DAAD/Marie Curie Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (P.R.I.M.E.)

The German Academic Exchange Service  (DAAD) offers a new funding programme - co-financed by the Marie Curie Programme of the European Commission -  for outstanding postdoctoral researchers from all disciplines and nationalities: "Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience" (P.R.I.M.E). The funding consists of salaries instead of scholarships.

Funding is provided for 18 months, in which 12 months have to be spent abroad and 6 months (re-integration phase) at a German university. The re-integration phase is mandatory. The German university administrates the salary during the whole funding period.

The next call for applications will be published on 16 November 2015 with an application deadline on 1 February 2016. The starting date for funding will be 1 September 2016. Further details can be found at: https://www.daad.de/deutschland/stipendium/datenbank/en/22962-postdoctoral-researchers-international-mobility-experience/

My personal assessment: This COFUND funding could be most well suited to those who want to have a one-year Marie Curie postdoc in a highly reputable university outside Germany (Sorbonne, ETH, Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, MIT etc.) and then have a half-year reintegration phase in Germany. The call is suitable for all those with PhD or those who will defend their PhD in the next 8-9 months. The publication record will be assessed taking the time since PhD into account. The call information says that finding a re-integration phase German host other than your current employer could be assessed by the reviewers as showing willingness to broaden your research interests, a more independent attitude and more suitability for a research career. Nevertheless they don't rule out the current employer.