Stipend for Female Postdocs

• Opportunity for women with a doctorate to continue and/or complete a project enabling them to pursue a university career with the aim of becoming professors

• Any emerging graduate female researcher with a PhD, who has worked scientifically at the LMU for at least 6 months prior to the time of application submission and who, to the end of the applied grant period, holds either a position at the LMU, or if she has no position, can demonstrate an institutional affiliation or close connection to the LMU
• Completion of doctoral degree with at least a grade of "good" / magna cum laude
• Duration of doctorate studies can generally not have exceeded a period of four years
• Basically this stipend focusses on advanced postdocs

• Employment agreement or written proof of institutional affiliation or close connection with the LMU for the following period: at least 6 months prior to the time of application submission up to the end of the grant period
  • If there is no employment contract: Written confirmation from the faculty, institute or chair the project is assigned to, about close affiliation with the LMU for the period set out above and moreover that the work opportunities required for the funded scientific project (e.g. laboratory space, workplace or working materials) are available, within the framework of the scholarship relationship for the entire funding period
  • With an existing employment contract: A scholarship can only be granted if the research fellow takes leave from her employment agreement/position for the duration of the scholarship. The possibility of being granted leave must be discussed with the supervisor/boss/superior prior to application. If the scholarship is approved, copies of any related documentation certifying approval of the leave must be submitted immediately to the University’s Women’s Representative
• In case of a 50% contract a 50% grant can only be applied for in special personal situations with a particular justification. Applicants have to demonstrate in which ways the grant will significantly enhance and accelerate the career. BGF grants are intended to cover the recipient´s costs of living and may not be used to supplement other grants or income from employment
• Double funding excluded: BGF grants may not be used to supplement other grants. Necessary disengagement from other ongoing stipends
• Secondary employment excluded: BGF grants are intended to cover the recipient´s costs of living. Generally, a secondary employment is not possible. Fellows must focus solely on the project that is being funded by the grant and must devote all their manpower to this research project. The combination of a 100% stipend with a secondary employment is not possible
• Being involved in paid teaching during the term of the grant is welcome, at a maximum of 4 hours per week, in case of little experience in teaching. This cannot detract from, interfere with, or delay completion of the project being funded by the grant

• 100% scholarship: 2,400 Euro monthly
• 50% scholarship: 1,200 Euro monthly
• Child allowances (up to the age of 18):
  • 300 Euro for the first child
  • 100 Euro for each additional child

• Maximum of twelve months
• Start for initial applications on 10/1/2025
• Start for subsequent applications immediately after previous funding

The request for proposals for 2025 is subject to strict budget approval.

1/16/2025 until 3/13/2025
Closure of the online application portal on 3/13/2025 at 12:00 noon

For new applications, the following documents must be available for upload:

• Signed and complete (explaining gaps in career path maybe helpful) CV in tabular form
• List of publications, according to scientific practice (Prof. Stefan Endres from the medical faculty recommends this layout: example list of publications (PDF, 193 KB). We leave it up to the individual disciplines to define an appropriate layout for the list of publications.)
• Project description: maximum 6 pages not counting bibliography, use Arial 11 or Times New Roman 12, line spacing 1.5. Issue or subject, key objectives, central research questions, theories and methods being applied, innovation potential, preliminary work contribution to the field of research, a project schedule and work plan as well as an explanation where the project and the grant fit in your overall career plan; including a summary that is easy to understand. In case of a 50% contract and a 50% grant application, only: Particular justification of special personal situation including a demonstration in which ways the grant will significantly enhance and accelerate the career
• University degree certificates acquired so far
• Doctoral certificate
• Doctoral certificate not available yet: written confirmation that the dissertation has been submitted and accepted or a contract with an editor or where the work will be published
• Employment agreement or written proof of institutional affiliation or close connection with the LMU for the following period: at least 6 months prior to the time of application submission up to the end of the grant period
• Copy of employment agreement – if the employment agreement is not valid for the entire term of the grant, then written proof of institutional affiliation or a close connection with the LMU is also required already for an application or:
• A written proof from the faculty (e.g. from the Dean, department head, or any professor who is not yet retired) of institutional affiliation or a close connection with the LMU, from the time of application to the end of the applied grant period is also required already for an application
• Birth certificates of the children, if applicable
• 1 internal (LMU) referee report by an LMU professor
• 1 external (non LMU) referee report by a professor from another university or non-university research institution
• These referee reports cannot be uploaded but must be sent either by mail or by e-mail directly to the University's Women's Representative

A follow-on-application is only possible for stipends that were granted in 2024, for the same type of stipend as well as for another type. All others are first-time applications.

For follow-on-applications the following documents must be available for uploading:

• Updated signed and complete (explaining gaps in career path maybe helpful) CV in tabular form
• Updated list of publications (Prof. Stefan Endres from the medical faculty recommends this layout: example list of publications. (PDF, 193 KB) We leave it up to the individual disciplines to define an appropriate layout for the list of publications.)
• Updated written proof of institutional affiliation or close connection with the LMU
• Interim progress report on the work performed during the initial grant period, with the maximum of 6 pages, use Arial 11 or Times New Roman 12 and line spacing 1.5
• Updated project description, including project schedule and work plan (without bibliography maximum 6 pages, use Arial 11 or Times New Roman 12 and line spacing 1.5)
• 1 internal (LMU) referee report as well as 1 external (non LMU) referee report from a professor on the interim report, in particular on the progress of the project, and on the updated project description. This cannot be uploaded but must be sent either by mail or by e-mail directly to the University’s Women’s Representative

• Referee reports from junior professors are not accepted
• Referees must send their signed referee reports either by mail or e-mail to the University’s Women’s Representative no later than 3/13/2025
• Referee reports cannot be uploaded through the application portal
• The guidelines for referee reports should be passed on to the referees. Available under:
  • Guidelines for writing referee reports in German
  • Guidelines for writing referee reports in English

Applications, referee reports and all documents can be submitted in English as well as in German.

• Referees will be notified when their referee reports have been received
• Applicants will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt as soon as they submit their applications
• Written notification of approval or rejection after completion of the multi-stage evaluation procedure (expected at the end of July 2025)
• The decision about the grant will be made after taking into account the comments of the faculties and the referee reports, by the Vice Chairperson for International Affairs and Diversity, and the University’s Women’s Representative
• In the event a grant is approved, the grant will be revoked if it is not started by the deadline, or if necessary documents have not been submitted by the deadline
• By accepting the scholarship, you agree to deliver a final report no later than two months following the end of the funding

Any application that is not submitted by the deadline or that is incomplete or inaccurate will not be considered. Please note that this also applies when referee reports are not submitted by the deadline.

You are urged to carefully review this information and your documentation for completeness and accuracy before submitting your application.

Please note the data protection information below, and in addition in particular the supplementary notes pursuant to article 13 of the DSGVO (General Data Protection Regulation) in connection with the application regarding the Bavarian Gender Equality Grant (BGF) in the online application portal.