StudyDesk Scholarships
About the fellowship
The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds exists for one purpose: the promotion of basic research in biomedicine. Its MD fellowships are the medical-student arm of that mission. They are not a prize for good exam results, and they are not a top-up to a project already funded elsewhere. They fund a single, ambitious, experimentally demanding project that tests a hypothesis — carried out away from your home institution, in an internationally leading laboratory, for long enough to do real work.
The move is a condition, not a preference. Fellows must initially change cities and institutions for at least 10 consecutive months, and the fellowship cannot be used to supplement inadequate funding from another institution, to bridge a temporary financial difficulty, or to finish work already sponsored from another source. It is also not held alongside a regular personal income from another research institution: the stipend is meant to cover your living expenses while you research.
Benefits
- An initial grant of 10 to 12 months, extendable once by up to 6 months.
- A monthly payment made up of a basic stipend, a country-related premium, and a flat rate of €100 for minor research-related costs such as books and travel. For an unmarried fellow the current totals are €1,560 in Germany, €2,470 in the USA, €1,890 in the United Kingdom and €2,280 in Switzerland. Older listings quoting €1,150–€1,600 are out of date.
- Additional monthly benefits depending on personal circumstances: a spouse allowance of €200, a child allowance of €200 per child, and a childcare allowance of up to €500.
- Funds for travel to scientific meetings and practical courses, on top of the monthly stipend.
- Membership of a worldwide network of BIF fellows and alumni, with seminars and personal support.
- The stipend is paid in euros to your personal bank account by the middle of each month, and you must tell BIF about changes in your personal or financial circumstances so the amount can be adjusted.
Who can apply
- You are an excellent medical student studying human medicine in Germany.
- You are within eight years of obtaining your university entrance qualification (for example, the Abitur).
- Your project is an experimentally demanding, hypothesis-driven project in basic biomedical research, in an internationally leading laboratory.
- You will change city and institution for at least 10 consecutive months (within a 10–12 month fellowship, extendable by up to 6 months).
- You apply before you arrive at the guest laboratory: an application cannot be submitted after arrival there.
- Resubmission is possible only with a new project.
Documents required
The official how-to-apply page states that the online MD application must be written in English by the applicant personally, and that only complete applications submitted through the SiROP-style online portal (the BIF online application portal) can be considered. The full document list is set out in the official MD fellowship conditions and the application portal itself, which opens one month before each deadline; check the live portal for the current list rather than relying on a third-party checklist, since requirements are updated between cycles.
How to apply
- Read the official MD fellowship conditions and FAQs on bifonds.de in full before drafting anything.
- Agree a project and a host laboratory in a different city from your home institution, with a supervisor willing to host you for at least 10 consecutive months.
- Watch for the portal opening: it opens one month before the next deadline, 1 February 2027. The 1 October 2026 deadline has already passed, so 1 February 2027 is the next date you can actually hit.
- Write the application yourself, in English, and submit it through the online portal by 1 February 2027. Choose your deadline so that the two-month evaluation leaves a decision in your hands before your planned relocation and start date.
- Take up the fellowship within six months of the approval letter by sending your signed fellowship conditions, desired start date and bank details; the fellowship expires if it is not taken up in that window.
FAQs
Yes. Fellows must initially change cities and institutions for at least 10 consecutive months, working in an internationally leading laboratory away from home.
It depends on where you work. For an unmarried fellow the current totals are €1,560 in Germany, €2,470 in the USA, €1,890 in the UK and €2,280 in Switzerland, including €100 for minor project costs, plus spouse, child and childcare allowances where applicable.
Three times a year: 1 February, 1 June and 1 October. The portal opens one month before each deadline, and evaluation takes two months, so pick the deadline that leaves a decision before your planned start.
No. The official rules state the application cannot be submitted after arrival at the guest laboratory.
Yes, once, by up to 6 months, on top of the initial 10 to 12 months.
Verified 30 Oct 2026 against the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds official MD fellowship pages (bifonds.de: three annual deadlines 1 February/1 June/1 October, portal opening one month before, two-month evaluation, cannot apply after arrival at the guest laboratory, 10–12 months extendable by up to 6 months, 10-consecutive-month move, current stipend totals €1,560 Germany / €2,470 USA / €1,890 UK / €2,280 Switzerland including €100 project flat rate, spouse €200, child €200, childcare up to €500, April 2026 conditions) and the BIF online-applications portal. Older stipend ranges (€1,150–€1,600) and single-date claims (31 January 2026) in aggregators are superseded.
