Appointment Accelerator

The program provides top-up funds for German universities to expedite their appointment negotiations with promising scholars (in the R3 career stage) from around the world.

Universities can apply for funding of up to €400,000 if their own funds are not sufficient to conclude the appointment negotiations successfully. The maximum amount of funding that can be applied for may not exceed the costs of staff and equipment provided by the university exclusively for this professorship. The universities are free to use the Foundation's funds for staff expenses and equipment as well as onboarding and dual-career measures. The funds must be spent within the first four years of the tenure track period.

All German universities currently in negotiations to appoint a promising international academic to a tenure track professorship are eligible to apply. Each university can submit one application per call. Applications can be submitted for candidates who hold a doctorate and have been working outside of Germany for at least three years at the time of application.

Applications for 2024 can be submitted via our application portal until October 1, 2024. For 2025, applications are expected to be due on March 1 and October 1, 2025.