Junior Research Groups

The Alfred Wegener Institute seeks Expressions of Interest from outstanding talents to apply for their own Investigator Group or Innovation Exploration Group (HGF call for application)

The two-step process will start with an internal selection process of up to three candidates. The final selection of candidates will be carried out by external expert panels advising the president of the Helmholtz Association. Helmholtz Investigator Groups (Standard Track) and Innovation Exploration Groups (Pilot Track) of successful applicants will be hosted at the AWI. Funding is on the order of €350,000 per year for a period of five years, with potential access to further substantial research infrastructure depending in internal negotiation within AWI.

Eligibility

The following eligibility criterion applies for both tracks:

• The outstanding researchers are at maximum six years of academic age. Academic age is calculated as years after receiving the doctoral degree, deducting times due to the reasons named in the Helmholtz Call.

In addition, the following eligibility criteria apply: 

Standard Track

• The outstanding researchers are at least two years of academic age.
• International research experience as demonstrated by a continuous research stay abroad for at least 6 months during the doctoral or postdoctoral studies.
• AWI internal candidates are eligible to apply if they have been employed at the AWI for no longer than one year at the time of application.

You can apply in any field of research in which you have recently excelled if it is generally related to the AWI's research program. This can be demonstrated by a grand idea supported by a first own publication and a CV fit for an ERC application. 

Helmholtz Investigator Group leaders collaborate closely with a German partner university. A potential partner university with indication of a contact person at the university should be specified in the application.

Pilot Track 

• The outstanding researchers have completed their PhD.

Selection criteria and process

Standard Track

The initial AWI-internal selection of candidates for the Standard Track will take place in cooperation with a German university.

1. Outstanding scientific achievements and research experience of the candidate (CV, publications, citation index, awards, etc.)
2. Quality of the planned research project (innovation capacity, relevance, structure, coherence, feasibility)
3. Leadership qualities and the ability to supervise inter(national) and diverse doctoral researchers
4. Compatibility with AWI's research program
5. Synergy effects resulting from the cooperation between the AWI and the partner university
6. The candidate’s ability to present the essence of their research in a concise manner and to convincingly defend their ideas will also play a role.

Pilot Track

The initial AWI-internal selection of candidates for Track B will take place in cooperation with the AWI Technology Transfer Office.

1. Scientific excellence of the candidate and demonstrated ability to independently drive a scientific idea
2. Quality, credibility and early-stage maturity of the scientific concept
3. Transformative innovation potential of the underlying idea
4. Entrepreneurial motivation and development potential of the candidate
5. Feasibility and structure of the proposed five-year plan
6. Fit with the AWI

If you are interested in submitting an application, you should identify and contact a potential mentor for realizing your idea from the AWI. If you need help, please contact corinna.kanzog@awi.de.

Short application (max. 2 A4 pages, font size 11) should include:

• Track
• Working title
• Keywords
• Project summary with details on:
  • Motivation for the project
  • General significance of the proposed project
  • Objectives
  • Project plan
  • Planned group composition and required infrastructure
  • Information on the planned cooperation with the German partner university (Standard Track)
  • Information on the planned cooperation with the AWI and, where applicable, partnering research institutions, transfer offices, industry partners or innovation ecosystems (Pilot Track)
  • Dominant methodology / technology (if applicable)

Please provide in addition to the short application a full curriculum vitae incl. publication list.

Curriculum vitae template

Questions about the call for applications and the internal selection procedure answered corinna.kanzog@awi.de.

Deadline for submission of draft applications (corinna.kanzog@awi.de) is 19 January 2026. Short-listed applicants will be invited to present their projects to the AWI Scientific Council end of February 2026. Successful candidates will be informed after the final decision by the AWI Board of Directors; and they will be asked to provide a full proposal until 4 May 2026.

With the Helmholtz Junior Research Groups, the Helmholtz Association supports the early independence of young scientists and offers them a reliable career perspective. This programme is designed to provide outstanding working conditions in a research-oriented environment for the best foreign and domestic junior researchers. It is aimed at junior employees who have completed their doctorates within the past two to six years.

Further information can be found here.

The Emmy Noether Program of the German Research Foundation (DFG) offers outstanding young scientists the opportunity to qualify for a university professorship by independently leading a junior research group over a period of six years. Postdocs and junior professors with fixed-term contracts who are in the early stages of their scientific careers (usually up to four years after completing their doctorates) are eligible to apply. Junior professors who have received a positive interim evaluation are no longer eligible for the program.

For further information, visit the DFG website.

ERC Starting Grants support aspiring research group leaders who want to establish a well-equipped research team and conduct independent research in Europe. The programme is aimed at promising researchers with proven potential to become independent leaders of a new and excellent research team. It is aimed at junior employees who have completed their doctorates within the past two to seven years.

Further information can be found here.