The Einstein Postdoctoral Grant 2026 round gives Berlin universities funding to recruit and keep outstanding postdoctoral researchers, from Germany and from abroad. I want to walk you through the three variants clearly, because choosing the right one is the first decision you and your host will make.
| Degree Level | Field | Host Institution | Target Audience | Fee | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Postdoctoral | All disciplines | FU Berlin, HU Berlin, TU Berlin, UdK Berlin, Charité | Early and advanced postdocs from Germany and abroad | None | Foundation: 16 November 2026 (internal university deadlines come earlier) |
Official links you will need
Einstein Postdoctoral Grant: programme page and forms
Einstein Foundation application deadlines
Contact persons at each eligible Berlin institution
Who submits the application
Applications for suitable candidates are submitted by one of five institutions:
- Freie Universität Berlin
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
- Technische Universität Berlin
- Berlin University of the Arts
- Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Your project can also involve a non-university research institution or the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In practice, this means you need a professor at one of these five institutions who wants to host you, because the institution is the formal applicant.
Einstein Postdoctoral Grant 2026: the three variants
🔬 Einstein Starting Researcher
- For early postdocs (career level R2), with a PhD completed no more than four years ago
- You join an existing research group, or your position helps the institution prepare for larger funding applications such as Collaborative Research Centres (CRCs)
- Funding for up to 4 years, or up to 6 years for strategically important new research groups
🧪 Einstein Independent Researcher
- For demonstrably excellent postdocs at or approaching career level R3
- PhD completed four to twelve years ago, and any habilitation no more than three years ago
- For the 16 November 2026 round only, the Foundation has lowered the limit to ten years and also requires at least one first or last author paper in a category A journal
- Funds your position, and a small research group and material resources where needed
- Funding for up to 4 years
🎓 Einstein Professorship Track
- For excellent early career researchers four to ten years after the PhD
- Aimed at people moving toward a professorship, improving their chances of appointment in Berlin or elsewhere, or working toward eligibility for professorial posts
- Applications are stronger when the host institution can offer a temporary professorship (up to W2) if funding is approved
- Funding for up to 5 years
What the grant covers
- 💶 Your position: funded for the full period of your variant
- 👥 Extra staff and resources: additional personnel, material resources and smaller investments that are essential to the project (Independent Researcher and Professorship Track)
- 📖 Training: language courses and other further education (Independent Researcher and Professorship Track)
- 🗣️ Your own event: costs of organising a workshop or symposium, including travel for guests (Independent Researcher and Professorship Track)
What I would check first
The 16 November 2026 date is the Foundation’s deadline, not yours. Each Berlin institution sets its own internal deadline, and these usually fall several weeks earlier. If you are reading this in late October, I would contact the institution’s contact person straight away to ask whether the current round is still open to you, and otherwise plan for the next one.
How to apply
- The first step is matching yourself to a variant, using the years since your PhD.
- Next comes finding a professor at one of the five institutions whose group fits your project.
- Together you contact the institution’s contact person to confirm the internal deadline.
- You prepare the application on the Foundation’s forms, in English, with your host’s letter of support.
- The institution submits it to the Einstein Foundation.