The University of Konstanz belongs to the universities in Germany whose “Future concepts for top-class research at universities” is promoted within the framework of the Excellence Initiative of the German federal and state governments.
The Zukunftskolleg is a central scientific institution of the University of Konstanz for the promotion of young researchers in the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, and is an integral component of the institutional strategy “Model Konstanz — Towards a Culture of Creativity.” The Zukunftskolleg forms a platform for interdisciplinary discourse between distinguished researchers in Germany and abroad, and provides them with resources for obtaining extramural funding.
The Zukunftskolleg of the University of Konstanz offers up six (6) ZIF Marie Curie 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowships (any discipline represented at the University of Konstanz)
(Salary Scale 13 TV-L)
to develop and implement individual research projects. This call for applications is part of theZukunftskolleg Incoming Fellowship Program (ZIF) and is financed by the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) Marie Curie Actions – People (co-funding of regional, national and international programs), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the University of Konstanz. The rules and ethical principles for the FP7 and the DFG guidelines apply.
Marie Curie Fellowships are available to researchers regardless of their nationality and field of research. They are intended to encourage the transnational mobility of top-level researchers in order to integrate them within the European research area.
The Fellowships will begin on February 1, 2016, and end on January 31, 2018.
The Zukunftskolleg provides a professional infrastructure and an appropriate workplace for conducting research. Fellows have the opportunity to benefit from a variety of career development measures, including the University of Konstanz’s Academic Staff Development and Research Support offices. Fellows may nominate recognized experts in their field of research as senior Fellows, who will be invited to Konstanz for a research stay of one to nine months. Each Fellow receives a mobility allowance and a research allowance. Furthermore, a pool is available for funding cooperative projects, research assistants, travel, and equipment purchases. Each Fellow is a member of both a university department and the Zukunftskolleg. A Mentoring Committee supports each Fellow in her / his career development. This committee consists of an experienced researcher from the Fellow’s research field within the university department, as well as an advanced Research Fellow of the Zukunftskolleg.
The target group consists of excellent researchers at the postdoctoral level, leadership abilities and a capacity for teamwork, so that they can reasonably be expected to take up leading roles in academia and European research and innovation policy.
Applicant Requirements for this Fellowship include:
- Candidates must be in possession of a doctoral degree (PhD thesis submitted anddefended) at the moment of the decision within the second committee meeting – September 28-29, 2015;
- Candidates must not hold a permanent position, a professorship, or have an habilitation or equivalent (Venia legendi);
- Candidates with their own position funded by another program, which can be transferred to Konstanz, are also eligible (other EU funding is not eligible);
- Applicants must propose a research project that ties in with a discipline represented at the University of Konstanz. Applicants should contact potential mentors (Local Hosts) among the researchers at the University of Konstanz in order to ensure appropriate affiliation. Support from the department strengthens the application;
- Applicants must have had their main residence and worked outside Germany for 24 months or more during the three years prior to the application deadline (timeframe: May 19, 2012- May 18, 2015);
- All ethical issues raised by a proposed project (if applicable) must be described in the project outline. The candidate should explain how these will be addressed, so as to conform with national and Seventh Framework Program (FP7) ethical principles. For advice, please see the CORDIS website on ethics (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ethics_en.html) and contact the Zukunftskolleg office. If a proposed project that has passed the peer review stage raises any ethical issues, it is forwarded for review by the University of Konstanz Ethics Committee.
Fellows have an opportunity to teach. They are expected to participate actively in the regular weekly meetings of the Zukunftskolleg and to have their place of residence in Konstanz.
Fellows are selected on the basis of their academic excellence, the quality and topicality of their research project outline, personal aptitude with regard to leadership and team skills, and interdis-ciplinary interest. International experience in teaching or research, and a strong interest in inter-disciplinary topics are desirable.
Applications are evaluated in a two-stage process:
- Eligibility check and pre-selection based on the written application;
- Further selection based on independent peer reviews.
Candidates will be informed of the final decision and the evaluation of their own strengths and weaknesses after the second selection phase at the beginning of October 2015.
More information on the Zukunftskolleg and current Fellows, as well as a special section devoted to the application and selection process (application forms, guidelines on eligibility, evaluation criteria, the timeline and the stages of the selection process) are available on our website at:http://www.zukunftskolleg.uni-konstanz.de/ .
The University of Konstanz encourages disabled persons to apply. They will be given preference if appropriately qualified (contact + 49 (0) 7531 / 88 – 4016 und 88 - 2834).
The University of Konstanz is an equal opportunity employer that tries to increase the number of women in research and teaching.
The University of Konstanz has been certified as a family-friendly institution by the Hertie Foundation. The University is committed to further the compatibility of work and family life.
The University of Konstanz offers a “Dual Career Couples Programme“. Information is available at: http://www.familie.uni-konstanz.de/dual-career/.
All applications and supporting materials must be submitted in English via the Online Application Platform at: www.zukunftskolleg.uni-konstanz.de/online-application.
The required documents include a completed application form, a letter of motivation, research propo-sal, curriculum vitae, a writing sample, and two letters of reference.
Applicants are encouraged to check their eligibility before submitting their proposal.
The deadline for applications is May 18, 2015, 17:00h (Konstanz time).
Contact: Help Desk, zukunftskolleg-application@uni-konstanz.de, Anda Lohan,
e-mail: a.lohan@uni-konstanz.de.
Fellowship Information
The Zukunftskolleg provides a professional infrastructure and an appropriate workplace for conducting research. Fellows have the opportunity to benefit from a variety of career development measures, including the University of Konstanz’s Academic Staff Development and Research Support offices. Fellows may nominate recognized experts in their field of research as senior Fellows, who will be invited to Konstanz for a research stay of one to nine months. Each Fellow receives a mobility allowance and a research allowance. Furthermore, a pool is available for funding cooperative projects, research assistants, travel, and equipment purchases. Each Fellow is a member of both a university department and the Zukunftskolleg. A Mentoring Committee supports each Fellow in her/his career development. This committee consists of an experienced researcher from the Fellow’s research field within the university department, as well as an advanced Research Fellow of the Zukunftskolleg.
Fellows have an opportunity to teach. They are expected to participate actively in the regular weekly meetings of the Zukunftskolleg and to have their place of residence in Konstanz.
Fellows are selected on the basis of their academic excellence, the quality and topicality of their research project outline, personal aptitude with regard to leadership and team skills, and interdis-ciplinary interest. International experience in teaching or research, and a strong interest in inter-disciplinary topics are desirable.
Salary
The Postdoctoral Fellowship consists of an employment contract with the University of Konstanz in accordance with the public sector staff tariffs of the German federal states (TV-L; depending on personal qualifications and up to salary group 13 TV-L). Fellows are expected to have their place of residence in Konstanz. An additional mobility allowance is provided where necessary.
Eligibility and Application Requirements
1. Eligibility Requirements
In order to be eligible, candidates must fulfill all of the eligibility criteria:
- Applicants must have a doctoral degree (all requirements completed by September 28-29, 2015);
- Applicants cannot currently hold a permanent position as full professor, or the equivalent of the German venia legendi (“Habilitation”)
- Applicants must not have had their main residence in Germany for more than 12 months during the three years prior to the application deadline;
- Candidates with their own position funded by another program, which can be transferred to Konstanz, are also eligible;
- Applicants must propose a research project that ties in with a discipline represented at the University of Konstanz;
- Applicants must submit all required documents by the specified deadline, including two letters of reference;
Candidates may apply for either a 2-year or a 5-year Fellowship (according to their eligibility), but not for both Fellowships simultaneously.
2. Application Materials
Applications should be submitted via our online application portal. All required documents should be in pdf format.
The following materials are required to submit the application:
- A complete application form;
- Motivation Letter (1 page max);
- Project Outline (5 pages max);
- Curriculum Vitae
- Copies of all relevant degree certificates
- Writing Sample (max ca. 30 pages)
- Two letters of reference.
The motivation letter is typically a statement of purpose and should address your motivation to become a member of the Zukunftskolleg. The letter should discuss the fit between you, your project, the Zukunftskolleg, and the University of Konstanz. To what degree would your project benefit from the specific environment of the Zukunftskolleg as well as the Department associated with your research (and vice versa)? Why do you think you are the right person for this programme? How does your experience and proposed research project fit within the advertised framework of the Fellowship? The motivation letter can also be a medium to address relevant experience or research as well as other pertinent information not addressed elsewhere in the application.
Please make sure that your project outline addresses the following issues:
- Scope of the project
- Feasibility of project and work plan (time schedule and projected costs)
- Innovative potential and originality of project
- Timeliness and relevance of the project
- Methodology
- Expected contribution to the field of research
- Suitability of the University of Konstanz for the research project
We do not accept applications submitted per email or post.
For other questions concerning the application, please see the Frequently Asked Questionssection of our website. The online application also provides assistance via the help icons in the application form.
Applicants are encouraged to check their eligibility with the management team before submitting their application.
3. Ethical Issues
- All ethical issues raised by a proposed project (if applicable) must be described in the project outline. The candidate should explain how these will be addressed, so as to conform with national and, for Marie Curie Fellowships, Seventh Framework Program (FP7) ethical principles. For advice, please see the CORDIS website on ethics, the ethics sectionof the Zukunftskolleg Website, and contact the Zukunftskolleg office. If a proposed project that has passed the peer review stage raises any ethical issues, it is forwarded for review by the University of Konstanz Ethics Committee.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.zukunftskolleg.uni-konstanz.de/funding-programmes/fellowship/zif-mc-2-year-fellowship/