TUM Global Postdoc Fellowship 2026: €2,670 Stipend, Eligibility & Deadline

TUM Global Postdoc Fellowship 2026 at a Glance

The TUM Global Postdoc Fellowship is coordinated by the TUM Talent Factory within TUM ForTe – Office for Research and Innovation. It enables external early-career researchers based abroad to develop an individual research project at the Technical University of Munich.

The fellowship is open across research disciplines, provided the proposed project aligns with the expertise of an eligible TUM host.

Who Can Apply for Call 6?

Applicants must currently live outside Germany

Early-career postdoctoral researchers and doctoral researchers in the final stage of their PhD can apply if they reside outside Germany at the time of submission.

German nationals living abroad may also apply. The decisive condition is the applicant’s current residence rather than nationality.

Who is excluded?

Applicants are not eligible if they:

• currently work or conduct research at TUM; or
• received their doctoral degree from TUM.

PhD date for Call 6

Applicants with a completed doctorate are eligible if the PhD was awarded on 1 September 2023 or later. TUM uses the date printed on the doctoral certificate.

Final-year doctoral researchers

Candidates who recently submitted their doctoral thesis or expect to complete the doctorate within the next 12 months may apply with an official confirmation from their supervisor.

A completed PhD certificate is mandatory before the fellowship can begin.

Stipend, Allowances and Fellowship Status

Scholarship, not employment

The TUM Global Postdoc Fellowship is administered as a scholarship/fellowship rather than an employment contract. Fellows have guest-researcher status at TUM.

TUM’s current applicant FAQ states that the fellowship grant is treated as exempt from income tax.

Health insurance and research expenses

Based in Munich

Fellows are expected to conduct the fellowship on site and be integrated into the TUM research environment in Munich. The fellowship is not designed as a remote research award.

TUM also states that fellowship payments are made to a German bank account.

How the TUM Host Requirement Works

A host is ultimately mandatory, but applicants do not need to secure a signed host-support letter before submitting Phase I.

Phase I

Applicants name up to three potential TUM hosts whose research matches their proposed direction.

Eligible hosts include active TUM Professors, Heads of Institutes or Chairs, and TUM Junior Fellows.

Matchmaking

Applicants who successfully pass Phase I enter a matchmaking process moderated by the TUM Talent Factory with the potential hosts identified in their application.

Phase II host commitment

To proceed successfully through Phase II, the selected host must submit a formal Letter of Support confirming:

• support for the applicant and research project;
• availability of appropriate work or laboratory space; and
• agreement to provide the required 20% co-financing.

Phase I Application Documents

Phase I applications for Call 6 are due by 30 September 2026 at 23:59 CET.

The current official application requires:

• Motivation letter using the required TUM template;
• CV with publication list, maximum 5 pages;
• one best paper;
• PhD certificate or eligible doctoral-completion confirmation;
• reference letter from the PhD supervisor; and
• names of up to three potential TUM hosts.

Reference letter

The applicant may upload the supervisor reference directly, or the referee can receive an automated portal link and upload the letter independently.

Language

Application documents must be in English. German-language ability is generally not required unless the proposed research itself requires it.

Phase II for Shortlisted Applicants

Applicants proceed to Phase II only after a positive Phase I evaluation and successful host matchmaking.

Research proposal

The research proposal is limited to four pages including references and footnotes.

It should explain:

• the proposed research question and approach;
• why TUM is an appropriate environment;
• why the selected host is the right collaborator;
• the applicant’s longer-term career plans; and
• which external funding opportunities the applicant plans to pursue.

Host Letter of Support

The Phase II host letter must be issued on official TUM letterhead, signed, written in English and include the host’s commitment to the required co-financing and research infrastructure.

Selection Process

Phase I evaluation

The Scientific Board evaluates:

• scientific excellence;
• career prospects;
• quality of the motivation letter; and
• potential synergy with TUM.

Phase II evaluation

The second stage considers:

• scientific excellence and career prospects;
• relevance and originality of the research project; and
• research synergy with the selected TUM host.

TUM’s applicant FAQ indicates that approximately the strongest 5–10% of applicants in a selection round receive an award, while detailed internal application statistics are not published.

How to Apply for TUM Global Postdoc Fellowship Call 6

1. Confirm that you currently reside outside Germany.
2. Check that you did not complete your PhD at TUM and are not currently working there.
3. Confirm that your PhD date meets the 1 September 2023 cutoff, or obtain the required doctoral-completion confirmation.
4. Identify up to three eligible TUM hosts whose research aligns with your interests.
5. Prepare the required motivation letter using TUM’s template.
6. Prepare the maximum five-page CV and select your strongest paper.
7. Arrange the required PhD-supervisor reference.
8. Submit the Phase I application by 30 September 2026 at 23:59 CET.
9. If selected, participate in TUM’s host-matchmaking process.
10. For Phase II, prepare the four-page research proposal and secure the host Letter of Support including co-financing confirmation.

What Happens After Selection?

Successful Call 6 candidates can start the fellowship on an agreed date between 1 April 2027 and 1 April 2028.

The fellowship lasts a fixed 24 months and cannot be extended.

At the start of the fellowship, the fellow and host develop a training plan. An interim report is required after the first year.

Fellows are expected to submit at least one application for external third-party funding during their first 12 months.

CareerAidHub Applicant Guidance

Do not wait for a formal host letter before Phase I

Phase I requires potential-host names, not a signed host Letter of Support. Focus first on identifying up to three researchers whose expertise genuinely fits your proposed direction.

Write for interdisciplinary reviewers

TUM explicitly notes that Scientific Board members may not be specialists in the applicant’s precise field. The motivation letter and later research proposal should therefore be technically accurate but understandable outside a narrow subdiscipline.

Check the host’s funding capacity early

Even though formal host commitment comes in Phase II, the required 20% co-financing is a hard condition. A scientifically strong match cannot proceed to an award if the host cannot finance the required share.

Plan follow-on funding from the beginning

TUM expects fellows to seek external support during the first year. A credible application should therefore connect the proposed TUM project to a realistic next-stage funding pathway such as DFG, Alexander von Humboldt or MSCA funding where eligible.

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