Finding Scholarships

Welcome to our scholarship database!
Here you will find information about our DAAD scholarship programmes for international students and researchers as well as offers from other selected funding organisations.

Please also take note of our important scholarship information.
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Research Grants in Germany • DAAD

Please note:
The usage of the application portal is possible only to a limited extent with mobile devices. Please use your desktop computer. Technical requirements

Overview

Eine Druckversion dieser Ausschreibung (PDF) steht Ihnen in den weiteren Registerkarten (z.B. „Bewerbungsvoraussetzungen“) zur Verfügung.

A print version of this announcement (PDF) is available in the further tabs (e.g. “Application requirements”).

Objective

The research grant offers the opportunity to realise a research project in Germany. The programme sup-ports research stays during a doctorate or in the early postdoc phase.

Who can apply?

You can apply if you:

  • are doing your doctorate at a university or research institution outside Germany or
  • have already completed your doctorate (post-doc, up to 4 years after completing your doctorate)
You cannot apply if you are doing your entire doctorate at a German university.

What can be funded?

A research project at a state or state-recognised university or a non-university research institute in Germany, which is being carried out in agreement with a scientific supervisor in Germany.

Duration of the funding

Funding is provided for a period of:

  • doctoral students: 2 to 12 months
  • postdocs: 2 to 6 months
It is not possible to divide the funding up within the funding period. The realisation of research work in different countries outside Germany is not eligible for funding.
Please indicate your desired funding period in the application form. The funding period will be determined by the selection committee during the selection process, taking your work schedule into account.
The scholarship cannot be extended.

Value

Under certain circumstances, you can apply for the following additional benefits after start of funding:
  • monthly rent subsidy, only for a funding period of more than six months (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 9)
  • monthly allowance for accompanying members of family, only for a funding period of more than six months; please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 3
  • In case of a disability or chronic illness: on application, a subsidy may be provided for justified additional costs incurred abroad that are necessary to realise the project in Germany and that are not covered by a third party; whether and to what extent a subsidy will be paid, will be reviewed and determined on an individual basis (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 8)
  • Green Mobility Top Up (subsidy for climate-friendly travel) or reimbursement of carbon offset payments for air travel
To allow you to improve your language skills in preparation for your stay in Germany, the DAAD offers the following benefits (only for a funding period of more than six months):
  • Payment of course fees for an online language course after receipt of the Scholarship Award Letter
  • if necessary: German language course in Germany before the start of the research project; the DAAD decides whether to fund participation and for how long depending on German language skills and project.
  • Allowance for a personally chosen German language course during the scholarship period
  • Reimbursement of the fee for a TestDaF or DSH test, which you can take either in your home country after you have received your Letter of Award or in Germany during your funding period.

Selection

An independent selection committee consisting of specialist scientists reviews the applications.
The selection criteria are:
Academic Qualification

  • academic achievements (grade point average, development of grades)
  • academic progress
  • knowledge of the language(s) of instruction or working language(s)
  • if applicable, scholarly achievements after graduation, (e.g. publications, lectures, conference papers)
Quality of research project
  • quality of research proposal and preparation (originality, topicality and relevance of the project, choice of host institution and first contacts)
  • feasibility and consistency of study plan and schedule
  • incorporation of project within the overall doctorate (in terms of content and time), if relevant
Potential of applicant
  • career prospects: significance of the research project and stay in Germany for further academic, professional and personal development
  • motivation: academic and personal reasons for wanting to visit Germany, German language skills (if different from working language)
  • non-study-related activities: non-study-related knowledge and skills, civic engagement
The selection committee also gives due consideration to equal opportunities; you can provide relevant information in the application form (see important scholarship information, section E, point 3).
For more information on the selection procedure, go to important scholarship information, section E.

Application requirements

What requirements must be met?

Please check if the following criteria are fulfilled (also read our important scholarship information, section A):

  • Doctoral students: The start of your doctorate should not be more than 3 years ago at the application deadline.
  • Postdocs: You should not have completed your doctorate more than 4 years before the application deadline.
  • For applicants from the fields of human medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry, further regulations apply, which you can find here.
  • Your application cannot be considered, if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.

Application Procedure

Application deadline

Application deadlines are updated annually in the second quarter. In most cases, they are in the same period as the previous year. You can find the current dates here:

Application deadline: October 7th
Selection date in February 2025. Start of the funding from May 2025

Application deadline: April 3rd
Selection date in June 2025. Start of the funding from August 2025

Application documents

Certificates, proof of credits, certifications and translations may be scanned in non-certified form and up-loaded to the DAAD portal. The DAAD reserves the right to request certified copies of the documents.
Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD portal:

  • online application form
  • full curriculum vitae in tabular form (max. 3 pages)
  • list of your published publications (max. 10 pages); mandatory for postdocs)
  • letter of motivation, 1 - 2 pages: statement about the academic and personal reasons for the planned research project in Germany, taking account of the following question: What do you hope to gain from your project in Germany (personally, professionally, for your career)? Please upload the letter of motivation under 'study project/motivation' in the DAAD portal.
  • proposal (max. 10 pages in total), prepared and formulated by yourself ; aproposal is an extensive and detailed description of the research project which has been discussed with the academic adviser in Germany. Please also read our important scholarship information / section B, point 2. Please upload the proposal under 'research project' in the DAAD portal.
  • time schedule of planned research work
  • proof of admission to doctoral studies/enrolment for doctoral studies (for doctoral students); please upload it in the portal under 'proof of admission'
  • confirmation from the academic host in Germany; the confirmation must refer to your project and guarantee that the host institute in Germany will provide you with a workplace. Also read our important scholarship information / section C, point 3. Please upload the confirmation from the academic host under 'acceptance of host institution' in the DAAD portal.
  • university degree certificates (e.g. Bachelor's, Master's, doctorate) stating your final grade(s); if you do not have your most recent degree certificate (doctoral candidates: Master's; postdocs: doc-torate) at the time of application, you must submit it before the start of your scholarship. Please upload your certificate(s) under 'university degree certificates' in the DAAD portal.
  • One recent supporting letter of recommendation (on a DAAD-form) from a university teacher (for doctoral students, from the supervisor of your doctoral thesis) which provides information about your qualifications. Please regard the instructions given on the tab 'Submitting an application'.
  • Other documents you think might be of relevance to your application (e.g. certificates of employ-ment, proof of extracurricular engagement)
If you submit documents in your national language, please include German or English translations.

The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD Portal.
Please note that the access to the application portal 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.

Please note

  • Your application is only valid if you submit all the required documents to the DAAD portal by the application deadline.
  • The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. (CET or CEST) on the last application day. If possible, please do not send your application on the final date in case technical problems occur.
  • 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 and with the EU Data Protection Regulation insofar as this data is needed to process the application.

Submitting an application

General information on the application via DAAD portal

Applications for this scholarship programme are possible in the period June until the stated application deadline.
Click on 'Application portal' at the bottom of the page to go to the DAAD portal. There you will be provided with an online application form to enter your application data.

This is what you have to do:

1. Register in the DAAD portal (Read notes about registering in the portal >>)

2. Request recommendation form
You can generate the recommendation form in the DAAD Portal as a writable PDF under 'Request recommendation form'. It can only be generated during the application period. Please send it to your university teacher and ask him or her to complete the form in full. When you have received it back, upload it in the portal under 'Letter of Recommendation'.

3. Applying online in the DAAD portal (Read notes on applying in the portal >>)

  • Prepare application documents
  • If necessary, translate documents (unless they are already in German or English).
  • Scan paper documents and save in PDF format. You can only upload PDF files to the portal.
  • Fill out the application form and upload the application documents to the portal in PDF format. Translations, if applicable, should be uploaded together with the document issued in the original language.
  • Submit the application online.

Please note:
If you have any technical questions or problems your local information and advice centres could not help you with, please do not hesitate to contact portal@daad.de via e-mail.
Please consider possible processing times of your request when you are planning your application.

Currently you cannot apply for this programme. Please note the application deadline specified under the Application procedure tab.

Funded by:

  • Logo: Federal Foreign Office
Please also take note of our important scholarship information.
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