open once a year, generally from late January to May.

Applicants for a Strategic Scientific Workshop have to be senior faculty members of the University of Bayreuth, i.e. Professors, Junior Professors, Habilitation candidates, and independent junior research group leaders. Members of the Cluster of Excellence (as defined by § 11 (3) of the Cluster Rules) cannot apply if the research focus of the application is on African Studies. This is due to regulations of the German Research Foundation stipulating that the Centre cannot provide funding to enhance resources of the university’s Cluster of Excellence. In case of doubt, please contact our office before applying.

The Centre offers funding for Strategic Scientific Workshops to eligible applicants from all disciplines at the University of Bayreuth except for researchers engaging in African Studies. These researchers should contact the Cluster of Excellence “Africa Multiple” since, as per regulations of the German Research Foundation, the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre cannot provide funding to enhance resources of the University’s Cluster of Excellence.

Yes, this is possible, and we decidedly encourage interdisciplinary applications.

The main applicant acts as the primary point of contact for the Bayreuth Humboldt Centre and all collaborative workshop partners involved. The applicant is also in charge of planning and conducting the event incl. expenses and reporting.

Funding may cover all costs related to the execution of the proposed Workshop incl. travel, accommodation, fees, staff and related costs. All expenses are subject to the Guidelines for the reimbursement of hospitality expenses of the University of Bayreuth. Please contact reisekosten@uni-bayreuth.de for the travel and accomodation regulations.