Future Talent

Guest Stay

To attract the best young research talents worldwide and create a vibrant international scientific community, ´Future Talent´Guest Stay invites exceptional young researchers from abroad to visit TU Darmstadt and discover research and career opportunities.

Future Talents is guided by the understanding that the decision for a postdoc and an academic career is a deliberate choice. Therefore, the programme offers a chance to convince yourself of the excellent research conditions at TU Darmstadt on-site.

Your ´Future Talent` Guest Stay can last from a few days to max. 6 weeks. It is supposed to make way to get to know each other and to explore concrete possibilities of cooperation (joint research project, publication, etc.) as well as longer-term perspectives at TU Darmstadt, e.g. ´Future Talent´ Short-term scholarship (see below) or employment.

Become a TU Future Talent and visit one of Germany’s top universities of technology!

Who can apply? You can apply for our 'Future Talents' Postdoc Career Days if you are:
  • an international Ph.D. student in the final stage of your doctorate
  • or a postdocs at an international university (up until two years after your doctorate)
  • and if your previous research and research interests are relevant to our research activities or our research profile
What we offer
  • a scientific programme
  • the assumption of travel costs up to a maximum of EUR 1,000
  • an accomodation supplement of 400 EUR for up to one week (up to max. 2.400 EUR for 6 weeks)
Choose between two options for your ´Future Talent´ Guest Stay:
  • Option 1: Joint application of you and your prospective host professor at TU Darmstadt for a ´Future Talent´ Guest Stay
  • Option 2: Individual application for a ´Future Talent´ Guest Stay
Option 1 – Joint application: Please hand in (as one PDF file)
  • Application form – Option 1 ´Future Talent´ Guest Stay
  • invitation letter from your prospective host professor with (work/lecture) proposal for your stay as well as details about period and length
  • CV
  • graduation certificates (copies)
  • Ph.D. certificate or proof of Ph.D. submission/ statement from your supervisor that the Ph.D. will be completed within the next 6 months
  • certificates/ proof of scientific excellence (publications, awards, scholarships)
Option 2- Individual application: Please hand in (as one PDF file)
  • Application form – Option 2 ´Future Talent´ Guest Stay
  • letter of motivation, in which you summarize your motivation, competencies and research interests as well as congruency with one of the research areas at TU Darmstadt (maximum three pages)
  • CV
  • letter of reference
  • graduation certificates (copies)
  • Ph.D. certificate or proof of Ph.D. submission/ statement from your supervisor that the Ph.D. will be completed within the next 6 months
  • certificates/ proof of scientific excellence (publications, awards, scholarships)
How we select The selection process is organised by Ingenium and the Vice President, Academic Affairs.
The most important selection criteria are:
  • congruency with research areas at TU Darmstadt
  • scientific excellence (publications, awards, scholarships)
Next steps Joint Applications (Option 1) can be submitted at all times. In the case of a joint application (Option 1), the decision will be taken on an ongoing basis.

In the case of an Individual Application (Option 2), a decision will be made after the next possible cut-off date (deadlines in spring and autumn). The next cut-off date is 15 November 2019.

Please send your proposal electronically as one PDF file to Ms
´Future Talents´ Short-term Scholarship As a supplementation to ´Future Talent´ Guest Stay our former guests are entitled to apply for a short-term scholarship allowing for an extended stay (for 3 until 12 months) at TU Darmstadt.


The ´Future Talent´ Guest Stay can be used to discuss the joint application with the professor for a ´Future Talent´ short-term scholarship.

The applications will be decided by the Vice President, Academic Affairs in cooperation with the TU's internal selection committee Postdoc Career Programmes.

The scholarship includes a monthly stipend of € 1.800 for 3 to 12 months.

Eligibility requirements are:
  • ´Future Talent´Guest Stay at TU Darmstadt
  • an invitation by a professor at TU Darmstadt including the confirmation that the costs of the scholarship will be covered
  • a written statement from the respective research group to the selection committee describing the applicants’ congruency with the research group
  • a delineation of future perspectives at TU Darmstadt