The objective of the funding is to exploit the educational potential of individuals in higher education – especially of women – in order to improve their chances of entering into the Saxon economic or science and research sector, and to counter the growing skilled labor shortage.

By working together on a research project, the early-career researchers will be able to contribute towards a stable, green, sustainable, and digital economy in the Free State of Saxony, to increase knowledge and technology transfer, to foster networking between Saxon institutes of higher education and industry, and to teach.

Term: Typically three years from January 1^st, 2024.

Funding ratio: The funding rate is 90 percent. Expenses and costs for personnel financed by the university’s basic funding and working on the project can be credited as the applicant’s own contribution. Co-financing in cash from independent resources (own resources). 

Method of funding: Project funding in the form of partial financing.

Requirements and general conditions for the early-career researchers:
Junior research groups consist of at least three early-career researchers. With a view to ensuring the continued existence of the junior research groups, the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) recommends that each university form a group consisting of at least four early-career researchers.

Early-career researchers are defined here as natural persons who have completed their studies or doctorate no more than six years prior to submission of the project proposal (deadline August 1^st, 2023) for junior research group funding or who have submitted their application for the opening of the doctoral procedure by submitting their dissertation. This period is extended by two years for each child in the applicant’s care, born between graduation and submission of the project proposal.

Alongside their work in the junior research group, the early-career researchers broaden their individual potential, including their knowledge of equal opportunities. To this end, applicants can choose from the qualification areas of knowledge of equal opportunities, teaching, social skills and project management. Participation in the knowledge of equal opportunities qualification area plus at least one of the other areas mentioned is mandatory.

Natural persons who have previously received doctoral funding from ESF/ESF Plus funds for more than 36 months or who were previously employed as an early-career researcher in a junior research group or a REACT research group funded by ESF/ESF Plus grants are only eligible for funding if they are postdoctoral researchers. These persons must have already completed their doctoral projects and submitted their application for the opening of the doctoral procedure by submitting their dissertation. Sentence 1 does not apply if the natural person was employed as a Student Assistant or Research Assistant.

Early-career researchers must maintain steady employment in at least a 50 percent position for the entire duration of the project (at least six months).

In the case of maternity leave or parental leave, additional early-career researchers can act as stand-ins for the project, provided they are employed in the project for at least six months.

Requirements and general conditions for the early-career research groups:
Junior research groups are projects conducted at individual or across several collaborating universities. They consist of at least three early-career researchers. SMWK recommends at least four early-career researchers. Collaborations with non-university research institutions in the Free State of Saxony are permitted.

The results of the funded research project must be publicly accessible for research and teaching in the Free State of Saxony.

A researcher over the age of 54 can work in junior research groups with up to five early-career researchers. Junior research groups with more than five early-career researchers may have two researchers over the age 54.

Eligible costs and expenses:
The following costs and expenses are eligible for funding in accordance with the stipulations of the current managing authority regulations on eligible expenditures and costs.

Personnel expenses:
Junior research group is permitted personnel expenses for the equivalent of up to twelve full-time employees in the form of position funding for early-career researchers and researchers over 54 years of age, provided they are employed for the project.

For other personnel – especially staff performing tasks credited as the applicant’s own contribution, assistants, or other supporting staff – personnel expenses are eligible for funding as a fixed sum for individuals on the basis of an individually determined hourly rate and completed working hours.

Other expenses:
Expenses for project-related travel expenses, instruments and equipment, for consumable goods and work materials, publications, administration as well as other operating expenses are funded as a lump sum by applying a percentage pertaining to the eligible personnel expenses (lump-sum funding for residual costs) amounting to 16 percent. The notification from the Vice-Rector Research 2/2023 applies.

Expenses and costs for the qualification services of early-carear researchers are not eligible.

Recipients of funding are higher education institutions as defined in the § 1 par. 1 of the “Freedom of Institutions of Higher Education in the Free State of Saxony Act”.

Project proposals for measures planned to start on January 1^st, 2024, must first be submitted before TUD’s internal deadline of June 9^th, 2023. These must comprise a formal project idea of no more than five pages written in German together with a budget table for internal pre-evaluation and must be sent as PDF files via email to with “ESF PLUS NFG 2023” in the subject line. Project proposals that are submitted after the deadline cannot be considered in the selection process.

Following the TUD-internal evaluation, the selected project proposals must be expanded to 15 pages and qualified by July 28^th, 2023, at the latest for submission to the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB). The European Project Center (EPC) supports the applicants in this process and submits the project proposals via TU Dresden’s SAB funding portal before the deadline.

After this, SAB and SMWK will select eligible project proposals from a pool of proposals submitted by other universities in Saxony in transitional regions and will invite them to submit a full proposal. 

In accordance with the regulations, the selection process gives special consideration to projects that:

• Conduct practice-oriented/interdisciplinary research
• Include skills acquisition in the field of the European Green Deal
• Support skills acquisition in the field of digitalization
• Are primarily or wholly implemented by women in the fields of STEM or AI
• Are anchored in the cultural sector

On the basis of the budget and the distribution key among universities in transitional regions, TU Dresden expects to establish a maximum of three junior research groups in this call for proposals.  

For project proposal structure requirements, a budget table, evaluation criteria and further information, please see “Related links and forms.”

https://www.sab.sachsen.de/esf-plus-richtlinie-2021-2027-hochschule-und-forschung-nachwuchsforschungsgruppen (only avaiable in German)

• Project proposal structure
• Calculation template
• Evaluation criteria
• Information sheet on equal opportunities, non-discrimination and sustainable development
• Information sheet on green and digital skills and workplaces
• The innovation strategy of the Free State of Saxony
• ESF Plus 2021-2027 Free State of Saxony Program
• Junior research group funding component
• ESF Plus Regulation 2021–2027 Higher Education and Research SMWK
• Costs and expenses eligible for funding ESF Plus 2012-2027
• Notification from the Vice-Rector Research 2/2023

*all documents only available in German