Career with family

The aim of the STEP 1B Career with family funding line is to promote and support female postdocs with childcare responsibilities who are planning a stay abroad as part of their qualification phase. A stay abroad during the postdoctoral phase is an important qualification step for a scientific career. Female academics with childcare responsibilities in particular find it difficult to take this step towards qualification, as high childcare costs are usually incurred and there is often uncertainty about employment options after their return.

The program is intended to support female postdocs to apply for their own junior research group (e.g. Emmy Noether or NRW Returnee Program) or to apply for a (junior) professorship.

The program supports female postdoctoral researchers at the University of Bonn with childcare responsibilities. Application for funding is possible only after a successful PhD/MD defense and can be submitted within a period of up to two years afterwards.

An outstanding doctoral degree as well as extraordinary achievements in research and publication are required. In addition, an approval from the head of the working group/institute that the institute will provide a work/laboratory place and the necessary research funds for the period of employment at the University of Bonn is required.

The program is particularly aimed at female academics from disciplines in which there is a clear under-representation of women in leadership positions.

The application should include the following documents:

• Letter of motivation with intended career goals, including significance of the research stay abroad for career development (max. 2 pages).
• Résumé of previous academic achievements (1 page)
• Project outline, emphasizing the innovative potential and relevance of the project for the intended career (max. 6 pages), as well as a description of the planned continuation of the cooperation with the international host after return to Bonn
• Project plan with milestones (max. 1 page)
• Letter of invitation from the potential host institution abroad - and, if applicable, financial support from the host institution, with a timeline of when the stay abroad is planned.
• Curriculum vitae of the applicant (periods of maternal leave etc. are taken into account, please specify in the curriculum vitae)
• Certificate of doctoral degree or preliminary confirmation by the head of the doctoral commitee.
• Letter of recommendation and confirmation from the head of the working group/institute that a working place and the necessary research funds will be made available by the institute for the period of employment at the University of Bonn. During the stay abroad, the contract will be paused and resumed immediately after the return. The modalities of pausing the contract must be clarified with the supervisor prior to application.
• Academic reputation of the host university. Research stays with one of our strategic partner universities are welcome.

The review of the applications usually takes two to three months. 

The applications are evaluated by an interdisciplinary selection committee consisting of representatives from all faculties under the chairmanship of Prof. Dr. Andreas Zimmer, Vice Rector for Research and Young Academics.

Applications can be submitted twice a year, by January 15, 2025 and by August 15, 2025.

This project is a pilot project with a limited scope of funding and an initial application period of three years.