Eligibility Criteria

Researchers interested to apply for a STAR fellowship must meet the following ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:

INCOMING mobility scheme:

• Experienced Researcher: At the date of the STAR call deadline the candidate must be in possession of a doctoral degree or has at least 4 years of full-time equivalent research experience. This is measured from the date when the researcher obtained a degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctoral programme (either in the country in which it was obtained or in which s/he is recruited), even if the doctorate was never started or envisaged. Periods of inactivity in research (e.g. unemployment, periods of employment outside research, parental or long-term sick leave) do not count towards the time of research experience.
• Mobility Rule*: Candidates cannot have resided or carried out his/her main activity (work, studies, etc.) in Germany for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the STAR call-to-apply deadline. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention (1951 Refugee Convention and the 1967 Protocol) are not taken into account.
• Nationality: The candidate can be of any nationality.
• No age restrictions apply.

OUTGOING mobility scheme:

(please note: The OUTGOING scheme is also open to external applicants who are not located at the University of Siegen).

• Experienced Researcher: At the date of the STAR call deadline the candidate must be in possession of a doctoral degree or has at least 4 years of full-time equivalent research experience which is measured from the date when the researcher obtained a degree entitling him/her to embark on a doctoral programme (either in the country in which it was obtained or in which s/he is recruited), even if the doctorate was never started or envisaged. Periods of inactivity in research (e.g. unemployment, periods of employment outside research, parental or long-term sick leave) do not count towards the time of research experience.
• Mobility Rule*: Candidates cannot have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of the partner organisation (located outside Germany, where the initial outgoing phase will take place) for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately before the STAR call-to-apply deadline. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.
• Nationality: If the initial outgoing phase takes place in an EU Member State (MS) or Horizon 2020 Associated Country (AC), the candidate can be of any nationality. If the host of the initial outgoing phase is located in a non-associated Third Country (TC), which are neither MS nor AC, the candidate must be a national or long-term resident of an MS or AC. Long-term residence means a period of legal and continuous residence within one or more MS or AC of at least 5 consecutive years. Time spent in procedures for obtaining refugee status in a MS or AC will be counted.
• No age restrictions apply.

* Career Break: STAR relaxes the mobility rule for experienced researchers (INCOMING and OUTGOING) with a career break (i.e., who were not active in research for a continuous period of at least 12 months within the 18 months immediately prior to the STAR call deadline, due to parental leave or having worked outside academia, etc.) by extending the time limits to “…for more than 3 years in the 5 years immediately before the STAR call-to-apply deadline”. Compulsory national service, short stays such as holidays and time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention are not taken into account.