DAAD Doctoral Programmes in Germany are aimed primarily at graduates, doctoral students and postdocs and are awarded for study and research visits to universities and non-university research institutions in Germany. In some programmes, internships are also funded.
Objective
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 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?
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.
Value
- Depending on academic level, monthly payments of:
euros 861.- 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 in 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.
Selection criteria:
Academic Qualification (documented by: university degree certificates, references, list of publications)
- Academic achievements and duration of studies
- If applicable, academic achievements after graduation (e.g. publications, lectures, conference contributions)
Quality of the research project (documented by: presentation of research project, time plan, references, proof of contacts, if applicable, language certificates):
- Quality of research project presentation and preliminary work
- Originality, topicality and relevance of project
- Reasons for choosing Germany and host institution
- Feasibility and consistency of work schedule and time plan (analysis and evaluation steps, if applicable, language skills)
- Integration of the project into the overall doctoral project (in terms of content/time), if relevant
- Importance of the research project and stay in Germany for academic and professional plans
Additional criteria (documented by: curriculum vitae, if applicable, certificates):
- Additional knowledge and skills (e.g. through professional or voluntary activities, further training)
- Involvement in academic self-governance, higher education policy issues
- Political, social, cultural, family (parental leave or care periods, etc.), social commitment
For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship Information / Section E.
Basic-Requirements
| Status: | Graduates Doctoral candidates/PhD students |
| Country of Origin: | Only specified |
| Subject: | See list |
