General Research Grants┋Scholarships

Within the General Research Funding Programme of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, the focus lies on the Historical Humanities, in particular Archaeology, History, Historical Islamic Studies, Art History, History of Law, Prehistory and Early History, History of Science.

Applications from neighbouring disciplines are possible if the core research question is historically oriented.

Please note: Within the General Research Grants programme, the Foundation distinguishes between three types of funding: research projects, research scholarships, and PhD scholarships. The decisive factor is who is being funded and in what form the funding is provided.

Research Scholarship
Select this funding option if
– you are applying for a personal scholarship to finance your own working hours,
– and if the grant is intended to support you exclusively.
Travel and material expenses may be requested in addition.

Research Project
This funding option is required if
– additional scholarship holders (e.g. staff members or doctoral candidates) are to be supported – regardless of whether you apply for a scholarship for yourself,
– or if you are not applying for a personal scholarship but are requesting travel and material aid only.

PhD Scholarship
Doctoral candidates are not eligible to apply for research projects or research scholarships. They may, however, apply for a PhD scholarship.

For postdoctoral researchers the same eligibility criteria apply to all scholarship holders, regardless of the funding type.

Please make sure to use the correct application form.

Please complete the research project form as an individual researcher only if you are not applying for a scholarship for yourself and are requesting research-related support only (travel and material expenses).

Below you will find all information concerning the application process for individual researchers applying for a research scholarship.

Application

Type and scope of the funding

Applications for research scholarships can be submitted directly by Postdocs or scholars with Post Doctoral Lecture Qualification. A research scholarship is usually applied for by an individual scholar who will work on a specific project on their own. No institutional affiliation is required. When awarding a scholarship, the Foundation assumes that the recipient will undertake the project on a full-time basis; part-time scholarships are not possible. Concurrent receipt of a salary or of a pension/retirement benefits is not permitted.

The funding period is generally between one and 24 months.

Application documents

From now on, it is only possible to apply electronically for the general research grants. The necessary application documents can be uploaded in the electronic application form.

The following documents must be included in an application for a research scholarship (in German or English):

• description of the research proposal (max. 8 pages)

  • plus bibliography if necessary (in addition to the max. 8 pages)
  • at least font size 11 and line spacing 1.5
  • please choose a readable font, e.g. Arial 11 pt. or Times New Roman 12 pt.

• time schedule and working plan with information about the necessary travel to archives, libraries and museums or other destinations

• detailed cost calculation
  • specific funds being applied for must be precisely defined. Please indicate all costs in euros.
  • calculation of travel (travel, local transportation and lodging) and material costs (e.g. for photocopies or film versions of archive material, photographs, etc., not a lump sum for books)
  • scholarships and possible allowances must be listed in the cost plan. Please note our fixed monthly rates
  • no flat-rate daily allowance or flat-rates for hotel expenses
  • no college or tuition fees

• tabular curriculum vitae with list of publications

• copies of academic certificates (Masters, PhD, professorship, etc.; please do not send Bachelor certificates)

• one letter of recommendation
  • signed by the author
  • upload via the online recommendation form
  • possibility to submit more than one letter of recommendation

Please note that the Gerda Henkel Foundation will not contact any referees and the applicants are responsible for requesting the letters of recommendation themselves.

Please do not additionally send the documents by email or postal mail.

Criteria

Criteria for applications submitted by new and previous applicants

Criteria for applicants

• Applications for a “research scholarship for post-doctoral researchers” may only be made if applicants received their PhD within the last ten years. The relevant date is the one indicated on the doctoral diploma/PhD certificate. Potential periods of absence (such as parental leave, other caring responsibilities, periods of professional training, etc.) are factored in on a general basis. (This restriction does not apply to research scholarships after Post Doctoral Lecture Qualification.)
• The dissertation must already have been published at the time of application. The presentation of a publishing contract is not sufficient in this regard. (This restriction does not apply to research scholarships after Post Doctoral Lecture Qualification.)
• The topic of the proposed research project must clearly differ from the topic of the PhD thesis.

Criteria for applicants previously funded by the Foundation

• Applications may only be made if applicants received a previous Gerda Henkel Foundation research scholarship more than five years ago. The relevant date for calculating the timeframe is the date on the final report.

Criteria for applicants previously rejected by the Foundation

• No renewed application for a project rejected by the Gerda Henkel Foundation may be made.
• Applications for a new project may be made if the last rejected application was made more than three years ago. The relevant date for calculating the timeframe is the date on the letter of rejection.

Please find further information regarding the criteria under FAQ.

Payment

Overview of our scholarship rates

Applicable for new permits from 1 January 2024.

Research Scholarships for Postdocs

Monthly scholarship award: 2,760 euros

• for one child: EUR 480
• for each further child: EUR 120

The family grant is awarded for children who have not yet turned 18.

Monthly endowment for scholarships abroad: 690 euros

Travel aid: as required
Material aid: as required

Research Scholarships after Post Doctoral Lecture Qualification

Monthly scholarship award: 3,720 euros

For classification under the stipend rate “after post doctoral lecture qualification”, the following applies: In higher education systems in which a formal second academic qualification beyond the doctorate (e.g. habilitation or an equivalent procedure) is required, this second qualification will be treated as as the determining qualification. In higher education systems in which a second qualification of this kind is not part of the academic structure, the Foundation will as a rule regard the holding of a permanent (normally tenured) professorship or other permanent higher education teaching position at a mid-level or senior rank (e.g. Associate/Full/Distinguished Professor, Senior Lecturer, Reader, Professor) as an equivalent qualification to the habilitation; comparable positions may be recognised as equivalent in individual cases, in line with the respective national ranking system. A positively evaluated junior professorship is likewise recognised as equivalent. Positions such as Assistant Professor or Lecturer, as well as fixed-term junior professorships without a positive evaluation, are not regarded as equivalent to the habilitation.

• for one child: EUR 480
• for each further child: EUR 120

The family grant is awarded for children who have not yet turned 18.

Monthly endowment for scholarships abroad: 930 euros

Travel aid: as required
Material aid: as required

Deadlines

Deadlines to be observed

The Foundation committees meet twice a year to consider the applications and decide on funding grants. The application deadline for the Foundation committees spring meeting in 2026 is 28 May 2026. Applications have to be in the Foundation’s office by this day. The Foundation committees are holding their meeting in November 2026. If your application is successful, funding can start at the beginning of December 2026 at the very earliest.

The subsequent deadline will end in November 2026. The exact date will be announced once the next deadline has passed.

The deadline is not valid for smaller funding amounts (max. 30,000 euros). Smaller funding amounts are granted by the Foundation through a simplified procedure with a deliberation time of approximately three to four months. Please follow the exact same application procedure for smaller funding amounts as for regular research scholarships.

Please take into account the criteria that also apply to the application for shorter research scholarships.

Form & Recommendation Letter

Information and link to the Foundation’s electronic application form

Electronic Application Form for the Foundation: 

• Please ensure that you are using the correct application form and that you complete it in full.
• When filling in the form, please follow standard rules of capitalization and avoid using exclusively uppercase or lowercase letters.
• For technical reasons, the Foundation recommends completing the form in one session and keeping it open in only a single browser window.
• It is possible to reopen and continue editing the form for ten days via a personal link once it has been created. The ten-day period begins when the form is first generated; subsequent changes do not extend this period. After the ten days have expired, your data will be deleted from the server.
• Once you have completed the form, you will receive a summary that you must confirm separately before submitting it electronically.
• When you submit the form, your data will be transmitted electronically to the Foundation. The application can no longer be viewed or modified thereafter. You will receive a confirmation of receipt at the email address you provided. 

Please follow these rules when uploading your application files:

• All documents need to be uploaded as pdf-files.
• Please do not upload protected PDF documents.
• A single file may not exceed a file size of 6 MB each.
• You cannot upload more than one document per upload field.

The application can only be sent, if all necessary documents are included.
Please note the following additional information:

• Your data will be stored by the Gerda Henkel Foundation for the purpose of processing your application and will not be passed on to third parties.
• The Gerda Henkel Foundation will be happy to provide you with information about the data that we have stored on your person at any time. If so required, personal data can be changed or deleted.
• This form may only be used to make an application to the Gerda Henkel Foundation. The Foundation reserves the right to delete application data without prior notification, if necessary. 
• Application form

Online recommendation form: 

Letters of recommendation must be uploaded via the online recommendation form by their authors with a personal signature. Please do not additionally send the documents by email and/or postal mail.

Online recommendation form

Publishing Aid

Information on applications for printing subsidies

Publishing aid is currently only awarded to especially successful projects already being supported by the Foundation. Please include the following documents:

• A two-page summary of the academic merit and innovativeness of the monograph/collection
• A cost calculation by the publishing house (if you are working with a German publisher, please use the form made available by the Foundation)
• The manuscript on which the calculations are based (digital).

Applications can be submitted at any time.

As an alternative to applying for a printing subsidy for the publication of a monograph or an edited volume in book form, applicants may request funding for Open Access publication costs. The Foundation does not, however, cover Open Access fees for the publication of individual articles.

Important note on submitting applications

Please take a look at the information provided in this section and under General References. We would of course be happy to assist you should you have any further questions.