DAAD Research Grants – One-Year Grants for Doctoral Candidates
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 primary aim of this programme is to promote research projects within the context of doctoral programmes.
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?
A research project or course of continuing scientific education at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education in Germany or a non-university research institute, which is being carried out in coordination with an academic adviser in Germany.
Duration of the funding
- 7 months to usually 12 months; the length of the grant is decided by a selection committee and depends on the project in question and the applicant’s work schedule.
- The grant is non-renewable.
Value
- Depending on 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, unless these expenses are covered by the home country or another source of funding
- One-off research allowance
Under certain circumstances, grant holders 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)” (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 is either 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.