Special Programs for Women

Here you will find an overview of special programs for young female scientists, which provide assistance and support on various topics, e.g. childcare or re-entry into working life. These programmes are designed to motivate women to pursue a scientific career.

 

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard-Stiftung – Stipendium (Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard-Foundation)

Target group:
Female doctoral researchers or postdocs with children

Area of studies:
Experimental sciences, medicine

Period/amount of funding:
One year (extension possible) with EUR 500 a month

Deadline:
November 30, every year

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Daimler und Benz Stiftung – Bertha-Benz-Preis (Daimler and Benz Foundation – Bertha-Benz-Prize)

Target group:
Female doctoral researchers, dissertation award

Area of studies:
Engineering sciences

Terms of application:
Every year, the Daimler and Benz Foundation awards the Bertha-Benz-Prize to a young female engineer who has completed an outstanding doctorate in Germany. The doctoral degree (Dr.-Ing.) is to be awarded with "magna cum laude" or "summa cum laude" and should not be more than one year old (the date of the doctoral degree certificate applies). The call for applications of the Daimler and Benz Foundation is available for ▶ download (German only)

Self-nominations to the foundation are not possible. Karlsruhe House of Young Scientists (KHYS) collects the submissions centrally at KIT. Your contact person at KHYS is ▶ Nadja Mazko.

Prize money:
EUR 15,000

Deadline:
January 20, 2025 (KIT internal deadline for nominations)

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Deutsche UNESCO Kommission e.V. – L'Oréal-UNESCO-Preis: For Women in Science (German Commission for UNESCO – L'Oréal-UNESCO Prize: For Women in Science)

Target group:
Female scientists

Area of studies:
Alternatingly: Life Sciences and Materials Sciences

Terms of application:
L’Oréal-UNESCO prizes are awarded end of February of each year in Paris. The assignment is strictly according to the criterion of scientific excellence, using a continental key, one prize is awarded per continent. Each year, the scientific discipline of researchers awarded alternates between life sciences and materials sciences.

Period/amount of funding:
USD 100,000 each prize, one prize per continent

Deadline:
Aplications are currently closed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future.


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Deutsche UNESCO Kommission e.V. – Nationales UNESCO-L’Oréal-Förderprogramm für Wissenschaftlerinnen mit Kindern: For Women in Science (German Commission for UNESCO –  National UNESCO-L'Oréal support programs for female scientists with children: For Women in Science)

Target group:
Female doctoral researchers with children

Area of studies:
Experimental natural sciences and medicine

Terms of application:
Livelihood has to be secured already by a steady job or through a grant, the all-day child care must be guaranteed by a day care center or childminder. Location of research activity during the period of support from the program is Germany, apart from temporary stays abroad.

Period/amount of funding:
Annually three female doctoral researchers are funded for one year from the point of the grant being awarded. The assistance shall not exceed EUR 20,000 per female doctoral researcher and also includes an individual career development program.

Deadline:
November 30, every year

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Deutscher Akademikerinnenbund e. V. (DAB) – Förderausschuss (German Association of Women Academics  – Funding Committee)

Target group:
Female doctoral researchers or female young scientists

Area of studies:
All

Terms of application:
The Funding Committee supports female academics of all disciplines and acknowledges their achievements. This is realized by highlighting and promoting academically educated women who also serve as role models for the next generation of girls.

Period/amount of funding:
depending on the project (printing cost subsidies, digital publications, inclusion of your publication in the scientific series at LIT-Verlag)

Deadline:
April 15 and October 15, every year

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EU Prize for Women Innovators

Target group:
Woman innovators

Area of studies:
All

Terms of application:
Who can participate? Any woman innovator complying with the following criteria:

  • You reside in an EU Member State or in a country associated to the Research Framework Programme.
  • You must be the founder or co-founder of an existing and active company.
  • Your company must have been registered before January 1, 2017.
  • For the Rising Innovator Award, female applicants also have to be born after January 1, 1984.

Please also be aware that participants that have already received an EU or Euratom prize cannot receive a second prize for the same activities.

Eligible applications will be evaluated by an independent jury of experts. The prize will be awarded, after closure of the contest, to the contestants who in the opinion of the jury best address the following cumulative criteria: breakthrough innovation, impact and inspiration.

Prize:

Women Innovators Prize: One prize of EUR 100,000; and two runners-up are awarded EUR 70,000; and EUR 50,000

Rising Innovators Prize: One prize of EUR 50,000; one prize of EUR 30,000 and one prize of EUR 20,000

EIT Women Leadership Award: One prize of EUR 50,000, one prize of EUR 30,000 and one prize of EUR 20,000.


Deadline:
September 25, 2024, 05:00 p.m.

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Helene-Lange-Preis – Frauen in der digitalen Welt (Helene-Lange Prize - Women in the digital world)

Target group:
Female students or graduates of state or private universities of applied sciences in Lower Saxony and Bremen

Area of studies:
Master's or doctoral thesis or a comparable degree, also at the graduation stage with the prospect of timely completion in which application-oriented, innovative aspects of digitalization in the key areas of energy, society and work or mobility have been researched.

Terms of application:
Application is only possible online.

Prize money:
EUR 15,000

Deadline:
Application are currently closed. Please check back in 2025 for details on future.

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MWK - Brigitte Schlieben-Lange-Programm (Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts – Brigitte Schlieben Lange program)

Target group:
Young female researchers with child (support of doctorates, habilitations or artistic qualifications)

Area of studies:
All

Terms of application:
Applications may be submitted to the awards commissions of the individual universities. Information is provided by the head of the federal state's conference of equal opportunities officers (LaKoG) at scientific universities.

Period/amount of funding:
The main focus of funding is on employment relationships at universities for women with children in the postdoctoral phase (funding line I): As a rule, the MWK funds employment relationships amounting to 50% of a full-time position (TV-L E 13/14). On the part of the supervising university at least 25% of a full employment volume must also be financed; this is usually to be provided by the host institute. Funding is provided for up to two years.

Further funding lines: 
Funding line II: support for artistic development projects (scholarships) and doctorates at colleges of art and music (employment relationships)
Funding line III : support of extra-occupational doctorates with the aim of fulfilling the requirements of appointment for a professorship at a higher education institution for applied sciences in Baden-Württemberg or to the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (scholarships and employment relationships)

Deadline:
The Brigitte Schlieben Lange Program was last re-advertised by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts in 2019. Currently, there is no new call for proposals.

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MWK - Mathilde-Planck-Lehrauftragsprogramm (Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts – Mathilde-Planck teaching appointment program)

Target group:
Working women with a university degree, who want to gain teaching experience at a university of applied science, school of fine arts, college of music or a cooperative state university

Term of application:
By assigning teaching assignments participants are to establish links with universities and qualify for a professorship at these institutions.

Deadline:
Cooperative state university: April 1, August 1, October 15, or December 15 of every year School of fine arts and colleges of music: March 1, or September 15 of every year Universities of Applied Sciences: March 1, or September 15 of every year.

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Stiftung ZURÜCKGEBEN – Stiftung zur Förderung jüdischer Frauen in Kunst und Wissenschaft (Foundation GIVE BACK – foundation to support Jewish women in the arts and science)

Target group:
Jewish female scientists and artists

Area of studies:
All

Terms of application:
Applications must be made by post.

Deadline:
September 2, 2024

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Zonta International – Amelia Earhart Fellowship

Target group:
Female doctoral researchers

Area of studies:
Research directly related to aerospace

Terms of application:
This scholarship supports young female scientists studying for a doctorate or an equivalent degree.

Period/amount of funding:
The scholarship currently amounts to USD 10,000 and is awarded annually to 30 laureates from around the world.

Deadline:
The 2024 Amelia Earhart Fellowship application is now closed (November 15, 2023). The 2025 Amelia Earhart application will open in July 2024.

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