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Three university-wide programs to support junior academics

3 Feb 2021

LMU will support the career development of postdoctoral researchers with a comprehensive set of measures.

For this purpose, the University will further expand its successful LMU Academic Career Program – within the framework of LMU’s funding as "University of Excellence". Starting today, interested junior academics at LMU may apply for three university-wide support programs.

In recent years, LMU has successfully used its Academic Career Program to create very attractive research and training conditions for outstanding junior academics – at all stages of their academic careers. As part of its overall strategy, LMUexcellent: A New Perspective, which is funded by the German federal and state governments as part of the Excellence Strategy, LMU is now further expanding the Academic Career Program with a special focus on supporting postdocs.

It is LMU’s aim to provide junior academics with additional scope for research at an early stage in their careers – tailored to the requirements of the University’s diverse subject cultures. Therefore, the Junior Researcher Fund, advertised since 2014, will continue to provide seed funding to junior academics planning an application for substantial third-party funding projects as its core component. As a new element, postdocs will now be able to apply for sabbaticals to advance their research projects; including a stand-in for their own position as well as a research budget.

The new Knowledge Transfer Fund will provide funding to junior academics who are planning a third-party funding proposal directed at the application or transfer of basic research as well as for patent applications. Thus, in addition to innovations emanating from basic research, the Fund will help support networking activities with institutions in business or society and culture. In this way, LMU will also facilitate the development of alternative career paths outside academia.

Funding resources from the Postdoc Support Fund will enable LMU’s faculties to implement subject-related concepts for the promotion of junior academics, particularly with regard to international recruitment, to compatibility of career and family by way of facilitating the continuation of scientific activity, e.g. following periods of parental leave or care for relatives, to networking activities and to open-access publishing.

Applications

  • Interested postdocs at LMU may now apply for funding in the Junior Researcher Fund and the Knowledge Transfer Fund. Dedicated information events for interested applicants will be held in February. Detailed information is available at www.lmu.de/excellent/postdocs and on the Serviceportal (restricted access).
  • Detailed information on funding conditions as well as further advice on the Postdoc Support Fund will be provided by the respective faculties.

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