The Walter Benjamin Programme is a fellowship and staff-position scheme run by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Germany’s central self-governing research funding organization, for researchers in the early phase of their career after completing a doctorate. It exists specifically to let a postdoc pursue an independently designed research project at a location of their own choosing, most commonly at a foreign host institution — making it one of the main routes by which a Germany-based postdoctoral researcher can spend a funded period working abroad while retaining a formal tie back into the German research system. This guide covers who qualifies, how the outbound-mobility eligibility test works, what the two funding modules actually pay for, and what a proposal needs to include.
What the DFG Walter Benjamin Programme is
DFG individual grants programmes are organized around career stage rather than discipline, and Walter Benjamin sits at the postdoctoral end of that ladder, one step before DFG’s Emmy Noether Programme (which funds an independent junior research group, typically several years further into a postdoctoral career). Per DFG’s own programme description, it is “aimed exclusively at postdocs in an early phase after completion of their doctorate,” and its defining feature is that it generally requires the applicant to change research institution — the programme is built around mobility, not around continuing in place. A researcher can use it in one of two directions: moving from a German institution to a foreign host institution (the outbound case this guide focuses on), or, for a German-trained researcher currently abroad, moving to take up a position in Germany.
Who is eligible
The baseline eligibility requirement is career stage: applicants must be postdoctoral researchers who have recently completed their doctorate and are still in the early postdoctoral phase; DFG does not publish a single fixed number of years defining that window, so applicants close to the boundary should confirm their own eligibility directly with DFG before preparing a full proposal.
For the outbound (funding-abroad) case specifically, DFG applies an additional integration test, because the fellowship is meant to fund researchers who remain part of the German research system rather than researchers who have already relocated permanently. An applicant qualifies for funding abroad if either of the following applies immediately prior to submitting the proposal:
- They have worked as a researcher in Germany for a continuous period of at least three years during their doctoral and/or postdoctoral phase; or
- They are already based abroad, but completed the majority of their schooling and higher education in Germany, and have not spent more than three years abroad for research purposes since completing their doctorate (whether the doctorate was earned in Germany or abroad).
In addition, an applicant who is already based abroad must not have worked longer than one year at the specific host institution they are proposing to join, as of the time the proposal is submitted — the programme funds a move, not a continuation of work already under way at that institution.
The outbound mobility structure: Fellowship vs. Position
Walter Benjamin funding is delivered through two distinct modules, and which one applies depends on where the researcher will actually be based during the funded period:
- Fellowship module (funding abroad): used when the researcher will be working at a foreign host institution. Funding is paid as a personal fellowship — a monthly stipend rather than a salaried staff position — together with country-specific foreign allowances, a cost-of-living supplement, a travel allowance, and child allowances where applicable.
- Position module (funding in Germany): used when the researcher will be based at a German host institution, including a German-trained researcher moving back from abroad. Funding here takes the form of a staff position under the DFG staff category “postdoctoral researcher and comparable,” with the position paying 100% of the applicant’s remuneration, or as a temporary substitute position.
Both modules are built around the same underlying logic: the money follows the researcher to a new institution and a self-designed project, with the module simply reflecting the tax, employment, and social-insurance treatment appropriate to whichever country the researcher will actually be working in.
Funding scope and duration
As a rule, Walter Benjamin funding runs for up to two years; DFG grants extensions beyond that only in exceptional cases. Within that period, both modules cover more than just the researcher’s own stipend or salary:
- Direct project costs are funded through a flat monthly allowance — €313 per month under the fellowship (abroad) module, or €250 per month under the position (Germany) module — intended to cover materials, minor equipment, and similar project running costs without a separate itemized budget.
- Additional funding of up to €5,000 per year is available specifically for book publication costs.
- Travel costs, and increased costs for literature research, publication, and related project expenses, are also eligible.
- For the fellowship module abroad, the personal award additionally includes foreign-country and cost-of-living allowances and, where relevant, child allowances, on top of the core stipend.
The host institution, in turn, is expected to provide the working environment around that funding — office or lab space, supervision or a comparable point of contact, and any additional project costs, equipment, or staff support the specific research plan requires; DFG funding under Walter Benjamin is not intended to cover the full infrastructure cost of running a lab from scratch.
Application requirements and process
Walter Benjamin proposals can be submitted at any time — there is no fixed annual deadline or call cycle, which is typical of DFG’s individual-grants programmes generally. A core proposal package includes:
- A curriculum vitae documenting the doctorate and subsequent research career, used partly to establish eligibility for the early-postdoctoral career stage and (for outbound applicants) the German-research-system integration test above.
- A written statement of acceptance from the proposed host institution confirming the applicant will be hosted there.
- For the position module specifically, a statement from a researcher at the host institution describing the concrete career-development measures the position will provide, since that module is structured as staff employment rather than an independent fellowship.
- The research project description itself, prepared to DFG’s standard individual-grants proposal requirements.
DFG’s own guidance is explicit that applicants should not attach endorsements or reference letters from third parties to the proposal — the review is meant to run on the documented eligibility criteria and the project description, not on solicited third-party support. Average processing time for an individual-grant decision under this programme is around six months from submission, though DFG notes this varies case by case.
How it compares to other postdoc mobility funding
Walter Benjamin is Germany-specific and mobility-first: it is built around the requirement to change institution, and its outbound eligibility test is designed to keep the applicant tied to the German research system even while working abroad. That makes it a useful point of comparison against two adjacent mechanisms a research administrator working internationally will also encounter. The EU’s MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowship runs a broadly comparable postdoctoral-mobility logic at the European level rather than the national-funder level, open to researchers moving into or within Europe rather than tied to a single home research system. Within DFG’s own portfolio, the Emmy Noether Programme targets a later career stage — funding an independent junior research group rather than an individual postdoctoral project — and does not carry the same institution-change requirement. A researcher weighing options should also check funder-specific postdoctoral schemes in their target country, such as CASRAI’s guides on UK postdoctoral fellowships and Canadian postdoctoral fellowships, since eligibility windows and funding structures differ meaningfully by country even where the underlying career stage is the same.
Frequently asked questions
Who can apply to the DFG Walter Benjamin Programme?
Postdoctoral researchers in the early phase after completing their doctorate. For funding to work abroad specifically, applicants must also meet DFG’s integration test showing a continuing tie to the German research system — either at least three continuous years working in Germany immediately before applying, or, for those already abroad, having completed most of their education in Germany and not yet spent more than three years abroad since the doctorate.
Does Walter Benjamin fund research abroad, or only in Germany?
Both, through two different modules. The fellowship module funds a period abroad at a foreign host institution; the position module funds a staff postdoctoral position in Germany, including for researchers returning from abroad. The programme’s defining feature either way is that it generally requires a change of institution.
How long does Walter Benjamin funding last?
Up to two years as a rule, with extensions granted only in exceptional cases.
What does the funding actually cover?
A personal stipend (fellowship module, abroad) or salaried position (position module, Germany), plus a monthly direct-cost allowance (€313/month abroad, €250/month in Germany), up to €5,000 per year toward book publication costs, and travel and related project expenses. The fellowship module abroad also includes foreign-country, cost-of-living, and child allowances.
Is there an application deadline?
No. Proposals can be submitted at any time; DFG reports an average processing time of around six months.
How is Walter Benjamin different from DFG’s Emmy Noether Programme?
Career stage and structure. Walter Benjamin is aimed at the early postdoctoral phase and funds an individual project through a fellowship or staff position; Emmy Noether targets a later postdoctoral stage and funds an independent junior research group with its own staff and multi-year renewable budget. See CASRAI’s Emmy Noether Programme comparison for the detail.
