Grants for women with children in science (Germany)

Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard-Foundation - the aim of the Foundation for the advancement of science and research is to facilitate the progress of highly qualified women with children in science. We especially aim to support excellent graduate students by providing them with funds to be used for additional childcare and domestic help. The Foundation intends this contribution to enable young mothers to gain greater flexibility and time for their scientific work. We hope, by way of our Foundation, to contribute to advance more highly qualified women in Germany's leading scientific research.

To conduct research is a tremendously demanding task that bears its own set of challenges. Research requires motivation, passion, diligence, and the ability to work in a self-directed manner. Moreover, flexibility and mobility are essential in order to generate the conditions that foster high-quality research; in particular, a significant amount of time that can be dedicated to research is important. For female scientists who are also mothers the unavoidable lack of free time becomes a looming problem that invariably hinders professional progress. Breaks for any length of time or part-time positions are dangerous, since reentry into the field my not be successful. Lost time cannot be regained and previously acquired knowledge may have already become dated and thus useless. We would like to help highly qualified women who are serious in pursuing their careers to weather through this time of double responsibility and still be able to accomplish excellent research.