DFG Walter Benjamin Programme 2026: Rolling Postdoc Funding

DFG Walter Benjamin Programme 2026: At a Glance

The programme is designed for researchers at an early stage after the doctorate who are building an independent research career. DFG does not impose a single formal number of years after the PhD; the programme uses the early-career / recognised-researcher stage as its reference framework.

Three Walter Benjamin Funding Modules

1. Walter Benjamin Fellowship — research abroad

Researchers planning to carry out the project at a host institution outside Germany can apply for a Walter Benjamin Fellowship. The fellowship is paid directly to the funded researcher.

2. Walter Benjamin Position — research in Germany

Researchers carrying out the project in Germany can apply for a DFG-funded position, generally in the staff category postdoctoral researcher and comparable. The German host institution becomes the employer for the approved project period.

3. Temporary Substitute for Clinicians — Germany

Clinician-scientists who need release from patient-care responsibilities in order to conduct the research project may apply for a temporary substitute/rotation position instead of the standard Walter Benjamin position, subject to the applicable module rules.

Who Can Apply?

The programme is restricted to researchers in an early postdoctoral career phase who are pursuing a research career.

Special eligibility rules for a Fellowship abroad

Funding abroad requires a qualifying connection to the German academic research system.

• If most of your schooling and higher education were completed in Germany, you must generally have spent no more than three years abroad for research after the doctorate and must not have worked for more than one year at the proposed fellowship host at the time of submission.
• If most of your schooling and higher education were completed outside Germany, you must generally have worked continuously as a researcher in Germany for at least the previous three years and submit the proposal while still scientifically affiliated in Germany.

Walter Benjamin Position in Germany

For a position in Germany, apart from the early-postdoctoral-career requirement, the special German-system integration restrictions that apply to the overseas Fellowship do not apply in the same way.

What Does the DFG Fund?

Personal funding

The applicant’s remuneration is generally funded at 100% through the selected module:

• Walter Benjamin Fellowship abroad;
• Walter Benjamin Position in Germany; or
• temporary substitute/rotation position for clinicians in Germany.

Fellowship components abroad

The Fellowship consists of a monthly basic amount and, where applicable, additional components such as foreign allowances, cost-of-living adjustments, travel support and benefits for fellowship recipients with children. The exact amount varies, so applicants should use the DFG Award Calculator rather than rely on a fixed historical stipend figure.

Monthly project-cost allowance

Host Institution Requirements

For a Fellowship abroad

The proposal must include an informal declaration from the host confirming that the applicant will be accepted if funded and will receive a suitable workplace for the project. The host is expected to provide the facilities and additional project resources required beyond the DFG allowance.

For a Position in Germany

The host institution must confirm that it will employ the applicant for the project period using the required DFG employer declaration. An informal signed statement from the host researcher is also required and should describe project support, scientific integration and career-development support.

Independence remains central

The host should support the researcher without converting the proposal into the host’s project. The Walter Benjamin Programme is intended to enable the applicant to carry out an independent research project while benefiting from appropriate infrastructure, scientific interaction and career development.

How to Apply

Applications are submitted electronically through the DFG elan portal. Because the programme is rolling, there is no annual opening or closing date.

Applicants should use the current Walter Benjamin Programme guidelines and the current project-description template. Core proposal materials include:

• project description using the applicable DFG structure/template;
• academic CV;
• module-specific host assurances and declarations;
• information on planned cooperation where relevant; and
• the required DFG electronic proposal data.

If the doctorate is not yet formally completed

DFG permits proposal submission once the dissertation has been formally submitted. In this situation the applicant must additionally provide:

• an electronic version of the dissertation;
• proof that the dissertation has been submitted; and
• a statement from the dissertation supervisor on the prospects for successful completion.

Funding cannot be taken up until the doctoral examinations have been successfully completed and the DFG has received the relevant proof.

Is a Return-to-Germany Phase Mandatory?

No. A Walter Benjamin Fellowship abroad is not automatically structured as “abroad + mandatory return phase.”

Qualifying DFG-funded fellows may separately apply for a return grant under the applicable DFG rules. Among other conditions, the proposal for the return grant must be submitted while still abroad and at least two months before the intended return to Germany.

Applicants should therefore distinguish between:

• a Walter Benjamin Fellowship abroad;
• a combined Walter Benjamin proposal containing both abroad and Germany phases; and
• a later, separately requested return grant where the specific eligibility rules are met.

CareerAidHub Application Guidance

The following points are strategy rather than additional DFG eligibility rules.

• Start with the research environment: explain why the chosen host is necessary for the methods, infrastructure, data, archives or expertise required by the project.
• Demonstrate independence: clearly distinguish the proposed work from the doctoral project and from the host researcher’s existing programme.
• Keep the project feasible within two years: prioritize a focused research question and realistic outputs.
• Resolve host-funded needs early: because DFG does not normally fund separate additional staff, major equipment or extensive project-cost lines under this programme, confirm host resources before submission.
• Check overseas-fellowship eligibility before investing in the proposal: the Germany-system affiliation rules are specific and can determine whether the Fellowship module is available to you.
• Use current forms: DFG programme guidelines and templates were updated in September 2026, so older proposal templates should not be recycled without checking.