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.
Future Network Weimar Triangle: Science for Europe - Doctoral candidates (to Germany) • DAAD
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 programme “Future Network Weimar Triangle: Science for Europe” aims to expand the political initiative “Weimar Triangle”, launched in 1991 by the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland, to include a sustainable science platform (to promote trilateral cooperation between Germany, France, and Poland). The programme aims to develop innovative solutions to European and global challenges through joint research projects and to strengthen European integration and the European Research Area through networking and exchange.
Who can apply?
PhD students from all disciplines who wish to apply for a research stay up to 12 months in Germany and would like to get involved in the Weimar Triangle network and who are working on the following future-oriented topics:
- Technologies for climate-neutral energy production and mobility, as well as climate protection) (e.g., fusion technologies, decarbonization of the economy and expansion of renewable energy, energy storage, and cross-border infrastructure)
- Artificial intelligence and digitalization, as well as microelectronics (e.g., strengthening Europe’s digital sovereignty, research on AI applications, ethical standards, and cybersecurity; research on innovative, AI-enabled chip applications)
- Security in Europe and the resilience of the scientific system (e.g., knowledge security, research data security; research on countering hybrid threats, risk management; security of key strategic technologies and critical raw materials; science communication)
- Biotechnology and medicine of the future (e.g., resilient agricultural and food systems, innovative diagnostics and therapies, bioeconomy, medical tech-nology, and sustainable health research)
- Challenges, impacts, and benefits of new technologies on and for society (social sciences and humanities research, e.g., on human-machine interaction and the challenges posed by new technologies to the state and society in Europe).
What can be funded?
Funding is provided for research stays in Germany as part of a doctoral programme or individual doctorate in France or Poland. The research projects may be conducted at universities or non-university research institutions in Germany.
In addition to promoting mobility, a central component of the programme is the establishment of working groups designed to identify common interests and research areas, support interdisciplinary projects, and build long-term networks. The working groups consist of programme fellows, doctorate candidates, postdocs, relevant DAAD alumni, partners and university faculty, thereby forming an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary community.
This programme funds exchanges between scientists and researchers from Germany and partner countries. Applications may also be submitted as a tandem. Please indicate this in the comments field of the application form if you have organised a research project jointly with other applicants.
Duration of the funding
- Funding is provided for three to twelve months.
- The earliest funding start is in October 2026.
- The scholarship may be used flexibly for several shorter stays within a 12-month period starting in October 2026, if necessary. When applying, you must provide a timetable outlining the breakdown of the stays (see ‘Application documents’). If the funding period is divided into several stays, you must provide concrete confirmation of supervision for at least the first period with your application.
Value
The scholarship includes the following financial benefits:
- a monthly scholarship instalment of 1,400 Euros
- a lump sum towards international travel costs (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 2)
- payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
- a monthly lump sum for research expenses of 102 Euros
- lump sum grants for attending conferences in the countries of the Weimar Triangle
- 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
- monthly rent subsidy, only for a funding period of more than six months (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 9)
- Allowance for language courses taken during the scholarship period
- In the case of a disability or chronic illness: subsidy for additional costs which result from disability or chronic illness and are not covered by other funding providers
- Funding for an annual in-person networking meeting organised by the selected working group
Alongside the current programme participants, partner organisations, grant recipients and alumni will also be invited.
Furthermore, outstanding trilateral projects will be awarded a research prize at the closing forum in Germany.
Selection
The selection committees are composed based on academic and, where appli-cable, regional criteria. The volunteer committee members are appointed by the DAAD Executive Board and are primarily professors and lecturers at Ger-man universities and research institutions. They review the applications and decide on the awarding of scholarships. Former DAAD scholarship recipients may also participate in the selection process. DAAD staff members chair the meetings but do not have voting rights.
The selection criteria are:
Academic qualifications
- Academic performance and progress (incl. grade point average, grade progression)
- Knowledge of the language of instruction or working language
- If applicable, scholarly achievements after graduation, (e.g. publications, lectures, conference papers)
- Quality of research proposal and preparation (originality, topicality and relevance of the project, choice of host institution and first contacts)
- Feasibility and consistency of research plan and schedule (analysis and evaluation stages)
- Incorporation of project within the overall doctorate (in terms of content and time)
- Suitability of the applicant’s profile and the research project to the objectives of the programme (potential for personal and professional development, use of international networking in the working groups as well as own active contributions in the working groups)
- Career prospects: significance of the research project and stay in Germany for the applicant’s academic, professional and personal development
- Motivation: professional and personal reasons for the stay in Germany and the host university/institution, motivation of taking advantage of the international network within the working groups, as well as demonstrating a willingness and commitment to actively contribute to the success of the working groups; knowledge of the local language (if different from the working language); regional knowledge
- Extracurricular commitment: extracurricular knowledge and skills, social commitment
Further information
Application requirements
What requirements must be met?
Please check if the following criteria are fulfilled:
- As a rule, applicants should not have graduated any longer than six years before the application deadline
- If you have already started your doctorate, it also applies that the start of the doctorate should not be longer than 3 years ago. Please also read our Important Scholarship Information / Section A, point 2
- Your application cannot be considered, if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline
Language skills
Very good English language skills are essential. However, we do not require an official English test. The author of the invitation letter must confirm that your English language skills are sufficient to pursue the research project in Germany.
Application Procedure
Application deadline
Application deadline:
June 15, 2026
Selection period: July through mid-August
Funding begins: October 2026
Application documents
After registering on the DAAD portal, please complete the online application in full. Then upload the application documents listed below to the DAAD portal in the section ‘Attachments’.
Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD portal:
- Full curriculum vitae in tabular form (max. 3 pages)
- Letter of motivation (1-3 pages) considering the following question: What do you hope to gain from your project in Germany (personally, professionally, for your career)? The letter of motivation must also include a statement explaining which of the five future-focused working groups you would like to participate in, why you wish to contribute to the relevant topic, and how you would contribute to a successful outcome.
- A research proposal, prepared and formulated by yourself, as well as a description of previous research work (max. 10 pages in total). The proposal is an extensive and detailed description of the research project which has been discussed with the academic adviser. Please also read our Important Scholarship Information / section B, point 2
- Schedule of planned research work
- University degree certificate and transcripts of records of your last academic degree (as a rule, Master or equivalent; Bachelor, if you have not yet completed your Master at the time of application). If the documents of your last academic degree are not yet available at the time of application, please be sure to submit them subsequently as soon as possible
- Declaration from the scientific supervisor in Germany on safety-relevant and ethical aspects of the research project. Please upload the document in addition to the confirmation from the academic host in the portal under ‘acceptance of host institution‘
- Confirmation from the academic host or the host institution in Germany; the confirmation must refer to your project including details of the working language, the applicant’s language skills in English and guarantee that the host institute will provide you with a workplace. Also read our Important Scholarship Information / section C, point 3.
- Proof of admission as a doctoral candidate at the home university
- Summary of your final thesis (Master or equivalent) (approx. 1 page). If your degree programme did not require a final thesis, please upload a brief (informal) explanation of this to the portal instead of the summary.
- List of publications (max. 10 pages), if applicable
- Proof of language proficiency is required only if you plan to conduct fieldwork or interviews in a language other than the working language at the host institution. Otherwise, you do not need to submit proof of language proficiency. If you do submit proof of language proficiency, you will find all further information in the important scholarship guidelines (A.9 an D.5).
- One recent letter of recommendation from a university teacher which provides information about your qualifications. Please regard the instructions given on the tab “Submitting an application” in the DAAD scholarship database
- Optional: Other documents which support your application (example: certificates of employment, proof of practical training/internships or social commitment etc.)
Documents that are not yet available by the application deadline (e.g. letter of admission) can be submitted later. Please upload a free form statement to your application in which you explain why the documents are not at hand yet and when they will be available.
Please note
- 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.
- 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.
- A subsequent application after the application period has expired is no longer possible.
- Incomplete applications cannot be considered. You are responsible for ensuring that your application is complete.
Contact and Consulting
Information and advisory centres
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
German Academic Exchange Service
SectionST22 – Northern-/Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South Caucasus
Team Future Network Weimar Triangle
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
E-Mail: weimartriangle@daad.de
Please read the description of your programme of interest in detail. If you still have any question about DAAD scholarships, you will find further information among “Important information for scholarship applicants”.
In case you cannot find the right answer, you can also get in touch with our digital colleague “Amiko” to receive an immediate response (bottom right, by clicking on the chat bubble). Alternatively, please use the contact form to get in touch with the DAAD Info-Center. They will answer your question as soon as possible. However, this can take up to three working days.
Furthermore, the DAAD Info-Center can also be contacted by phone, to get a guidance in English and German. Here is their number: +49 228 882 180 and their contact hours:
Monday – Thursday: From 9am till 12pm & 2pm till 4pm (CET or CEST)
Friday: From 9am – 2pm (CET or CEST)
Submitting an application
General information on the application via DAAD portal
Applications for this scholarship programme are possible in the period May 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.
You can also call the technical portal hotline on weekdays from 9-12 and 14-16 (CET/CEST) on +49 (0) 228 882-8888.
Please consider possible processing times of your request when you are planning your application.
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