BONFOR Research Funding Program
BONFOR is the central funding program of the Faculty of Medicine and offers scientists funding opportunities at almost all career stages.
BONFOR aims to improve the framework conditions for young scientists and to support high-quality research projects.
What makes us
1.
Career Development
Supporting young scientists at different stages of their careers.
2.
Doctoral Funding
Promoting ambitious doctoral degrees in medicine.
3.
Innovations Funding
Supporting innovative projects from all areas of medicine as early stage funding for the acquisition of external third-party funding.
4.
Structural Support
Establishing and promoting competitive, interdisciplinary research projects and research structures.
5.
Cooperation
Promoting interdisciplinary and interfaculty collaboration.
6.
Transparent Funding
The allocation of funds is based on a strict and transparent review process.
The Funding Tools
The BONFOR program currently includes 9 funding instruments for different career stages, as individual funding, project group funding and extension funding.
Particular attention is paid to aspects of women's promotion in the case of female scientists who are in the process of reintegrating into their careers after parental leave or a family phase.
Gerok-Position (1A)
The goal of this tool is to strengthen clinical research during or even after specialization.
The Gerok-Position is meant for young physicians from clinical institutions.
Start Up Postdoc Fellowship (1B)
This instrument enables young scientists to further develop or newly develop their own research area in order to be able to acquire a junior research group (Instr. 2) and extramural third-party funding after the BONFOR funding period.
NWG - Independent Research project (2A)
The purpose of this instrument is the competitive funding of young scientists with independent research projects. It provides resources to establish a dedicated workgroup and collect date to gain extramural third-party funding eligibility.
NWG - Cooperation Project (2B)
The tool supports the establishment of junior research groups in a collaborative project of two junior scientists from a clinic and an institute. The goal is to strengthen research at clinics and promote interactions within the faculty.
Advanced Clinician Scientist (8)
Funding for young scientists from the field of medicine to consolidate and further develop their field of research.
Application currently not possible.
SciMed-Doctoral Scholarship (4)
The SciMed Doctoral Scholarship offers scientifically motivated students of human medicine and dentistry the opportunity to make an early start in biomedical research with an ambitious experimental doctoral thesis.
Data Set Generation in Core Facilities (5)
The goal of this instrument is to generate data sets (such as omics and high-throughput imaging data sets) as part of a project expansion as a basis for soliciting extramural externally funded projects.
Joint projects (6)
This instrument is intended to support the acquisition of extramurally funded joint projects. Collaborative data and joint publications that serve as a promising basis for applying for a new research network can be generated.
Application currently not possible.
Materials Funding for ext. Scholarship Holders (7)
For research projects of external scientists who are scientifically active at institutions of the Faculty of Medicine via an external scholarship, funding can be requested for cost-intensive, above-average projects.
Project Boost for 'Lateral Entrants' (3)
With this instrument, scientists with excellent project proposals who have not had their own funding in the last 5 years are supported in generating preliminary data for DFG applications.
Technological Development in Core Facilities (9)
The goal of this funding instrument is to enable technology development within the Core Facilities. This is to ensure that the Core Facilities can represent state-of-the-art and innovative, novel methods.
Application currently not possible.
Bonn Neuroscience Clinician Scientist Program - Neuro-aCSis (12)
The programme is aimed at research-oriented physicians in residency training. The scientific focus is on the connections between diseases of the nervous system and systemic factors.
1995
Establishment of the BONFOR
Research Funding Program
11
Funding Instruments
>100
Funded Projects
Current Application Deadlines 2026
Grant applications may be submitted at any time, but must be submitted via the BONFOR eApplication System no later than the application deadline for the respective funding instrument. After the deadline, incomplete applications in the eSystem cannot be considered.
Application Deadlines for All Instruments
(except SciMed Doctoral Scholarship)
- 27. January 2026 (23:59 o'clock)
for the application meeting of the BONFOR Commission on 24. March 2026 (16 o'clock ). Expected start of funding is 01.05.2026. - 19. May 2026 (23:59 o'clock)
for the application meeting of the BONFOR Commission on 14. July 2026 (16 o'clock). Expected start of funding is 01.09.2026. - 22. September 2026 (23:59 o'clock)
for the application meeting of the BONFOR Commission on 17. November 2026 (16 o'clock ). Expected start of funding is 01.01.2027.
Application Deadlines for the SciMed-Doctoral Scholarship (Instrument 4)
- 14. January 2026 (23:59 o'clock)
for the application meeting of the SciMed Commission on the 12. March 2026 (16 o'clock). Expected funding period: 01.05.2026 - 30.04.2027 - 29. April 2026 (23:59 o'clock)
for the application meeting of the SciMed Commission on the 25. June 2026 (16 o'clock). Expected funding period: 01.08.2026 - 31.07.2027 - 09. September 2026 (23:59 o'clock)
for the application meeting of the SciMed Commission on the 05. November 2026 (16 o'clock). Expected funding period: 01.01.2027 - 31.12.2027
BONFOR eApplication
Applications for BONFOR funding can only be submitted electronically via the BONFOR eApplication system.
The requirement for access to the system is an informal application by e-mail for an access identification to the Team Early Career Support, stating the desired funding instrument and the applicant's professional contact details. For applications in funding instruments 4 and 7, the name and e-mail address of the doctoral candidate or the external scholarship holder are also required.
Application & Allocation
Information on the Application Procedure
Research Commissions
Who decides on your application?
Downloads
Application templates, guidelines and explanations for all funding instruments.
BONFOR-Symposium 2026
News
Coordination & Consulting
Contact BONFOR
Contact SciMed
PD Dr. Ildiko Racz (Science Management - Coordination Early Career Support)
Venusberg-Campus 1
53127 Bonn
Dr. Dorothea Schmitt (Science Management - Coordination Early Career Support)
Venusberg-Campus 1
53127 Bonn
Dr. Janna Rudolph (Science Management - Coordination Early Career Support)
Venusberg-Campus 1
53127 Bonn
Dr. Heike Wolff (Science Management- Coordination Early Career Support)
Venusberg-Campus 1
53127 Bonn