Overview
DAAD research grants provide foreign doctoral candidates and young academics and scientists with an opportunity to carry out research and continue their education in Germany. There are funding programmes for various qualification phases and stages in a career. The grants also promote the exchange of experience and networking amongst colleagues.
The aim of this programme is to promote doctoral degrees at the home university with integrated research phases in Germany. The doctoral degrees are supervised both by a university teacher at the home university and an academic adviser at the host institute in Germany ("sandwich model"). Based on this flexible, multi-phase funding system, doctoral candidates start their doctoral degree in their home country but subsequently spend research periods in Germany. The doctorate is completed in the home country under the supervision of the German academic adviser.
Who can apply?
Excellently-qualified doctoral candidates and young academics and scientists who have completed a Master's degree or Diplom, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor's degree at the latest by the time they begin their grant-supported research.
What can be funded?
Research phases at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany as part of a doctoral programme in the home country: the proposal must be coordinated with the academic advisers at the home university and in Germany.
Duration of the funding
- A total of no more than two years; the length of the grant is decided by a selection committee and depends on the project in question and the applicant's work schedule.
- Grants are initially awarded for up to 12 months. Extensions depend on whether the selection committee considers the previous award period to have been successfully completed.
- Applicants should outline how they plan to divide their time between Germany and the home university and specify plans to visit a third country for the purpose of collecting material in a work and time schedule in their application.
- During stays at their home university, the grant is interrupted.
Value
- Monthly payments for doctoral candidates during the stay in Germany: 1,000 euros.
- Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
- Travel allowance, unless these expenses are covered by the home country or another source of funding
- One-off research allowance
- Travel and accommodation expenses according to the German Federal Travel Expenses Law for supervising university teachers for one trip of up to 10 days
- undertaken by the foreign university teacher to Germany to monitor progress
- undertaken by the German university teacher to the home university of the scholarship holder to take part in final examinations.
The nature of the trips should be specified in the work and time schedule submitted with the application.
Under certain circumstances, grant holders completing an uninterrupted stay of over 6 months in Germany may receive the following additional benefits:
- monthly rent subsidy
- monthly allowance for accompanying members of family
To enable grant holders to learn German in preparation for their stay in the country, DAAD offers the following services:
- Payment of course fees for the online language course "Deutsch-Uni Online (DUO)" for six months after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
- if necessary: Language course (2, 4 or 6 months) before the start of the research stay; the DAAD decides whether to fund the grant holder's participation and for how long depending on language skills and project. If a language course scholarship is granted and the working language at the host institute is German, participation is compulsory.
- Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the grant period
- Reimbursement of the fees for the TestDaF test which has either been taken in the home country after receipt of the
- Scholarship Award Letter or in Germany before the end of the funding period
- As an alternative to the TestDaF for scholarship holders who have taken a language course beforehand: the fee for a DSH or GI (Goethe Institute) examination taken during the scholarship period may be reimbursed.
Selection
An independent selection committee consisting of specialist scientists reviews applications.
The most important selection criteria:
- a convincing and well-planned research project or course of continuing education
- academic achievements
Additional documents that prove academic suitability or provide information about extracurricular activities will also be considered in the assessment.
What requirements must be met?
- No more than six years should pass between the final examinations and the application deadline. Doctoral candidates should not have started their doctoral degree any longer than three years previously.
- Applicants who have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline cannot be considered.
Note: For applicants from the fields of human medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry, other regulations are applicable. Please refer to the leaflet "Additional information on DAAD Research Grants for applicants from medical fields"
Language skills
The required language level depends on the applicant's study plans and subject: In the arts, social sciences and in law, at least a good knowledge of German is usually expected. For the natural sciences and engineering, proof of good English language skills may also be accepted if English is spoken at the host institute.
Application procedure
- The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD portal. You are also required to send 2 copy/copies of the "Application summary" (PDF file), which is generated in the DAAD portal after the online application procedure has been completed, and other appendices by post to the application address.
- Please note that the "Submitting an application" tab in the scholarship database only appears while the current application period is running. After the application deadline has expired, the portal for this programme is not available until the next application period.
- The access to the DAAD portal opens about 6 weeks before the application deadline.
Application documents
Certificates, proof of credits, certifications and translations may be scanned in non-certified form and uploaded to the DAAD portal. DAAD's Head Office in Bonn will only request certified copies of the submitted documents in paper form if a grant is awarded!
1. Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD portal
- Online application form
- Full curriculum vitae in tabular form (max. 3 pages)
- List of publications (max. 10 pages), if applicable
- Extensive and detailed description of the research proposal which has been agreed upon with both academic advisers – in the home country and in Germany – and a description of previous research work (max. 10 pages)
- Schedule of planned research work and visits from academic adviser
- Letter confirming supervision by an academic adviser in Germany, which refers to the applicant's proposal and confirms that the host institute will provide a workplace
- Proof of permission to take a doctoral degree at the home university
- University degree certificate indicating final grade(s)
- Other documents which support your application (example: certificates of employment, proof of placements, etc.)
- German or English translations of documents submitted in the national language
- German Language Certificate
2. To be submitted by post:
- The "Application summary", which is generated in the portal in PDF format and which can be printed out after the online application procedure is completed; please send 2 copy/copies to the application address;
- One recent reference from a university teacher which provides information about your qualifications; please enclose one copy of the reference in a sealed envelope with each copy of your application.
Please note
- Your application is only valid if you submit all the required documents to the DAAD portal (see Item 1) and by post (see Item 2). The postmark date serves as proof that the application has been dispatched on time.
- The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. Central European Time (CET) on the last application day.
- Late or incomplete applications cannot be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their applications are complete.
- The application documents remain with the DAAD. Data relating to applicants is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act insofar as this data is needed to process applications.
For more information click "Further official information" below.