Returning to North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) from abroad

We are pleased that you are interested in returning to Germany, and especially to the University of Bonn!
We would be happy to help you initiate the process for the NRW Returning Academic Program and submit your application.

Applications for 2025 are open until January 9, 2025

2024 call for proposals: Future Computing
Submission deadline: January 9, 2025, 4 pm CET

Funding: €1.25 million for five years

It is explicitly the case that proposals do not need to be restricted to individual subjects or very narrow topics as a general rule. However, the relevance of the research topic to the discipline in question must be clearly evident and highlighted with convincing arguments as part of the application process.

What do I need to do?

If you are interested in setting up a research group in Bonn, you should talk to researchers in your subject first of all in order to check that the content will be suitable and clarify how it will be incorporated into the department or institute.
The department or institute will then tell Research and Innovation Services that it is happy to accept your group and will ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place. We are happy to give you feedback on the text of your proposal and help you to prepare the symposium.

You can find details of the Faculty of Medicine at our University here.
If you have any questions about the faculty, you can contact the team in the Department of Science Management at forschung@ukbonn.de.

Additional funding for research groups

Researchers who secure funding for their research group through the NRW Returning Academic Program or move their existing group to the University of Bonn can obtain up to €100,000 in extra funding for their research under our incentive scheme.

Female researchers can be granted an additional €60,000 to enable them to advance their research with a high level of visibility and in the best possible way.

Details zum Anreizsystem, das sich nicht an Wissenschaftler*innen mit W2/W3 Professuren oder an Mitglieder der Medizinischen Fakultät richtet, finden Sie auf Confluence (intern) oder sprechen Sie uns an.

Introduction to the application process

Dr. Fabian Schulz, who heads up the program at the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW), provides some information on the application process and tips for applying for the program in this video.

NRW-Rückkehrprogramm

Bild © German Scholars Organization Berlin / YouTube

Research groups established under the NRW Returning Academic Program

Here you can find an overview of the research groups at the University of Bonn that were set up using funding from the NRW Returning Academic Program.