Current Calls
Life Sciences Bridge Award
The Frankfurt-based Aventis Foundation will grant up to three annual research awards to young, talented life sciences researchers. Each award comes with a grant of €100,000 to help creative postdoctoral researchers pursue their innovative research projects and kick-start their careers in the life sciences. The awards will be given to young academics, e.g. research group leaders (at least three years after completing their doctorate), junior professors, and tenure-track professors who are aiming for an academic career but do not yet hold a full, permanent professorship. The awards specifically promote innovative approaches in the life sciences, including biochemistry, biology, chemistry, medicine and pharmaceutical studies, each of which may be combined with mathematics, engineering and IT.
Deadline: 30 April 2026
Junges Kolleg of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences, Humanities and the Arts
Admission to the Junges Kolleg is a significant achievement for young academics and artists in North Rhine-Westphalia. The Junge Kolleg is a place for free research and interdisciplinary dialogue. Scholarship holders (who are employed for a limited period of time and are no older than 36 years of age at the time of admission) receive an annual scholarship of 10,000 euros for a period of up to four years. This financial support enables them to focus on for their own research or art. In addition to holding a doctorate, , applicants must have achieved excellence in their field of study at a university or research institution in North Rhine-Westphalia, or have achieved excellence in the field of art.
Please note that the working language of the Junge Kolleg is German.
Deadline: 10 May 2026
Karl Arnold Prize 2026 “Truth”
The Karl Arnold Prize can be awarded to young academics from all disciplines as well as artists who have presented an excellent dissertation - magna or summa cum laude (or equivalent) - or an outstanding artistic achievement on the main topic of “truth” at a North Rhine-Westphalian university in 2025. The theme of 'truth' should be interpreted broadly. Works that explicitly deal with 'truth' or related concepts are welcome. Additionally, the call for submissions expressly invites all dissertations and artistic works that address truth more broadly, including related concepts such as truths, perceptions and probabilities. The prize is endowed with 10,000 euros.
Deadline: 10 May 2026 (If you are interested in a nomination, please contact us at an early stage.)
NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award
The NOMIS & Science Young Explorer Award recognises courageous young researchers with an MD, PhD or MD/PhD degree who are exploring fundamental questions at the intersection of the social and life sciences. The award recognises scientists who conduct research with enthusiasm and promote interdisciplinary collaboration, taking risks to tackle relevant and exciting questions in creative and bold ways. Applicants must have obtained their M.D., Ph.D. or M.D./Ph.D. within the last 10 years. The prize is awarded on the basis of their work over the past three years.
Deadline: 15 May 2026
Stiftungspreis der Demokratie-Stiftung der Universität zu Köln
In accordance with its statutes and founding principles, the primary mission of the Demokratie-Stiftung is to carry out and support academic projects that contribute to the peaceful advancement of democratic ideas. Authors may apply in the academic theses category with theses for habilitation or doctoral dissertations published in 2024 or 2025 (either by a publisher or made available online). The work must focus primarily on democracy, for example democratic theory, democracy education, globalisation, the media, religion, or electoral systems.
Deadline: 30 June 2026
Dissertation Prizes of the University of Münster
The University of Münster’s dissertation awards recognise outstanding doctoral theses completed at the University of Münster. The Dissertation Prizes serve to support the prizewinners' future research endeavours. All fifteen faculties of the University of Münster are invited to nominate their best dissertations from the current academic year for consideration. Each award comes with 3,000 euros in prize money which can also be used to finance a colloquium in Münster on the prizewinning research topic. Up to fifteen doctoral candidates are eligible to receive the Dissertation Prize in recognition of their outstanding dissertations. The Rectorate is responsible for selecting the finalists at the recommendation of a special jury appointed by Rectorate Committee for Academic Personnel Development (RAP).
Deadline: 9 October 2026
