Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany
Objective
DAAD research grants provide young foreign 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 grant programme is to support doctoral projects in Germany.
Who can apply?
Excellently qualified young academics and scientists who have completed a Master’s degree or Diploma, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor’s degree at the latest by the time they begin their grant-supported research.
What can be funded?
Doctoral programmes at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany:
Individual projects under the supervision of a university teacher or academic adviser
or participation in a structured doctoral study programme
Duration of the funding
a maximum of four 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 a maximum of one year. Extensions depend on whether the selection committee considers the previous award period to have been successfully completed.
For doctoral projects in Germany that require several years of research, research phases outside Germany can be supported if these are critical for the successful completion of the doctoral degree. Planned stays must be specified in the application in the work and time schedule and should not exceed a quarter of the anticipated total funding period.
Depending on the academic level, monthly payments of:
- euros 850.- for graduates,
- euros 1,200. – for doctoral candidates
- Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
- Travel allowance
- One-off research allowance
- Under certain circumstances, grant holders completing an uninterrupted stay of over 6 months may receive the following additional benefits:
- monthly rent subsidy
- monthly allowance for accompanying family members
- To enable grant holders to improve their language skills in preparation for their stay.
Germany, DAAD offers the following services:
Payment of course fees for the online language course “Deutsch-Uni Online (DUO)” (www.deutsch-uni.com) 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 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?
- 1st class Master degree
- As a rule, applicants should not have graduated any longer than six years before the application deadline. If you are already working on a doctoral degree, you should not have started your 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” (www.daad.de/extrainfo).
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.
