Internal Funding Programmes
The German Sport University Cologne guides and supports academic careers at every stage of professional development – from the start of an academic career right through to a professorship.
On this page, you will find an overview of the university’s internal funding programmes, which provide targeted support at the various stages of your academic career: from funding opportunities for Master’s students and PhD candidates, through to programmes for postdocs and those preparing for their habilitation, right through to further professional development for academics on the path to a professorship.
Our funding formats range from financial support and start-up funding, through training and networking opportunities, to structural advice. The aim is to nurture promising research ideas at an early stage, to promote individual career paths and to create the best possible conditions for successful research at our university.
Internal Research Funding
As part of its internal research funding programme, the German Sport University Cologne supports innovative research projects by early-career researchers that are of fundamental and/or applied significance to sport science. The aim is to provide early-career researchers with the opportunity, through project or start-up funding, to implement or prepare their own research ideas and to develop and strengthen their research profile. The university’s internal research funding is advertised across several funding streams, each designed to support early-career researchers at different stages of their academic careers in terms of focus and duration.
Our funding programmes & calls for proposals
This funding scheme is available to support individual components of a developing research proposal or smaller projects carried out as part of a Master’s thesis. We provide funding for enrolled Master’s students. Applications for up to €2,500 will be considered. Applications may also be submitted jointly with other students.
This funding scheme is available to support individual components of a broader research programme or smaller projects undertaken as part of a doctoral thesis. Funding is available to doctoral candidates enrolled at our university. Applications for up to €5,000 will be considered. Applications may also be submitted jointly with other students.
Securing competitive funding from external funding bodies such as the DFG, the EU, the BMBF, the BISp, foundations, etc. is intended to enhance young researchers’ ability to secure external funding and give them the opportunity to prepare such an application whilst receiving funding from the university’s internal research funding scheme. Junior lecturers, PhD candidates in the final stages of their thesis and those who have already completed their PhD are eligible to apply. Up to €40,000 may be applied for over a period of twelve months to prepare a third-party funding application. The funds may be used to cover staff costs, material costs and travel expenses (excluding conference fees).
The aim of this funding scheme is to support researchers who have completed their doctorates in establishing and developing an independent research profile, in progressing towards academic independence, and in building international academic collaborations. Those eligible to apply are PhD graduates who are employed at the German Sport University Cologne for the entire duration of the project. Individual applications of up to €15,000 will be considered.
Under this funding scheme, which forms part of the university’s internal research funding programme, the aim is to provide targeted support to female researchers at the German Sport University Cologne during their doctoral and postdoctoral studies to further their professional development. We therefore fund innovative, individual research projects that are of fundamental and/or applied significance to sports science. Under this funding scheme, this may include smaller projects, publication proposals and the preparation of research grant applications.
Junior Researchers' Awards
With a view to providing special support for the next generation of sports scientists, the German Sport University Cologne awards prizes for outstanding academic theses and for sustainable research projects with an applied and/or fundamental focus. This call for entries is open exclusively to graduates of our university. Eligible entries are ‘excellent’ pieces of work completed in the previous year for which an assessment is available at the time of submission. Prizes will be awarded for the best final dissertation in the category of social sciences Master’s and degree dissertations, the best final dissertation in the category of life sciences Master’s and degree dissertations (€750 each), as well as the best doctoral thesis in the social sciences category and the best doctoral thesis in the life sciences category (€1,125 each).
University-internal postgraduate scholarships
At the German Sport University Cologne, a total of two internal postgraduate scholarships (PhD scholarships) are awarded for doctoral studies in the fields of life sciences and social sciences. The scholarships provide a monthly stipend of €1,650 (€1,850 for applicants with a child) for a period of three years, with the option to extend for a further six months. Applicants must have completed a university degree that qualifies them to undertake a PhD. Please refer to the current calls for applications for details on the documents to be submitted and the application process.
Support for female researchers
The German Sport University Cologne has set itself the aim of providing targeted support for young female researchers in order to increase the proportion of women in leading academic positions in sport science in the medium and long term. Information on internal funding opportunities and mentoring schemes for female researchers at the German Sport University can be found on our Gender Equality webpage.
Postdocs form part of the group of experienced researchers who make an important contribution to research and teaching at our university, whilst at the same time gaining further qualifications towards a professorship. The German Sport University Cologne’s Equality and University Development Plan aims to support female postdocs in their career development. The “TEAMWORKprofessional” programme is designed to be a tailor-made initiative for this target group and is currently being developed.
Support for female researchers at the early career stage
The TEAMWORKScience programme is also aimed at female sports scientists who are currently undertaking their PhD and wish to pursue a career in sports science. Over the course of 19 months, they will gain in-depth insights into the structures, processes and conventions of academia and research, receive support with their individual career planning, expand their research-specific skills and knowledge, and build and expand their professional network.
Family grants
Parents who are working on their PhD, habilitation or postdoctoral research are eligible to apply. Applicants must have a contractual affiliation with the German Sport University Cologne. Members of our university community can find further information on the application procedure on the intranet.
