University of Konstanz is awarded contract for COFUND proposal

As one of three universities in Germany, the Zukunftskolleg of the University of Konstanz has successfully solicited co-financing from the EU programme „Marie Curie Actions COFUND“ in the amount of 6.24 million euros. The thus created „Zukunftskolleg Incoming Fellowship Programme“ (ZIF-Marie-Curie Programme) extends the existing fellowship programme of the Zukunftskolleg with a further international component.

With the ZIF-Marie-Curie Programme, the infrastructures of the Zukunftskolleg will be opened further to a global audience in accordance with the internationalisation activities of the University. At the same time, its guidelines that promote the mobility of young scientists and researchers, also offer the possibility to bring back outstanding German researchers from abroad. Over the course of five years, two-year (postdoctoral fellowships) and five-year fellowships (research fellowships) will be awarded to international scientists.

“With this programme we have a new offer to attract the best young researchers from abroad to the University of Konstanz. We can thus increase the global visibility of the University, strengthen the international research profile further and establish the Zukunftskolleg as a leading centre of training of top young researchers in Europe,” says Prof. Dr. Giovanni Galizia, director of the Zukunftskolleg. Together with the Research Support of the University, established by the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments, Galizia set the COFUND proposal into motion.

Part of the application requirements for the ZIF-Marie-Curie Programme is that participants may not have spent more than twelve months in Germany the past three years. „This means that scientists, for example, can apply who are already at the University of Konstanz. They benefit from the scientific community of the Zukunftskolleg and receive an additional 3,000 euros per year for research. So at the same time, we can promote the integration of the Zukunftskolleg into the university structures,” explains Dr. Stefanie Preuss from Research Support at the University of Konstanz, who developed the programme together with the Zukunftskolleg and wrote the proposal.

The ZIF-Marie-Curie Programme will be aimed at young scientists and researchers from all disciplines who combine a high degree of teamwork and leadership qualities and have the potential to significantly advance their research field. Prerequisite for applying is a doctoral degree, excellence in research and the ability to independently carry out a research project.

Candidates for the five-year fellowships must also have either raised their own or third-party funding or verify the funding of their own position through the University. The ZIF-Marie-Curie Fellows are fully integrated into the Zukunftskolleg as well as in their respective departments within the University. A tender for the Fellowships will be made soon.

The Zukunftskolleg is a building block of the institutional strategy of the University of Konstanz within the framework of the Excellence Initiative by the German federal and state governments. It is a research institution of the University of Konstanz for the promotion of young researchers. It maintains the dialogue across all subjects and generations through which the Fellows and Senior Fellows of the Zukunftskollleg are faced with ways of thinking, research approaches and methods from other disciplines.

Further programme details:
http://www.zukunftskolleg.uni-konstanz.de/en/
Contact:
University of Konstanz
Communications and Marketing
Phone: 07531 / 88-3603
Email: kum@uni-konstanz.de
Siegrid Elmer
University of Konstanz
Zukunftskolleg
Phone: 07531 / 88-4819
Email: Siegrid.Elmer@uni-konstanz.de