Hereon, Max Planck and Halle Germany Scholarships 2027 Open for Applicants
International graduates seeking a funded PhD scholarship in Germany can now apply to three open calls at Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, the International Max Planck Research School for Biology and Computation (IMPRS-BAC), and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg. The opportunities offer three years of research support across chemistry, materials science, molecular biology and computation, with IMPRS-BAC recruiting for a 2027 start.
For you as an applicant, the choice begins with the research you want to do. Perhaps your master’s thesis left you wanting to develop better materials, or you want to understand living systems through experiments and data. These calls offer a way to pursue those interests within an established research group, with funding attached to the position.
A chemistry graduate may find more than one relevant route here; a bioinformatician is likely to focus on Berlin. The following comparison explains what you would gain, whether your background fits, and how to turn that fit into an application.
Hereon and Halle aim to appoint as soon as possible; IMPRS-BAC welcomes successful candidates in 2027.
International graduates with relevant academic training and research experience; degree rules differ below.
Three-year funded positions. Hereon and Halle offer employment contracts; IMPRS-BAC funding varies by group.
English is required. IMPRS-BAC accepts several forms of language evidence, including eligible English-medium degrees.
IMPRS-BAC has no application fee; none is advertised for the other two. See the deadline section for conflicting published dates.
26 October 2026.
01 What would a funded PhD at Hereon, Max Planck or Halle offer you?
Each call offers supported doctoral research, but your day-to-day work would be quite different. Understanding that difference helps you choose a position you would actually want to spend the next three years pursuing.
At Hereon, you would help make lightweight metals last longer. The project investigates protective treatments for metals such as aluminium and magnesium, used in transport and other products. You would combine laboratory experiments with automated testing and data analysis to identify better coatings. It offers a practical connection between chemistry and industrial materials research.
At IMPRS-BAC, you could build a research career across biology and computation. The Berlin programme brings together the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics and Freie Universität Berlin. Its projects explore questions such as how genes are regulated and cells develop, using experimental and computational approaches. You can bring strength in one discipline while developing the other.
At Halle, you would investigate how new materials can be assembled in water. Jun.-Prof. Frederik Haase’s group works on covalent organic frameworks: ordered, porous materials built from molecular components. Your role would combine making those components with examining the resulting structures, contributing to research that could eventually support biological and medical applications.
The financial and training benefits are best considered together:
- Hereon: A three-year, 19.5-hour weekly contract, pay up to EG 13 under the advertised public-service terms, social benefits and six weeks’ annual leave. Conference and research-training support accompany a doctorate awarded by Hamburg University of Technology.
- IMPRS-BAC: At least three years of funding for accepted candidates, without a separate funding application. You receive structured supervision, scientific and transferable-skills training, German-language learning support and a doctorate from Freie Universität Berlin. Funding amounts and arrangements vary by group.
- Halle: A three-year employment contract at 50% of full-time hours, paid up to TV-L E13, with public-service benefits and access to laboratory facilities while working towards a doctorate.
For your budget, distinguish the advertised pay grade from the amount you would receive after deductions. IMPRS-BAC charges no tuition, although a semester contribution remains payable. Free housing and relocation flights are not guaranteed across these calls.
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02 Could you qualify for one, two or all three opportunities?
You may be eligible for more than one call if your degree and research experience meet each position’s requirements. All welcome international candidates. The useful comparison is between the work you have already done and the work each group needs you to undertake.
| Opportunity | Academic background | Experience you should bring |
|---|---|---|
| Hereon: coatings and corrosion protection | Completed master’s in chemistry, electrochemistry, materials science, computational materials science or a related field. | Laboratory and quantitative data-analysis skills; corrosion/coatings experience; experience with electronic lab notebooks, FAIR data, databases or machine learning. |
| IMPRS-BAC: biology and computation | Above-average master’s or comparable degree in molecular biology, biochemistry, mathematics, bioinformatics or a related subject, awarded by September 2027. | Biological or computational research experience and a project proposal aligned with a recruiting research group. |
| Halle: water-based covalent materials | Chemistry master’s or equivalent completed by appointment; applicants approaching completion can apply. | Multistep organic synthesis or synthetic polymer chemistry, plus materials/polymer characterisation. The formal notice also specifies knowledge of water-based covalent organic frameworks. |
A chemistry graduate with synthesis and corrosion experience could consider both Hereon and Halle. IMPRS-BAC could also be relevant if that graduate has suitable biological or computational research experience. A molecular biologist or bioinformatician would usually find the clearest fit in Berlin. A related degree alone does not establish suitability for all three.
English need not mean IELTS in every case. Hereon requires very good English, with German preferred; Halle requires good English. IMPRS-BAC accepts B2 evidence, including IELTS 5.5, TOEFL iBT 72 or an eligible English-medium degree with proper confirmation; native speakers are exempt. Its official application FAQ lists the alternatives.
I would shortlist the opportunities where you can describe a relevant experiment, analysis or thesis result in detail. That gives you a stronger starting point for explaining both what you can contribute and what you still want to learn.
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03 How can you turn your research experience into an application?
Apply directly to each selected institution, using a separate application tailored to its research. These calls are listed in DAAD’s PhDGermany database; their receiving portals and contacts are given below. Our guide to funded PhD projects in Germany explains the wider application routes.
- Build your application around evidence. Prepare your academic CV and explain the question you investigated, the methods you used and what you learned. My recommendation is to connect one or two concrete examples to the advertised project. Gather degree certificates and transcripts for Hereon and IMPRS-BAC.
- Submit Hereon’s employment application. Upload your cover letter, CV, transcripts and certificates through the Hereon recruitment portal, quoting reference 1077. Explain how your experimental and data skills would support the coatings project.
- Email your Halle application. Send a cover letter and CV as one PDF to [email protected], quoting Reg.-Nr. 5-4229/26-H. Describe your synthesis and characterisation experience. If appointed with a non-German degree, you must provide a ZAB Statement of Comparability when concluding the contract.
- Complete the IMPRS-BAC online application. Register through the Dahlem Research School portal, activate your account and identify suitable recruiting faculty. Submit your CV, aligned project proposal, certificates/transcripts in English or German, and English evidence. Add two willing referees’ institutional email addresses. There is no application fee.
- Follow through on your IMPRS references. Referees are invited only after you submit the full application. Monitor “My progress” and ensure both complete the online reference forms by their separate deadline. Other letter formats are not accepted, and you cannot revise the application after submission.
For IMPRS-BAC, write the application yourself: AI use is limited to sparing, explicitly declared language polishing. Generating substantive application content with AI can lead to disqualification.
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04 What might hold you back from applying?
Can I apply to IMPRS-BAC with only a bachelor’s degree?
A limited preparatory route is available to exceptional computational or mathematical sciences graduates seeking a doctorate in those fields. It involves about 18 months of study and a qualifying exam; biology graduates seeking a laboratory doctorate cannot use this route, and some German may be needed.
Do I need an IMPRS-BAC supervisor’s acceptance before applying?
No. You should identify suitable recruiting faculty in your application, but prior agreement is not required. You may contact a group with a specific scientific question; an unanswered email does not prevent you from applying.
Will the IMPRS-BAC selection process let me explain my research?
Yes. Selected applicants submit a research video and attend an online Q&A, followed by a Berlin interview stage for shortlisted candidates. Interview travel is supported within a limit, with video participation possible where visa restrictions prevent travel.
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05 When should you submit your German PhD application?
Halle: Apply by 28 October 2026 to meet the formal university vacancy notice. The DAAD listing for the Haase Lab position advertises 4 November 2026. These conflict; use the earlier date unless the employer confirms the extension. No closing time is stated in the formal notice.
Hereon: The last date to apply for the light-metal conversion-treatment PhD position is 3 November 2026, according to the Hereon vacancy announcement and its DAAD vacancy listing. No closing time is published. The intended start is as soon as possible.
IMPRS-BAC: The last date to apply for the 2027 doctoral recruitment is 7 December 2026. The programme’s application schedule states 23:59 CET (UTC+1), while the DAAD call and Freie Universität’s announcement state 18:00 CET. Submit before 18:00 CET to satisfy both. Referees must submit by 14 December 2026, 23:59 CET.
IMPRS-BAC candidates invited to the next stage must submit their research video by 2 February 2027. Online Q&As follow on 15–18 February, with Berlin interviews on 15–17 March. Offers are expected in April, with two weeks to respond; successful candidates begin between May and November 2027.
