Applications are currently on-going for the 2016 Marie Curie Zukunftskolleg Incoming Research Fellowships (ZIF-MC) in Germany for EU and Non-EU Students. The University of Konstanz, with its “Institutional Strategy to promote Top-Level Research,” has been receiving continuous funding since 2007 within the framework of the Excellence Initiative by the German Federal and State Governments.
The Zukunftskolleg is a central scientific institution of the University of Konstanz for the promotion of young researchers in the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, and is an integral component of the institutional strategy “Model Konstanz — Towards a Culture of Creativity.” The Zukunftskolleg forms a platform for interdisciplinary discourse between distinguished researchers in Germany and abroad, and provides them with resources for obtaining extramural funding.
The Marie Curie call for applications is part of the Zukunftskolleg Incoming Fellowship Program (ZIF) and is financed by the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) Marie Curie Actions – People (co-funding of regional, national and international programs), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the University of Konstanz. The fellowship is open to all nationalities –EU as well as non-EU citizens.
Scholarship Value
The 5-Year Research Fellowship consists of an employment contract with the University of Konstanz in accordance with the public sector staff tariffs of the federal states (TV-L; depending on personal qualifications and up to salary group 14 TV-L). Fellows are expected to have their place of residence in Konstanz.
Each Fellow receives Start-up Funding and a Research Allowance. Furthermore, a pool is available for funding cooperative projects, research assistants, travel, and equipment purchases. Each Fellow is a member of both a university department and the Zukunftskolleg. A Mentoring Committee supports each Fellow in her/his career development.
This committee consists of an experienced researcher from the Fellow’s research field within the university department, as well as an advanced Research Fellow of the Zukunftskolleg.
Duration of award(s): Fellowships are awarded for a period of five years. The Fellowships will begin on March 1, 2016, and end on February 28, 2021.
Selection Criteria: The applications are selected in a three stage process: Eligibility check and pre-selection; International external peer-review and Interdisciplinary Workshop on Future Research Directions at the University of Konstanz. Since it is the community of fellows that makes up the Zukunftskolleg, applicants are assessed, not only for their academic achievements, but also for their personal, social and method-related abilities.
The selection of fellows is organized as a highly competitive process involving intra-disciplinary as well as interdisciplinary evaluation. Criteria include diverse knowledge and qualifications such as leadership and teamwork skills, teaching or management experience, mobility and independence. Ideally, candidates already have some experience as postdoctoral researchers and have published in their area of research.
There is no age limit, although the candidates’ achievements should be in line with their “academic age,” so that they have a realistic prospect of being appointed professors. Personal assessment of the remaining candidates by the Recruitment Committee in the interdisciplinary Workshop on Future Research Directions, to be held at the University of Konstanz in October 2015.
Notification: Candidates will be informed of the final decision and the evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of their applications approximately one week after the workshop.
Eligibility:
In order to be eligible, candidates must fulfill all of the eligibility criteria:
- • Applicants must have a doctoral degree;
• Applicants cannot currently hold a permanent position as full professor, or the equivalent of the German venia legendi (“Habilitation”)
• Applicants must not have had their main residence in Germany for more than 12 months during the three years prior to the application deadline;
• Applicants must have already secured a research grant of at least 50,000 Euros or an equivalent amount of funding to be used for their research while at the Zukunftskolleg Funding from other EU sources (such as ERC grants or other Marie Curie funding) is not eligible;
• Candidates with their own position funded by another program, which can be transferred to Konstanz, are also eligible;
• Applicants must propose a research project that ties in with a discipline represented at the University of Konstanz;
• Applicants must submit all required documents by the specified deadline, including two letters of reference.
Application Procedure and Deadline
Applications should be submitted via online application portal. All required documents should be in pdf format. The following materials are required to submit the application:
- • A complete application form;
• Motivation Letter (1 page max);
• Project Outline (5 pages max);
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copies of all relevant degree certificates
• Writing Sample (max ca. 30 pages)
• Two letters of reference.
The deadline for applications is May 18, 2015.
Official scholarship Website – https://www.zukunftskolleg.uni-konstanz.de/funding-programmes/fellowship/zif-mc-2-year-fellowship/
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