FAQ: UA Ruhr Proposal Writing Grants

The UA Ruhr Proposal Writing Grant is a funding offered by the Research Academy to support international postdoctoral researchers in preparing competitive third-party funding applications. The grant enables a three-month research stay at one of the universities of the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr) in order to write a joint grant application together with a host researcher.

In the University Alliance Ruhr (UA Ruhr), Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen combine their expertise and resources to further expand their performance and ability to compete – and to advance research on pressing issues of the future. UA Ruhr represents one of the largest and most innovative research locations in Germany. 

Applicants must collaborate with a host from one of the three universities in order to be eligible for the Proposal Writing Grant.

The three-month stay is intended to help you prepare and draft a third-party funding application together with your host. You get to know each other better in person, develop a joint research project, initiate or strengthen academic cooperations, and lay the foundation for a longer-term collaboration.

International postdoctoral researchers from all academic disciplines are eligible to apply.

Applicants must:

• Be affiliated with a research institution outside Germany
• Have completed their doctorate no more than three years prior to the application deadline
• Find a committed host, i.e. professor, junior professor, or junior research group leader from one of the UA Ruhr universities

The eligibility window is based on when you officially completed your doctorate. This generally refers to the date shown on your doctoral certificate. If your defence and certificate dates differ, use the date on the certificate for eligibility purposes (no more than three years prior to the application deadline).

Suitable hosts are:

• Professors
• Junior professors
• Junior research group leaders

The host must be affiliated with Ruhr University Bochum, TU Dortmund University or the University of Duisburg-Essen 

No. A host from one of the UA Ruhr universities is mandatory at the time of application. 

The host has to write a letter of invitation with a brief description of the joint project and a brief statement explaining the reason for the personal invitation (max. 2 pages). Applications without any invitation letter are not valid.

Applicants are responsible for identifying and securing a suitable host themselves.

The stay must last three consecutive months and must be completed within the year 2026.

The funded stay must:

• Last three consecutive months
• Be completed until the end of 2026

Yes. You are responsible for planning and organizing your stay at the UA Ruhr host institution on your own. The stay must last for three consecutive months and begin and end in 2026, but we do not specify any other fixed dates. Please coordinate the exact period and agree on a work plan with your host to ensure mutual availability.

Funding decisions are expected to be announced at the end of April 2026.

Applicants are responsible for identifying a suitable host, organizing travel, securing accommodation, and ensuring that all administrative requirements (e.g., visa, insurance) are fulfilled.

No. The funding is designed for a continuous three-month stay at the host institution to ensure sustained collaboration and effective project development. Splitting the period into separate visits is generally not permissible.

The funding consists of a monthly scholarship of €1,500 for three consecutive months. This amount is paid as a lump sum. The grant does not cover additional costs such as travel, accommodation or research expenses. Co-financing from other sources is permitted.

Double funding is not permitted, but co-financing (e.g. via university chairs) is possible. Please check with any third-party funding providers or scholarship providers regarding any specific conditions that may apply to you. Applicants are responsible for clarifying such issues themselves. 

However, our grant itself covers only the fixed monthly lump sum.

No. The scholarship is strictly limited to three consecutive months in 2026.

Applications can be submitted from 27 February to 23 March 2026, 12:00 p.m. (CET).

You must submit:

1.    Application form via Eveeno: https://eveeno.com/370836660

2.    One single PDF file with the naming scheme: Lastname_Firstname consisting of:
a)    Letter of invitation from the UA Ruhr host (max. 2 pages) including:

• Brief description of the joint project
• Statement explaining the reason for the personal invitation

b)    Tabular work plan

The PDF file must be uploaded via the following Sciebo link: https://ruhr-uni-bochum.sciebo.de/s/QBRgBnb6fzn3bde

The required work plan refers to the funded three-month stay in the UA Ruhr.

First, complete the online application form via Eveeno: https://eveeno.com/370836660 

In addition, upload the invitation letter and the tabular work plan (also see:  What documents are required for the application?) as one single PDF file via the following Sciebo link: https://ruhr-uni-bochum.sciebo.de/s/QBRgBnb6fzn3bde 

Please use the following file naming format for your PDF: Lastname_Firstname

Important: Your application will only be considered complete once you have uploaded the PDF file via Sciebo by the deadline.

Sciebo is a German, non-commercial cloud storage service provided by universities for universities and operates in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

After submitting the application form, you will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt from Eveeno. However, your application is only complete once you have uploaded the PDF file via Sciebo. If a confirmation such as “Uploaded files: […]” or “Uploaded files to Writing Grants 2026” appears on your screen, the upload was successful and we have received your documents. Sciebo does not send a confirmation email upon upload, but we will reach out to you if no documents have been submitted.

Application documents must be submitted in German or English.

Applications will be assessed based on:

• Overall quality, coherence and comprehensibility
• Plausibility of the work plan
• Selection of the targeted funding line
• Rationale for the selection of the host
• Host’s commitment to the project

The assessment will be carried out by the ECR Board of the UA Ruhr.

Funding decisions are expected to be announced at the end of April 2026. Applicants will be informed once the selection process has been completed.

No, we are not planning a traditional report on your experiences. Instead, we will ask you to participate in an evaluation after your stay.

In addition, we would like to share inspiring insights into your time at the UA Ruhr on our LinkedIn channel. We need your support for this.
Ideally, before the end of your stay, we ask you to provide:

• A short text in English (max. 2,500 characters)
• 3-5 meaningful photos

We will provide the funded postdocs with more details in good time.