Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowships

The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds awards PhD fellowships to outstanding junior scientists who wish to pursue an ambitious PhD project of approximately 3 years in basic biomedical research in an internationally leading laboratory.

A Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) PhD fellowship offers a competitive monthly stipend. It is initially granted for 2 years and may be extended once for up to 1.5 years.

In addition, you receive travel allowances, e.g. for scientific conferences, and participate in tailor-made seminars for BIF fellows and alumni.

As a BIF fellow, you also become part of a lively and worldwide network built on trust, helpfulness, and many personal encounters. No matter which challenges lie ahead, you will find an open ear and individual advice from like-minded peers or the BIF's staff.

Who can apply?

The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) awards PhD fellowships to European citizens working in Europe or overseas, and to non-European citizens pursuing their PhD project in Europe.

• At the respective deadline (1 February, 1 June, 1 October) the applicant's first university degree qualifying for a profession (e.g. BSc, Diploma, Final State Examination) must not have been achieved more than 8 years ago.
• The PhD project must be experimental, in the field of basic biomedical research and aimed at elucidating basic biological phenomena of human life and acquiring new scientific knowledge.
• Natural scientists should have been awarded their last university degree before embarking on their PhD (BSc, diploma, MSc, or equivalent). If you have not yet finished your MSc studies and/or have not received your MSc degree certificate by the deadline, you can submit it up to four months after the deadline.
• Physicians, veterinary surgeons, and pharmacists should have passed their state examinations.
• The foundation gives preference to applicants who are about to begin their PhD work when they apply for the fellowship; preliminary results are not expected.
• PhD fellowships cannot be used to supplement inadequate funding from other institutions or earned incomes, to bridge temporary financial difficulties or to complete investigations already sponsored by other institutions.
• If two candidates from the same laboratory apply for a PhD fellowship at the same time, only one of them may receive a fellowship. We, therefore, recommend that they apply at different deadlines.

Further eligibility information can be found on the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds website.

Eligible Nationalities:

All nationalities are eligible

How to Apply

The application for a PhD fellowship of the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds (BIF) consists of

• An application form on the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds online portal including a PDF copy containing documents 1–7 (listed on the BIF how to apply page).
• Letter(s) of recommendation.

The application must be written in English by the applicants themselves. There are three deadlines each year: 1 February, 1 June, 1 October. 

Applications open one month prior to each deadline, e.g. 1 January, 1 May and 1 September.

Please follow the instructions for application on the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds PhD Fellowships website.