Introduction
The University of Konstanz, with its “Institutional Strategy to promote Top-Level Research,” has been receiving continuous funding since 2007 within the framework of the Excellence Initiative by the German Federal and State Governments.

The Zukunftskolleg is a central scientific institution of the University of Konstanz for the promotion of young researchers in the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, and is an integral component of the institutional strategy “Model Konstanz — Towards a Culture of Creativity.” The Zukunftskolleg forms a platform for interdisciplinary discourse between distinguished researchers in Germany and abroad, and provides them with resources for obtaining extramural funding.

The Zukunftskolleg of the University of Konstanz offers up to
six (6) ZIF Marie Curie 2-year Postdoctoral Fellowships (13 T-VL, Job Number 2014/068)
five (5) ZIF Marie Cure 5-year Research Fellowships (14 T-VL, Job Number 2014/069)
four (4) Zukunftskolleg Research Fellowships (14 T-VL, Job Number 2014/069)
to develop and implement individual research projects. The Marie Curie call for applications is part of the Zukunftskolleg Incoming Fellowship Program (ZIF) and is financed by the Seventh Framework Program (FP7) Marie Curie Actions – People (co-funding of regional, national and international programs), the German Research Foundation (DFG) and the University of Konstanz. The rules and ethical principles for the FP7 and the DFG guidelines apply.
Research Fellowships are available to researchers regardless of their nationality and field of research.

2-year Fellowships begin on March 1, 2015 and end on February 28, 2017
5-year Research Fellowships begin on May 1, 2015 and end on April 1, 2020.

Description
The Zukunftskolleg provides a professional infrastructure and an appropriate workplace for conducting research. Fellows have the opportunity to benefit from a variety of career development measures, including the University of Konstanz’s Academic Staff Development and Research Support offices. Fellows may nominate recognized experts in their field of research as senior Fellows, who will be invited to Konstanz for a research stay of one to nine months. Each Fellow receives a mobility allowance and a research allowance. Furthermore, a pool is available for funding cooperative projects, research assistants, travel, and equipment purchases. Each Fellow is a member of both a university department and the Zukunftskolleg. A Mentoring Committee supports each Fellow in her / his career development. This committee consists of an experienced researcher from the Fellow’s research field within the university department, as well as an advanced Research Fellow of the Zukunftskolleg.

The target group consists of excellent researchers at the postdoctoral level, leadership abilities and a capacity for teamwork, so that they can reasonably be expected to take up leading roles in academia and European research and innovation policy.

Requirements
All applications and supporting materials must be submitted in English via the Online Application Platform at: http://www.zukunftskolleg.uni-konstanz.de/online-application.

The required documents include a completed application form, a letter of motivation, research propo-sal, curriculum vitae, a writing sample, and two letters of reference.

Applicants are encouraged to check their eligibility before submitting their proposal.

The deadline for applicationsis August 31, 2014.
Applicant Requirements for this Fellowship include:
- Candidates must be in possession of a doctoral degree;
- Candidates must not hold a permanent position, a professorship, or have an habilitation or equivalent (Venia legendi);
- Candidates with their own position funded by another program, which can be transferred to Konstanz, are also eligible (other EU funding is not eligible);
- Applicants must propose a research project that ties in with a discipline represented at the University of Konstanz (applicants are encouraged to contact potential mentors among the Professors at the University of Konstanz in order to ensure appropriate affiliation);
- Applicants must not have had their main residence in Germany for more than 12 months during the three years prior to the application deadline;
- All ethical issues raised by a proposed project (if applicable) must be described in the project outline. The candidate should explain how these will be addressed, so as to conform with national and Seventh Framework Program (FP7) ethical principles. For advice, please see the CORDIS website on ethics (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ethics_en.html) and contact the Zukunftskolleg office. If a proposed project that has passed the peer review stage raises any ethical issues, it is forwarded for review by the University of Konstanz Ethics Committee.
An additional requirement for 5-year candidates includes:
- Candidates must already have secured a research grant of at least 50,000 € or an equivalent amount of funding to be used for their research while at the Zukunftskolleg;
Please note that for the Marie Curie Fellowships, funding from other EU sources (such as ERC grants) is not eligible (double funding is not allowed by the EU).

Additionally, applicants for a Marie Curie Fellowship must fulfill the mobility rule:
Applicants must not have had their main residence in Germany for more than 12 months during the three years prior to the application deadline;
Fellows have an opportunity to teach. They are expected to participate actively in the regular weekly meetings of the Zukunftskolleg and to have their place of residence in Konstanz.

Fellows are selected on the basis of their academic excellence, the quality and topicality of their research project outline, personal aptitude with regard to leadership and team skills, and interdis-ciplinary interest. International experience in teaching or research, and a strong interest in inter-disciplinary topics are desirable.
2-year Applications are evaluated in a two-stage process:
1. Eligibility check and pre-selection based on the written application;
2. Further selection based on independent peer reviews.
2-year candidates will be informed of the final decision and the evaluation of their own strengths and weaknesses approximately one week after the second selection phase in the middle of December 2014.

Additionally, 5-year Applications who are selected as finalists after the 2nd stage undergo an additional 3rd stage: a Personal assessment by the Recruitment Committee in the interdisciplinary Workshop on Future Research Directions, to be held at the University of Konstanz in January 2015.

Additional Information
More information on the Zukunftskolleg and current Fellows, as well as a special section devoted to the application and selection process (online application process, required documents, guidelines on eligibility, evaluation criteria, the timeline and the stages of the selection process) are available on our website at: http://www.zukunftskolleg.uni-konstanz.de/.

The University of Konstanz encourages disabled persons to apply. They will be given preference if appropriately qualified (contact + 49 (0) 7531 / 88 – 4895).

The University of Konstanz encourages researchers to resume their careers after any interruptions, as extra-academic experiences are respected and appreciated as potentially beneficial to the community of Fellows.

The University of Konstanz is an equal opportunity employer that tries to increase the number of women in research and teaching.

The University of Konstanz has been certified to be a family-friendly institution by the Hertie Foundation. The University is committed to further the compatibility of work and family life.

The University of Konstanz offers a „Dual Career Couples Program.” Information can be obtained from: http://www.uni-konstanz.de/dcc.