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Welcome to the website of the WiRe - Women in Research programme

On this page you will find detailed information about our programme. Please also check out our LinkedIn channel to stay up to date. You can also learn more about current and former WiRe Fellows, their research and their experiences in Münster on our blog.

About: WiRe - Women in Research

WiRe is a fellowship programme for international female postdoctoral researchers at the University of Münster (WWU) in Germany. Hosted by the WWU’s Welcome Centre, the WiRe programme was founded to help address the unique needs of women in research, with a special focus on female Postdocs who currently find themselves in their ‘Rush Hour of Life’.

The WiRe programme offers short-term initiation fellowships as well as comprehensive support for its fellows, among other things through workshops, collegial counselling and coaching. Our fellowships have a duration of 4-8 months. During this period, WiRe fellows conduct their research in cooperation with a professor at the WWU, and get the possibility to explore research and development possibilities as well as the wide range of support structures for top (female) scientists in Münster. The initiation fellowship is intended to give the opportunity to explore further career prospects.

In order to better accommodate the changing health and safety guidelines of the pandemic, WiRe Research@home Fellowships were created in 2020 as our answer to the continued challenging circumstances faced by the international scientific community. In 2021, we will continue to offer a remote option, although fellows may also carry out their research on site in Münster. However, the Research@home Fellowships allow for the chance to pursue a research project at the University of Münster from your home base.

In addition to support and funding, WiRe fellows can expect to participate in exciting digital collaborations with the WiRe team, as expanding science communication and inspiring other (female) scientists by way of new and creative channels is one of the main focuses of the programme.

WiRe Fellowships: Our Offer

Fellowship of 1850 € per month for a period of at least 4 but up to 8 months (part-time options for a maximal of 9 months are possible)
Family bonus: Child allowance of 400€ for the first, with 100€ for each additional child
On-site and remote option
Additional funding allotted for conference participation, if applicable
Excellent research and career development opportunities
Access to all WWU communication channels, networks and research infrastructure
Collective fellowship meetings, workshops and collegial coaching

Could a WiRe Fellowship be Your Next Move? Our eligibility criteria

You are eligible to apply if you:

have obtained or are about to earn your PhD (you must have earned it by the start of your fellowship),
are a resident in the European Union / one of the EFTA States / UK,
have not worked at a German higher education institution in the past six months, and
have completed the majority of your academic qualifications outside of Germany.

Do you want to apply? Our application process

For your WiRe application, please make sure that

You have a research project or an idea for a research project in cooperation with a WWU professor, which can be completed within 4 - 8 months with a presentable result.
Your WWU cooperation partner must write a letter of recommendation for your WiRe application [en].
You have ideas for strategy regarding how to best spread awareness of your research & experiences at WWU.
You are willing to participate in our creative science communication activities.
You are able to submit a detailed project schedule,
You are able to submit a short application video.

As soon as we have published the next call for applications, you can access the application portal via this website. In the application portal you can save your application and edit it until you have finally submitted it.

When to apply? Indicative timetable of calls

We usually offer two calls per year, in late summer / autumn and in late spring/early summer (April/May).

We expect to open the next call in spring / early summer 2022.

It is advisable to contact possible scientific cooperation partners - WWU professors – some time before the next call.

Selection Process

Funds for fellowship offers are awarded by a six-person selection committee, comprised of the head of the WWU Welcome Centre, the WiRe Coordination, members of the Rectorate Committee for Research Affairs (RKF) and members of the Rectorate Committee for Academic Personnel Development (RAP). While the committee members from the Welcome Centre / WiRe are ex officio appointments, the Rectorate delegations choose their representatives from among their sitting members.

Selection criteria

The committee bases its scholarship award decisions on multiple criteria, including the following: subject-relevant expertise, quality of academic work, motivation, and a commitment to sharing ideas for science communication/outreach. In its evaluation, the selection committee takes the letter of recommendation submitted by the academic host at the WWU into consideration.

WiRe Fellows

WiRe Fellows

We have been able to attract some outstanding female postdocs from all over the world as WiRe - Women in Research Fellows. Learn more about them here and on our blog WiRe Fellows and their research.