Information for German Academics

As an academic you may be interested spending time abroad in Europe or beyond in order to further your academic or artistic training or research. 'Deutsche Kultur International' can provide you with information on the various programmes and awards for which you may qualify.

Feodor Feodor Lynen Research Fellowships for Postdoctoral Researchers

from Germany to sponsor a 6 to 24 month research stay at an institute abroad.

Research Fellowships from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

for German junior researchers to sponsor a research stay in Japan lasting 6 to 24 months.

Fellowship for the Promotion of Japan-related Research

for German doctoral candidates with a degree from a German university who are currently conducting doctoral research on a Japan-related subject. The Fellowship programme allows you to undertake a research visit to Japan.

Research Fellowships from the National Science Council, Taiwan (NSC)

for German junior researchers to sponsor a research stay in Taiwan lasting six to twelve months. Extensions of up to a total of three years are possible.

The amount of research fellowships for German postdoctoral academics differs over particular programmes. With respect to the Feodor Lynen-Programme research fellowships amongst others are dependent on age, family status and the host country of the fellowship holder.

Feodor Lynen Research Fellowships for Experienced Researchers

from Germany to sponsor a 6 to 18 month research stay at an institute abroad. The fellowship is flexible and can be divided up into as many as three stays within three years.

Research Fellowships from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

for German junior researchers to sponsor a research stay in Japan lasting 6 to 24 months.

Research Fellowships from the National Science Council, Taiwan (NSC)

for German junior researchers to sponsor a research stay in Taiwan lasting six to twelve months. Extensions of up to a total of three years are possible.

Feodor Lynen Return Fellowships

In order to enable the continued cooperation with the former Humboldt Fellow or Award Winner and Feodor Lynen Research Fellow after his/her return from abroad the Humboldt Foundation can award return fellowships. These fellowships sponsor international research projects which are affiliated with an university or non-university research institute in Germany. Upon application the return fellowship can be granted for a period of maximal twelve months.

Max Planck Research Award

to sponsor international collaboration between excellent academics in annually changing disciplines. Every year, the award is granted to one researcher working in Germany and one working abroad with the aim of initiating and carrying out research with partners in Germany and abroad respectively. Value of the award: 750,000 EUR.

Humboldt Research awards based on reciprocity for top German researchers

for academics in Germany at the peak of their careers. Selection and mentoring are the responsibility of partner organisations abroad which decide independently on the handling of the selection procedure and the granting and amount of the award. As a general rule the award sum is conferred in conjunction with an invitation to spend up to one year working on research in the host country. The research period funded, may be divided up into several blocks (e.g. during semester breaks).

Before taking up an award, candidates must have completed a degree at a state-run or state-recognised higher education institution in Germany, or have graduated from an equivalent institution abroad.

The DAAD offers scholarships for further qualifying research stay abroad for junior scientists as well as for guest lectureships of German academic teaching staff. 

Scholarships are awarded for all academic fields worldwide and on the basis of applicants' academic qualifications and personal suitability. Academic and personal suitability are important factors in the selection process; particular weight is given to evidence of academic achievement, references from faculty members in the applicant's home institution, and the applicant's own statement of intent regarding study and/or research.

The DAAD has put these different programmes in a scholarships data bank.

may be downloaded from the DAAD website.

Please note that the completed application forms should be forwarded to the DAAD by the international office in your own home institution.

German academic staff teaching in universities and colleges abroad (websites in German): there are programmes for long-term lectureships lasting from 4 months onwards. Support is available for a maximum of 5 years. Short-term lectureships may last from 4 weeks to 3 months. There is no age limit.

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) places lecturers and, since 1997, assistant lecturers in German language, literature and German studies in foreign countries, in some countries also lecturers in other disciplines. The support given by the DAAD takes the form of assisting lecturers/professors with preparation, supporting them in their work and backing them financially.

Apart from the lecturers/professors programme, the DAAD also offers one-year scholarships for assistant teachers of German as a foreign language.

The Robert Bosch Foundation grants Lectureships for German Graduates at Universities in Eastern Europe and Cina to university graduates in foreign languages as well as the humanities and social sciences.

From August 2002 the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen ifa have jointly run the programme ‘Robert Bosch Cultural Manager in Central and Eastern Europe’, placing young scholars for up to three years at cultural and educational institutions where they are designed to enrich the cultural development of their host countries with their knowledge and ideas.

The "Johann Gottfried Herder" Initiative addresses itself to emeriti as well as retired German professors of all fields of studies. Certain conditions provided the programme also addresses executive managers who have been working in business management or an administration department and are interested in a long-term lectureship (minimum: one semester period) at a host university. Lectureships eligible for funding are usually bound to the host university's semester periods. Support of lectureships shorter than a one-semester period is constricted to exceptional cases. Participants in the programme are expected to start their guest lectureship at the new semester's beginning.

Using the data bank Information on Countries and country-specific Study Conditions of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) you are able to access directly information on the institution of your choice abroad. Entering your subject and your preferred place of study you will find a wide range of useful information on the country, its system of education, study conditions, finances and addresses.

The Carlo Schmid Programme, started in 2001, is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Robert Bosch Foundation, and co-ordinated jointly by the DAAD and the Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes (national educational endowment). The two-line programme aims to improve the education and subsequent job chances of qualified students and gradu-ates aiming for a career in international organisations.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) is the central, self-governing research organisation that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany. In the field of individual support the DFG provides funds to foster young academics and outstanding research projects. In recognition of outstanding research achievements the DFG awards a number of research awards to scientists and academics.

The Individual Grants-Programme of the DFG comprises individual grants, research fellowships and support-programmes for postdocs:

Individual Research Grants are the predominant form of research funding provided by the DFG; research grants can be used to fund staff, scientific instrumentation, consumables, travel as well as most of the other financial requirements of a research project,

Temporary Positions for Principal Investigators are conditionally available in connection with an application for a research grant in Germany,

Scientific Networks offer young researchers the opportunity to engage in scientific exchange and cooperation on topics of common interest,

Research Fellowships to promote highly qualified young researchers,

the Emmy Noether Programme supports young postdoctoral researchers in achieving the qualifications required for a university teaching career during a DFG-funded period,

the Heisenberg Programme especially addresses young academics who have recently postdoctoral lecturing qualification, thus holding all scientific qualification required to have a vocation for professorship,

the Reinhart Koselleck-Projects enable outstanding researchers with a proven scientific track record to pursue exceptionally innovative, higher-risk projects,

the NIH-DFG Research Career Transition Awards Programme addresses itself to postdoctoral researchers who have received their doctorates no later than four years prior to their application. The awards will enable young scientists to pursue research over a consecutive period of five to six-years, beginning at one of the NIH institutes in the USA and continuing at a German research institution,

in cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) the DFG funds Clinical trials primarily in the field of interventional medicine, non-pharmacological therapeutic procedures, prognostic studies and controlled studies on secondary prevention, as well as diagnostic studies.

In recognition of outstanding research achievements the German Research Foundation (DFG) awards scientific prizes to gifted scientists and academics:

the Gottfried Wilhelm-Leibniz Pogramme awards prizes to exceptional scientists and academics for their outstanding achievements in the field of research. A maximum amount of € 2.5 million is provided per award,

the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Prize is a distinction for young researchers and provides further incentive for excellent achievements in their research work. The prize endowment amounts € 16.000,

the Communicator Award is a personal prize awarded to scientists and researchers who have shown exceptional dedication in communicating their research findings to the public. The prize endowment amounts € 50.000,

the von Kaven Awards is awarded to mathematicians working in the European Union in recognition of outstanding scientific and academic achievements,

the Bernd Rendel Prize is awarded annually by the DFG to young qualified geoscientists who do not yet hold a doctorate (geologists, mineralogists, geophysicists, oceanographers, geodesists). The prizes amount € 2.000 per award,

the Ursula M. Händel-Prize recognises scientists who have made exemplary and sustained efforts to improve the welfare of animals in scientific research. A minimum amount of € 25.000 is provided per award,

the Copernicus Award is conferred jointly by the DFG and the Foundation for Polish Science (Fundacja na Rzecz Nauki Polskiej, FNP) for outstanding achievements in German-Polish scientific cooperation. Every two years two young researchers, one in Germany and one in Poland, are awarded. The prize money amounts € 100.000,

the Eugen and Ilse Seibold Prize serves to promote research and understanding between Germany and Japan. The prize endowment approximately amounts €10.000 and is awarded to one German and one Japanese scientist,

the Albert Maucher Prize in Geoscience is generally awarded once every two years to young researchers (up to 35 years of age) in recognition of outstanding research findings and original approaches they have produced using funds provided by the DFG.

Coordinated programmes promote nationwide research cooperation in areas of current relevance and by concentrating scientific potential at a university:

in line with its Research Training Groups in German universities the DFG provides grants and fellowships for doctoral researchers, postdocs, applicants holding a degree from a university of applied science (Fachhochschule) or a Bachelor's degree,

Research Units funded by the DFG address themselves to scientists intending to collaborate closely on specific medium-term research projects; DFG-funding comprises scientific staff, technical equipment and funds for support of young academics,

Collaborative Research Centers facilitate scientifically ambitious, complex, long-term research by concentrating and coordinating the resources available at a university. The DFG provides funds for scientific staff, for most additional requirements needed to do successful interdisciplinary research and, in particular, for activities fostering interdisciplinary exchange and public relations. The establishment of a Collaborative Research Center depends on the application initiative of a university,

Priority Programs are directed to foster scientific research cooperation on a nationwide level; researchers from all disciplines who work at research institutions in Germany are accredited to application (not including those institutes which only pursue commercial purposes),

Clinical Research Centers provide outstanding researchers the opportunity to carry out close, medium-term cooperation in a special research project from the field of disease or patient-oriented clinical research,

DFG-Research Centers are aimed at enabling universities to establish research priorities on the basis of existing structures. Funding by the DFG may be provided for up to six professorships as well as associated independent junior research groups working within a DFG Research Centre; accredited to application are universities.

Scientific instrumentation and equipment can be applied for in several of the DFG's funding programmes as well as through the Hochschulbau-Förderungsgesetz, a legal act which provides for major equipment and the construction of institutions of higher education in Germany.

For more detailed information on particular funding possibilities and proposition requirements please consult the website: Scientific Instrumentation - Information Technology issued by the DFG.

A large proportion of the scholarship programmes awarded by the Robert-Bosch Foundation addresses to university graduates and postdoctoral academics from the USA and Europe. The Robert-Bosch Foundation additionally provides scholarships to young academics and prospective young leaders:

The Fast Track intensive training programme addresses itself to outstanding postdoctoral women scientists of law, economics and the social sciences planning to continue their academic career to a top leading position in the field of research or science management in Germany. Necessary application requirement is a scientific education completed with an above-average doctoral degree. The two-years intensive training programme comprises the development of competence in communication, career planning and in particular the development of leadership competences.

The Research and Study Program on Geriatrics addresses itself to doctors with at least two years' clinical experience who can convincingly show they envisage pursuing a career in geriatrics. They should also aim to reach a senior post-doctoral academic position. Their training as a medical specialist (or continuing training in clinical geriatrics) should in principle be completed within the maximum fellowship period of 4 years.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the central coordinating institution (National Agency) in Germany in charge of the following EU-funded programmes in the field of Higher Education:

ERASMUS, TEMPUS, Jean Monnet and EU-programmes with Third Countries.

Within the framework of the ERASMUS-sectoral programme on higher education the DAAD awards grants on:

staff mobility for teaching for teachers of Higher education institutions,

curriculum development as well as

preparatory visits at European universities.

Primary objective of these projects in line with the ERASMUS-Programme is the support of preliminary measures to build up cooperation activities between European institutions of Higher Education.

The EU-sectional programme Jean Monnet is aimed at the advancement of scientific expertise in the field of European integration research studies. Activities eligible for funding in particular comprise scientific research and teaching within and outside the European Union:

 Jean Monnet chairs

"Ad personam" Jean Monnet chairs

 Jean Monnet Centres of excellence

 Jean Monnet Teaching Modules

Associations of Professors and Researchers

Jean Monnet information and research activities

 Jean Monnet Multilateral Research Groups

With experience-oriented programmes, the InWEnt ltd. supports academically trained persons mainly from the fields of economics and technical/applied sciences. These programmes can be found easily by searching the page "Entwicklungspolitische Förderprogramme" (website in German). See also "Support for study/placements abroad".

The exclusive aim of this foundation is to provide direct support for science in universities and research institutes, primarily in Germany, with particular emphasis being given to the needs of the younger generation. At the same time the Fritz-Thyssen-Stiftung welcomes the opportunity also to support input and initiatives from foreign scholars.
Fritz Thyssen Stiftung

Scholarship programmes for German scholars to undertake research and study in the USA (tenable for one year).

Scholarship programmes to support short periods of further training in the USA for German teachers in higher education/teachers of area studies.
Fulbright Commission

The Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren (HGF) brings together 16 different research agencies which concentrate their attentions on selected, cutting-edge areas of research and pursue longterm research aims identified by the state.

In addition to existing collaborative projects (with over 450 industrial concerns at home and abroad), at present a new area of support is being developed: the HGF strategy fund. This is intended specifically to stimulate international cooperation and to support the younger generation.
Hermann von Helmholtz-Gemeinschaft Deutscher Forschungszentren (HGF)

Collaborative scientific projects between Max Planck Institutes and partners at home and abroad predominantly take the form of single, fixed-length projects. The participants may either be individual scientists, research teams or entire departments. Particular importance is attached to the scientists' participation in European awards programmes.

Max-Planck-Gesellschaft

Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes

Doctoral Fellowships: In addition to the regular funding, the Studienstiftung offers a wide variety of funding programms to financially support research projects, participation in congresses and meetings abroad. Furthermore, doctoral fellows are welcome to take part in the language course and summer school programme. Funding of internships abroad.

www.studienstiftung.de

In order to be admitted to the Studienstiftung applicants have to be officially nominated, they cannot apply. Most of the scholarship programmes are study abroad programmes designed for graduates, the exceptions are the China Scholarship Programme and the Scholarship Programmes "Metropolises in Eastern Europe", which are open for undergraduates wishing to experience a foreign culture alongside academic studies. For aspiring journalists and young professionals in international organisations relevant practical experience is essential. Here, too, suitable funding is available.

www.studienstiftung.de/selbstbewerbung

The Volkswagen Foundation supports selected funding initiatives. It endeavors to provide effective stimuli for research and to establish forward-looking topics. The funding initiatives are grouped into:

Support of Persons and New Structures,

International Focus,

Thematic Impetus,

Social and Cultural Challenges,

Off the Beaten Track and

European Platform for Life Sciences, Mind Sciences, and the Humanities.

www.volkswagenstiftung.de

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung

Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung

Hans-Böckler-Stiftung

Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung

Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung

Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung

http://www.stiftung-dgia.de/

www.dainst.de

Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft e.V

Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ)

Akademie Schloß Solitude