TUM Talent Factory for Postdocs
The TUM Talent Factory is open to all young researchers at TUM and to international postdocs who want to conduct a research project at TUM. We currently provide support with the following offers & activities:
Support in the selection of Suitable National and International Funding Programmes
We support researchers with information about suitable national and international funding programmes like the e.g. Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German Research Foundation (DFG) or Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (MSCA-IF). We also recommend to either download our Guide "Funding Opportunities for Postdocs" or to contact us if you are an external researcher.
Please note that external researchers first need the support of a TUM professor to make use of our support services! You can find an overview of all professors at TUM here.
Proposal Feedback
We provide support during the preparation of a research proposal, including feedback for first-time applicants.
Note: At TUM, the Third-Party Funding Team of the Finance Department (ZA3) is responsible for questions regarding finances and budget.
Information Events and Workshops
Through regular grant writing workshops and the annual Marie Curie Writing Camp for applicants who would like to apply for a Marie Curie Fellowship, we offer researchers the opportunity to submit competitive proposals with the input and feedback of professional trainers.
Furthermore, we provide information events on funding opportunities for doctoral students in their final year and early-career postdocs ("Career Paths in Academia"). The next event will take place in March 2021.
Employment Statements/ “Arbeitgebererklärungen”
Employment Statements (Arbeitgebererklärungen), which are required e.g. for the submission of DFG Research Grants or the Walter Benjamin Programme, need to be signed at TUM by the Dean of the respective Department and the Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation. Please contact the TUM Talent Factory regarding the process and the latter signature.
For further Letters of Intent or declarations that are required by the funder to submit a proposal, please also contact the team beforehand.
Postdoc-Workshops
With TUM Postdocs Workshops on topics such as science communication, funding, teamwork and networking, we aim to support early career researchers to develop important skills and knowledge in areas that are relevant to their careers and go beyond everyday research activities, and provide opportunities to network with other postdocs. All workshops are in English. TUM researchers can also participate in the digital Nature Masterclasses at any time.
Online lecture series for postdocs: TUM Postdoc101
With the Munich Postdoc101 Talks series, the TUM Talent Factory has been offering an online lecture series on various relevant topics that are of particular importance for postdocs such as third-party funding, industry collaborations, or intellectual property.
Further offers at the TUM
Other relevant offers for postdocs are also provided by the TUM Institute for LifeLong Learning, ProLehre, the University Library or TUM Horizons .
The Welcome Services of the TUM Global & Alumni Office support international postdocs, on behalf of TUM, with all the formalities involved in moving to Munich.
International Career Fairs
The TUM Talent Factory regularly participates in international career fairs for young researchers. These include, for example, the European Career Fair at MIT (usually in February), the annual conference of the German Academic International Network (GAIN) in the USA (usually in August).
We also take part in various events for young researchers in Brazil, Egypt or India, which are organised by the TUM Liaison Officern and the DAAD and the German Houses of Science and Innovation (DWIH).
We are happy to share job postings for open postdoc positions at these events. We usually share information about these events a month in advance via the TUM ForTe Newsletter, but you can also contact us directly via Email.
Research Opportunities Week (ROW)
Since 2013, the TUM Talent Factory regularly organises the Research Opportunities Week. Doctoral students in their final year and young postdocs who have their place of residence abroad can apply to get to know TUM for a week. During the event, you can exchange ideas with professors, get an overview of the research landscape in Germany and funding opportunities for postdocs, and then apply for the TUM Global Postdoc Fellowship. The TUM Talent Factory is organizing the next ROW for October 2022 (applications closed).
TUM Global Postdoc Fellowship
The TUM Talent Factory coordinates the application and selection process of the TUM Global Postdoc Fellowships and supports the fellows once they have started their fellowship. Until now, 131 TUM University Foundation Fellowships have been awarded, an overview of all current and future fellows can be found here. Among other things, the Fellows are supported to apply for third-party funding to extend their research stay at TUM.
Coordination and support for applicants of the EuroTechPostdoc Programme
With the EuroTech Postdoc Programme , successful applicants can spend 2 years at TUM and the other EuroTech universities. The next call will open towards the end of 2021.
Since 2007, the Technische Universität München has been awarding young researchers holding the title of "TUM Junior Fellow" who have obtained independent third-party-funded junior research groups such as Emmy Noether groups (DFG) or BMBF Junior Research Groups in highly competitive programmes.
The TUM Talent Factory is the point of contact for the TUM Junior Fellows and takes care of the online profiles.
TUM ForTe is the central contact at TUM for nominations for the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation's Philipp Schwartz-Initiative for researchers at risk and supports fellows during their research stay at TUM.
Please note: This project is only offered in German, as this is the primary language of instruction at universities of applied sciences. A native language level (C1-C2) is usually required for a professorship at these universities.
Informieren Sie sich hierzu beim Projekt "Attract2HM" an der TUM Graduate School, das Postdocs und Promovierende mit Angeboten zum Thema Karriereziel einer Professur an der Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (HAW, ehem. Fachhochschule) unterstützt. Da an diesen Hochschulen die Unterrichtssprache Deutsch ist, sind hervorragende Sprachkenntnisse auf muttersprachlichem Niveau in der Regel Voraussetzung für diese Karriereoption. Daher findet auch das Programm auf Deutsch statt.
Funding Opportunities for Postdocs
The guide Funding Opportunities for Postdocs provides an overview of the most important funding programs for postdocs. TUM researchers can directly download the guide here with their TUM-ID.
Guide for new TUM Postdocs
Are you a new postdoc at TUM? Access the TUM Postdoc Guide here to learn more about support offers and points of contact for postdocs at TUM as well as life in Munich.
Workshop Program for Postdocs
The program provides an overview of the support program including workshops & talks organized by the TUM Talent Factory.
Description: Nature Masterclasses comprises a wide range of online courses on writing scientific articles, publishing, research collaboration, scientific data management and storytelling for scientists. Since TUM has an institutional subscription to Nature Masterclasses this is a unique opportunity as a TUM member to take advantage of the valuable information in these courses. To access the course offerings through the Nature Masterclasses platform we invite you to visit our website for more details.
Description: Every scientist who decides to stay permanently in academia, sooner or later faces what is supposed to be career’s hardest challenge: Applying for full professorship. The aim of the webcast is to provide participants with detailed information about all phases of the appointment procedure for professorships (focus Germany), and to give them concrete advice and tips for their applications. The webcast will first deal with the procedure and the formal aspects of the appointment process. Afterwards, all necessary application documents (especially CV, cover letter, research and teaching concept) will be discussed in detail and partly illustrated with sample materials. The third part addresses all aspects of the hearing. Participants will learn about the requirements for the application talk and the demonstration lecture. In addition, the most frequently asked questions in the interview with the selection committee will be discussed.
Trainer: Dr. Dieta Kuchenbrandt studied Psychology at the University of Greifswald, spent her postdoctoral years at the Center of Excellence in Cognitive Interaction Technology (CITEC, Bielefeld University), and was a visiting professor for Social Psychology at the University of Osnabrück. In addition, she completed a two-year training program in management consulting and coaching (Deutsche Psychologenakademie). Today, she is the co-owner of schainundkuchenbrandt, working as a trainer and coach dedicated to the interests and concerns of scientists in academia. Her work particularly focuses on career planning and applying for professorships.
Webcast details and registration: As a member of TUM, you can register for access to the webcast on our website.