The tenure-track professorship in Germany

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Encouraging the brightest minds to conduct research in Germany

With the tenure-track professorship, Germany has implemented an attractive new career path on the way to a professorship. The tenure-track professorship at German universities helps young scientists reach a decision to permanently remain in the scientific system earlier in their career than before. A commitment to a lifelong professorship, pending a positive evaluation of performance at the end of the tenure-track phase, is made at the time of appointment. This is a key difference compared to career paths such as a junior professorship, junior research group leadership or habilitation. Thus the transition to the permanent position depends solely on individual performance, not on the university’s job situation. This career path has been implemented nation-wide with the aid of the Joint Federal Government-Länder Funding Programme for Junior Academics. The path to the professorship is now predictable and more transparent for excellent young scientists from both Germany and abroad. This is an attractive option for all bright minds! 
Anyone interested in a tenure-track professorship in Germany will find additional good reasons to apply to a German university on this page, along with information about the path to the tenure-track professorship and testimonials for the career path from the perspective of tenure-track professors and university administrations. An overview of helpful job portals facilitates the search for open positions.


GOOD REASONS FOR A tenure-track professorship IN GERMANY


Predictability of the scientific career
The tenure-track professorship in Germany includes the up-front commitment to acceptance into a lifelong professorship after successful completion of a defined probationary period. A lifelong professorship is always associated with a permanent position or tenure. A fixed annual budget for teaching and research establishes certainty for scientists.


Attractive basic conditions at universities
Many universities have comprehensive personnel development measures that provide support for the tenure-track professorship. For example, mentoring programmes assign experienced specialists or managers (mentors) to help young scientists (mentees) in developing their own profile. Integrating tenure-track professors into the faculty is important to the universities. Young scientists are increasingly being assisted and provided with support measures and offers by their universities.


Work/family balance
In Germany, each parent can take up to three years of parental leave. The state pays tenure-track professors a parental allowance for up to 14 months, regardless of citizenship, when they are caring for a new-born child. Universities also support professors and their employed life partners with special offers. The term of a tenure-track professorship can usually be extended due to the birth or adoption of a child. This supplements existing provisions such as maternity protection, parental leave or part-time employment granted by the German government.

Excellent research landscape and financing
International scientists find a broad-based research infrastructure and landscape in Germany with excellent universities, research institutions of international renown – such as the institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, Helmholtz Association, Leibniz Association and Max Planck Society – and vibrant industrial research activity. In the 2022 “Nature Index” on the scientific publication performance of research institutions and universities, Germany ranked first in Europe and third worldwide. Germany is among the countries with the world’s highest investments in research and development. The proportion of the gross domestic product (GDP) for research and development was 3.13 per cent in 2022. Many attractive options also exist for obtaining additional third-party funds from private or public sources.

Democracy and scientific freedom
Germany is a values-based democracy and one of the world’s safest and freest countries. In addition to freedom of speech and freedom of the press, Germany’s constitution guarantees scientific freedom for all researchers in Germany. The Academic Freedom Index 2024 ranks Germany 11th for scientific freedom among 179 nations.


Open and international
As a modern country of immigration, Germany is attractive for scientists from around the world. Research institutions in Germany have an international orientation with a high proportion of foreign researchers, numerous international cooperative projects and worldwide networks. Around 63,100 scientists with international citizenship worked at German universities in 2022, including some 3,900 with a professorship. International scientists with a residence permit for Germany can also work in other EU countries. Many universities offer a welcome centre, in-house language courses and mentoring programmes for tenure-track professors from abroad.

High standard of living
Germany is among the world’s countries with the highest standard of living. The UN’s Human Development Index (HDI) 2021 ranks Germany 7th out of 193 countries. Child care in Germany is inexpensive by international comparison. Public education is free in Germany.

Social security system
Germany offers a stable, extensive social security system that also benefits scientists. Statutory social insurance (health, pension, accident, nursing and unemployment insurance) for the benefit of jobholders is a key element of the German welfare state. Tenure-track professors are entitled to corresponding benefits under civil service pension law and social security law.