Research Training Groups
Funds university-based doctoral research and training groups, including international partnerships, to advance early career researchers through interdisciplinary and collaborative science.
Funder: German Research Foundation
Due Dates: Draft and establishment proposals accepted any time (rolling) | Committee meetings: May 28–29, 2026 | November 12–13, 2026
Funding Amounts: Up to 9 years per group; €297M total annual programme budget; typical doctoral researcher post 36–48 months (TV-L E13, 65–100% FTE).
Summary: Supports university-based, structured doctoral research and training programmes, with optional international collaboration, to foster early career researchers.
Key Information: Proposals may be submitted at any time; two-stage process with rolling deadlines and biannual committee review.
Description
This programme funds Research Training Groups (RTGs), university-established initiatives designed to promote early career researchers through focused research and structured doctoral training. Emphasizing scientific excellence, interdisciplinarity, and internationalization, RTGs offer a high-quality research environment, innovative qualification activities, and integrated visiting researcher opportunities. The programme also includes International Research Training Groups (IRTGs), which involve formal partnerships between German universities and institutions abroad, providing dual supervision and mandatory international research stays for doctoral candidates.
