Non-University Research Institutions

Many German research institutions are part of a research network. All these networks have their own international and are particularly interesting for researchers from abroad.

Max Planck Society: Non-profit research organization, 80 institutes, research in arts, natural and social sciences, research units and working groups, close cooperation with universities.

Helmholtz Association: 16 research centres, mostly devoted to basic research in the sciences.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft: Organization for applied research and development services, more than 50 institutes.

Leibniz-Gemeinschaft: More than 80 research institutes and service facilities in all research areas.

Research Funding

German Research Society (DFG): Supports research at German universities (from single dissertation projects to large research clusters); international cooperation can also be financed.

Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: Supports international research, scholarships for individual researchers, extensive  and active alumni network.

Volkswagen Foundation: Supports science and technology in research and teaching in all fields of science.

Postdocs from Europe and worldwide together with a european host institution can apply for support within the framework of the EU program "Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions".