Visiting Fellows 2027

Stiftung Charité offers a wide range of funding programs to attract exciting personalities and renowned researchers to the life sciences in Berlin and to foster scientific exchange and cross-institutional collaboration – both through permanent recruitment and the temporary integration of visiting scientists. 

Through the Visiting Fellows program established or leading researchers from abroad or from other locations in Germany come to Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin (including the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) and the German Heart Center Berlin (DHZC)) or the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) for extended stays. During these stays, the Visiting Fellows and their hosts jointly develop research projects and, where applicable, establish a research group to pursue the joint project.

With their experience and expertise as well as their research ideas, the Visiting Fellows provide important impulses for the Berlin life sciences ecosystem. In their joint projects, Visiting Fellows and their hosts bring together their respective scientific perspectives, experience and networks. The collaboration creates new opportunities for scientific development for all those involved and strengthens the mutual exchange of knowledge and experience.

In this way, Stiftung Charité aims to strengthen the Berlin life sciences ecosystem and its national and international networks. The program also aims to enhance diversity within Berlin’s life sciences community, particularly with regard to gender, origin, internationality and age.

Visiting Fellows are established or leading researchers¹ at universities, research institutes and research-based companies who come to Berlin for extended stays at Charité (incl. BIH and DHZC) or MDC to develop a larger research project of mutual scientific interest together with their hosts on site and, where applicable, to implement it with a dedicated research group. The collaboration fosters scientific exchange and the joint development of research approaches. It can also include mentoring an individual junior researcher at the host institution. The funding is also explicitly intended to provide seed funding for promising new research foci and thus to strategically prepare strong scientific collaborative projects and alliances capable of receiving third-party funding. In addition, with regard to the Visiting Fellows, the diversity at the location, in particular with regard to gender, origin, internationality and age, is to be strengthened.

The program includes three different funding options depending on the objective and maturity of the project as well as the involvement of the Visiting Fellow:

• Track A: Funding of the Visiting Fellow to develop a project idea and design
• Track B: Funding of the Visiting Fellow and seed funding for a research group to design and implement a pilot phase of the project
• Track C: Funding of the Visiting Fellow and funding for a research group to conduct the project
   

Depending on the track, Stiftung Charité provides funding to the following extent:

Applications are submitted for one specific track and will be reviewed respectively (see “Proposal and assessment criteria”). In all cases, the Visiting Fellow and the host are expected to seek follow-up funding for the project and, where applicable, the research group at an early stage and to further develop the project into a strong scientific collaboration capable of attracting third-party funding.

The Visiting Fellows may use the designation “Visiting Fellow, funded by Stiftung Charité“ for the duration of their funding. 

Provided that the respective requirements are met, the Visiting Fellows are also to be integrated into their institution as Gastprofessorinnen and Gastprofessoren in accordance with the state higher education regulations.

Funding may consist of

1. funds of up to 50,000.00 euros per year to enable the Visiting Fellow’s stays at the host institution (e.g. through an appropriate expense allowance or reimbursement of travel expenses) and the scientific collaboration within the funded project; and, only in Track B and C,
2. personnel funds for members of the research group to be established and
3. material funds for the research project of the research group (in Track B a total of up to 100,000.00 euros per year; in Track C a total of up to 150,000.00 euros per year).

In cases to be justified in the application, the funds specified under a) may also be used for material expenses or for personnel costs for the employment of staff, provided that the Visiting Fellow's stays at the host institution can be ensured otherwise. Reallocation of funds after the start of funding is also possible with appropriate justification.

Charité (incl. BIH and DHZC) or MDC guarantees to provide suitable workplaces, including the necessary infrastructure, for the Visiting Fellow and, where applicable, for all members of the research group.

There are no contractual relationships between Stiftung Charité and the Visiting Fellow or his or her home institution. Any arrangements required for the implementation of the fellowship are to be made between the Visiting Fellow and/or his or her home institution and the host institution in accordance with the applicable rules of the host institution.

Funding from Stiftung Charité is provided as a lump sum to Charité (incl. BIH and DHZC) or MDC. The specific administrative and legal arrangements for the collaboration, as well as the use of the approved funding (including material and travel funds) are governed by the applicable rules of the host institution. 

Stiftung Charité recommends considering the administrative and financial arrangements for the collaboration at an early stage, involving the host, the host institution, the Visiting Fellow and his or her home institution as appropriate.

Researchers who are either members of the Executive Board of Charité (incl. BIH and DHZC) or MDC or who head a center, an institute, a clinic or a research group there are eligible to apply. They also act as hosts for the Visiting Fellows. Other persons at Charité (incl. BIH and DHZC) or MDC may act as co-applicants.

Applications are submitted by the host for the nominated Visiting Fellow and are prepared jointly with him or her.

The nominated Visiting Fellow must be an established or leading researcher² in the respective life sciences field. He or she should be able to demonstrate appropriate scientific experience and achievements, whereby, in addition to the usual achievements in research and teaching, explicit achievements in knowledge and technology transfer or establishment of scientific infrastructures will be given equal consideration. The nominated Visiting Fellow may work in Germany or abroad at a university, a research institute or a research-based company. The nomination of Visiting Fellows who are active in private-sector research and development is expressly encouraged.

The application is submitted for one specific track and consists of

(a) information on the nominated Visiting Fellow and his or her scientific qualifications and achievements (incl. CV and a selected list of the five own publications most relevant to the project; no complete publication list may be submitted); it must be demonstrated that the nominated Visiting Fellow has the scientific qualifications required for an established or leading researcher; equal consideration will be given to achievements in research, teaching, knowledge, technology transfer and establishment of scientific infrastructures,

(b) information on the host (CV and a selected publication list; no complete publication list may be submitted)

(c) project description, including information on the following aspects:

• motives, topics, relevance as well as scientific and strategic goals of the project
• current state of research and development: positioning of the project in its international research context and description of preliminary work; the application itself must be comprehensible without reference to cited or attached literature
• significance and added value of the Visiting Fellow to the host institution, its national and international collaborative network and strategic focus
• degree of maturity of existing or to be developed collaborations between the host institution, the Visiting Fellow and his or her home institution and, if applicable, other partners, as well as planned measures to integrate the Visiting Fellow into the Berlin life sciences ecosystem
• potential and perspectives of the project, especially with regard to submitting an application for competitive third-party funding from major funding organizations such as the German Research Foundation (DFG) or the European Research Council (ERC)
• work and time schedule (incl. the planned visit(s) to Berlin)
• in case of mentioning mentoring: information about the junior researcher being the mentee (CV, list and – if possible – copies of the five most important publications at own discretion)
• only in case of applying for Track B or C: description of the topic and size of the planned research group in Berlin including information on the tasks to be performed by the research group members funded by the Stiftung Charité
• details of ethical aspects (if applicable)
• in case of mentioning co-applicants or cooperation partners, please submit declarations of intent issued by them and addressing the planned cooperation

(d) budget plan

(e) confirmation issued by the host about providing the workspace and the necessary infrastructure.

The applications are evaluated both with regard to the nominated Visiting Fellow’s scientific qualifications and achievements (research, teaching, knowledge, technology transfer and establishment of scientific infrastructures) and with regard to the quality, potential for continuation and added value of the project for the Berlin life sciences. The appropriateness of the proposed funding track is also evaluated in terms of funding amount and duration as well as degree of maturity. Higher requirements are placed on an application in Track B than in Track A. An application in Track C is again subject to higher requirements than in Track B. During the evaluation, funding in another track may be recommended and decided.

The Visiting Fellow is expected to come to Berlin at least three times a year for multi-week stays or at least one time per year for a multi-month stay. In addition to the physical visits, plans for remote collaboration can also be outlined.

The funding is also explicitly intended to serve as seed funding for promising new research priorities and thus for the strategic preparation of strong scientific alliances capable of attracting third-party funding. In all three tracks, it is expected that by the end of the Stiftung Charité funding, an application will be submitted for the acquisition of competitively awarded third-party funds from large funding organizations, such as DFG or ERC.

Please submit your applications via the online portal. 

By submitting an application, the applicant declares that he or she has read Stiftung Charité’s grant conditions (Bewilligungsgrundsätze) as well as the program information of the program to which his or her application refers and accepts them as the legally binding basis for any funding of his or her project. Furthermore, the applicant acknowledges Stiftung Charité's standards for the realization of funded projects and data protection information (Datenschutzhinweise).

Applications are submitted to Stiftung Charité, where they are reviewed for form. Formally admissible applications are passed on to a selection panel appointed by Stiftung Charité, which is composed of external life scientists, representatives from other funding institutions and representatives from potential host institutions. The panel evaluates the eligibility of the proposed projects guided by the criteria detailed above and makes funding recommendations to the Board of Trustees. Stiftung Charité’s Board of Trustees makes the final funding decisions.

Dr. Inga Lödige
Research Funding Manager

Stiftung Charité
Novalisstraße 10
10115 Berlin

Phone:   +49 (0)30 450 570 - 577
E-mail:   loedige(at)stiftung-charite.de  
Website:  www.stiftung-charite.de