The DFG Research Fellowship is the German Research Foundation's Walter Benjamin Programme. It pays early-career postdoctoral researchers to run their own research project at a host institution they pick, either in Germany or abroad. It is not a degree scholarship, and it is not a job you apply to through a university. You write the project, you choose where it happens, and the DFG funds you to do it.
That makes it a very specific opportunity. For a Pakistani researcher who has already done a PhD or postdoc in Germany, it can be one of the cleanest routes to independent research. For someone sitting in Pakistan with no German research history, the eligibility rules make it a much harder fit, and I will explain why below. You can see the full scholarship details on our listing before reading on.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Programme | DFG Walter Benjamin Programme (Research Fellowship) |
| Funding | Listed as fully funded; a fellowship abroad or a position in Germany |
| Level | Postdoctoral, early career phase |
| Duration | As a rule, up to two years |
| Deadline | None fixed. Proposals may be submitted at any time |
| Country | Germany (project can be in Germany or abroad) |
| Official site | DFG Walter Benjamin Programme |
Two ways the money reaches you: fellowship abroad or a post in Germany
The form of funding depends on where your project is based. If you go abroad, the DFG pays you a fellowship. If you stay in Germany, the money funds a position at your host institution under the staff category "postdoctoral researcher and comparable", or a temporary substitute position, usually under the staff category "medical research assistant". The two can also be combined, so a project could have a phase abroad and a phase in Germany.
This difference matters more than it looks. A fellowship abroad is a personal grant with allowances attached. A position in Germany is employment at the host institution. Your contract, your day-to-day administration and the host's responsibilities differ between the two, which is why the DFG wants you to talk to the host first (more on that later).
What the funding package includes
For fellows abroad, the listed elements are:
- A monthly basic amount
- Foreign allowances, where applicable
- A cost-of-living allowance, where applicable
- A travel allowance, where applicable
- Benefits for fellowship recipients with children
On top of personal support, there is money for the research itself:
- An allowance for direct project costs
- An allowance for travel expenses and publication costs
- Increased publication costs for literature, where applicable
Notice how many items carry "where applicable". The exact figures depend on your destination, your family situation and your project, and no amounts are given in the programme summary. The DFG has an Award Calculator for estimating what you would receive. Use it before you build your budget, rather than guessing from what a friend received at a different host.
The Germany connection is the real eligibility test
The basic requirement is simple: you must be a postdoctoral researcher in an early career phase. The harder rules are about where you have worked and studied.
- For funding abroad, you must have worked as a researcher in Germany for a continuous period of at least three years during your doctoral or postdoctoral phase, immediately before you submit the proposal.
- If you are already based abroad, you must have completed the majority of your schooling and higher education in Germany, and not spent more than three years abroad for research purposes after finishing your doctorate.
- You must not have worked longer than one year at the selected host institution at the time of the proposal.
- The project cannot be based at a for-profit entity.
- The project cannot be based at an entity that does not allow findings to be published in a generally accessible form.
The programme summary does not set nationality rules either way, so check eligibility for your own situation on the official DFG page before investing weeks in a proposal. In practice, the people this suits best are Pakistanis already doing a PhD or postdoc at a German university. If you have three continuous years of research in Germany behind you, a fellowship to take your project abroad is on the table. If you are in Pakistan and did your schooling and degrees here, the abroad-based route as described is unlikely to fit, and you would need to confirm directly with the DFG whether any option applies to you.
The one-year host rule catches people out. If you have been at the same German lab for two years as a postdoc and want the fellowship to stay there, that host is likely off the table. The programme is built around mobility and moving your research forward, so choosing a new host is part of the point.
What goes into the proposal
The document list is short, but each item needs care:
- A research proposal, prepared according to DFG guidelines
- DFG form 2.00
- DFG form 55.06, for refugee researchers if applicable
The research proposal carries almost all the weight. Read the DFG guidelines for proposal preparation and the FAQ sections for your discipline before you start writing. A proposal that ignores the required structure looks careless to reviewers, however good the science. If you are pulling together supporting academic records from Pakistan for any part of your application, our documents checklist for international scholarships and the IBCC and MOFA attestation guide are useful references.
Submitting through elan, in the right order
- Contact your chosen host institution and clarify whether fellowship funding can be administered in line with DFG regulations.
- Prepare the research proposal according to DFG guidelines.
- Submit the proposal electronically through the elan portal, with all documents uploaded there.
Step one is where many applicants rush. They agree informally with a professor that they are welcome, then discover late that the institution's administration cannot handle DFG fellowship rules. Get a clear answer from the host before you write the full proposal, not after.
Why "submit any time" is not the same as "no rush"
There is no deadline. Proposals may be submitted at any time through elan. That flexibility is useful, but it creates its own trap. Because the abroad route requires three continuous years of research in Germany immediately before submission, timing your proposal against your own career dates matters a lot. Leaving Germany, or letting too much time pass after your doctorate, could change which rules you fall under. Map your dates carefully and confirm with the DFG if anything is borderline.
The funding runs, as a rule, for up to two years. Plan a project that genuinely fits that window, rather than squeezing a much larger idea into a two-year budget.
Where applicants go wrong
The most common mistake is treating this like a general postdoc scholarship open to anyone with a PhD. It is not. The Germany residence and research rules decide eligibility before anyone reads your science. Check them first.
The second mistake is picking a host out of convenience. The project cannot sit at a for-profit company, and it cannot sit anywhere that blocks open publication of results. Industry labs with restrictive publication policies are out. Your current host is out if you have been there more than a year.
Third, people build budgets on assumptions. Use the DFG Award Calculator, and read the discipline-specific FAQs, so your proposal asks for what the programme actually funds.
Finally, if you are applying for a stay abroad and will need a visa for the host country, sort out that process in parallel. Our guide to common visa rejection reasons for Pakistani applicants covers documentation problems that apply to researchers too. For other options in the country, see all Germany scholarships.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Pakistani researcher apply for the DFG Walter Benjamin Programme?
The programme summary does not list nationality rules. Eligibility depends on being an early-career postdoc and, for funding abroad, on prior research in Germany or schooling and higher education in Germany. Check your own case on the official DFG page.
How long does the funding last?
As a rule, up to two years.
Is there an application deadline?
No. Proposals may be submitted at any time through the elan portal.
Can I do the project at my current institution?
Only if you have not worked there longer than one year at the time of your proposal. The host also cannot be a for-profit entity or one that restricts publication of findings.
How much money will I receive?
Fellows abroad get a monthly basic amount plus allowances that depend on circumstances, along with project, travel and publication allowances. Exact amounts are not fixed in the summary, so use the DFG Award Calculator for an estimate.
Which forms do I need?
A research proposal and DFG form 2.00. Refugee researchers also submit DFG form 55.06 if applicable.
Before you start, read the rules in full on the official DFG Walter Benjamin Programme page, and keep our DFG Research Fellowship scholarship page handy for a quick summary.