Helmholtz Investigator Groups (Investigator Track) & Helmholtz Innovation Exploration Groups (Exploration Track)

The Helmholtz Association aims to win outstanding postdoctoral researchers to establish their own Investigator Group or Innovation Exploration Group at a Helmholtz Center. Helmholtz looks for candidates who have demonstrated exceptional scientific excellence and show the potential to take up a leadership position in science. The outstanding researchers are at maximum six years of academic age. Women scientists are particularly encouraged to apply.

Investigator Track 

The Helmholtz Investigator Groups (HIG) program aims to win the best researchers from Germany and abroad for a first leadership position in science. It offers Helmholtz Investigator Group leaders the opportunity to establish their own independent research group at a Helmholtz Center in cooperation with a partner university. As an Investigator Group leader, they can access the research infrastructure, grow to their full potential as a leader in science as well as strengthen and further develop their networks in the scientific community.

Exploration Track 

The Helmholtz Innovation Exploration Groups (HIEG) Track supports outstanding postdoctoral researchers who seek to establish an independent leadership profile at the interface of science and innovation while developing the early scientific foundations required for future application and impact. The track focuses on an early exploration and (pre-)validation phase in which scientific evidence, technological concepts and, where applicable, first prototypes are developed and tested to assess their potential for further translation.

The Groups benefit from an overall annual funding volume of at least EUR 350,000 on average over a five-year period.