Else Kröner reentry funding for researching physicians following family-pause phase

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung supports upon returning to the profession
Else Kröner Clinician Scientist Grant for Returning to Work

Bad Homburg v.d. Höhe, March 1, 2023 – Parental leave, childcare or caregiving for relatives: For medical doctors who have utilized a longer period of time for their families or caregiving, the return to the preceding career is often extremely difficult. For the first time, the foundation Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) is therefore announcing flexible and individually deployable funding resources up to 400,000 euros – respectively applicable in each case for an effective reentry and the continuation of a successful career.

Careers in medicine that began with promising prospects are frequently unable to be continued due to an interruption of professional life for longer family or caregiving phases. The causes may be that the research status has distinctly advanced, the lab doesn’t function on a routine basis anymore, or the family situation no longer permits the previous arrangement of working hours.

Particularly affected by this are women during the family formation phase. This is viewed as one of the main reasons why the proportion of women in academic medicine is significantly declining with each stage of the career. “Even with the funding programs offered by the foundation we are observing that family phases lead above all to disadvantages and smaller successes for female scientists in comparison to their male colleagues,” explains Prof. Dr. Michael Madeja, Chairman of the Management Board at EKFS. On top of that, the covid-19 pandemic has also led to a further escalation of this imbalance between women and men. 

“With the special call for applications we want to contribute toward lowering this obstacle to careers for women in capacities as researching physicians. Apart from that this is a contribution for Germany as a center for research, because we can’t do without these highly qualified and highly capable women in science,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Madeja. Although the call for applications is fundamentally equally open to physicians in general, Madeja assumes that, as the main persons affected, almost exclusively women are going to successfully apply for this funding instrument.

Eligible for application are physicians who want to return to clinics and research by the 30th of April, 2024 at the latest, who have a position requiring at least 80 percent of full-time working hours or a job offer, and who are willing and able to apply at least 50 percent of their working hours for research. Application outlines can be submitted via email until April 30, 2023 to antrag-wissenschaft@ekfs.de. More information at: https://www.ekfs.de/wiedereinstiegsfoerderung

Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung (EKFS) – Advancing research. Helping people.
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the funding and advancement of medical research and the support of humanitarian projects. To date the foundation has funded around 2,300 projects. With an annual funding volume currently amounting to over 60 million euros it is the largest foundation in Germany that actively funds and supports medicine. You can find more information at: www.ekfs.de

Press Contact
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung
Bianka Jerke
Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Tel.: + 49 6172 8975-24
eMail: b.jerke@ekfs.de