research grant in germany

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DAAD Scholarships - An Overview

Would you like to study, carry out research or learn German in Germany and are you looking for funding? Every year, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) supports well over 100,000 German and international students and researchers around the globe – making it the world's largest funding organisation of its kind. Learn more about our scholarship options.

DAAD scholarships 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.

DAAD awards research grants for PhD students from almost all countries of origin. A grant for a full Doctoral programme in Germany is offered primarily to applicants from developing and emerging countries. 

Scholarships for a Master's degree in Germany are available, in particular, for persons from industrial countries. However, some study scholarship programs are aimed specifically at students from developing and emerging countries, such as the "Study scholarships for STEM disciplines“   and "Development-related Postgraduate Courses (EPOS)" programs.

Students and doctoral candidates who are at risk of being denied educational or other rights in their country of origin have the chance to get a scholarship from the "Hilde Domin Programme" . Potential candidates cannot themselves apply for participation in the scholarship programme but are nominated by an institution or organisation that is a legal entity domiciled in Germany. Thereafter, suitable candidates will be contacted by the DAAD and invited to apply via the DAAD application portal.

Also available are so-called " In-Country " or " In-Region " programmes in which students and young scientists and researchers are offered DAAD funding for a graduate programme, doctoral programme or postdoc period in their home country or region.

If you wish to apply for a DAAD scholarship, please read the call for applications for your chosen scholarship programme in the scholarship database , paying particular attention to application deadlines. The scholarship database will take you to the application portal. Scholarship applications are reviewed by independent and voluntary selection committees, which also decide on the allocation of scholarships. The committees not only assess the professional qualifications and the quality of the study or research project, but also the potential of the applicant. Special circumstances (e.g. disability) may be taken into account. The detailed selection criteria can be found in the Important Scholarship Information for Scholarship Applicants under point E.3 and in each call for applications under the "Selection" tab.

DAAD scholarships do not have to be paid back. They usually consist of a monthly scholarship payment (currently, for example,  € 934 for students and € 1,300 for doctoral/PhD students) and a flat-rate travel allowance. In many cases, DAAD also provides you with health, accident and personal liability insurance . Depending on the scholarship programme, there are also additional benefits such as a one-off research allowance, family benefits or funds for language courses. The benefits offered by the respective scholarship programme are described in the call for applications in the scholarship database .

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Would you like to find out more about DFG funding opportunities? Do you need tips on how to submit a proposal? Here you will find information on individual funding, i.e. funding programmes for individual projects or persons, as well as tips on how to compile your proposal.

The information focuses on the following four programmes: Walter Benjamin Programme, Emmy Noether Programme, Heisenberg Programme and Individual Research Grants Programme. Much of the information and advice also applies to other DFG programmes, however.

Individual funding offered by the DFG

What is the DFG? And who or what does the DFG provide funding for?

Finding the right funding programme

Which funding programme is suitable for me? How do the programmes differ? Comparison.

Tips for your proposal

Here we have compiled some helpful tips for you based on experience.

Proposal information

Am I eligible to submit a proposal? How does elan work? And what do I have to take into account?

Arriving at a decision

After submission: What steps are taken to decide on your proposal?

Approval or rejection – what now?

When and how will I be informed of the decision? And what happens after that?

Are you looking for a different funding programme?

In addition to this section on individual funding, there are a wide range of other funding opportunities offered by the DFG. For a complete overview of all DFG programmes, see here .

Further questions?

• Contact us !
• FAQ – Frequently Asked Question s

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Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany

German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

International PhD students can realise a doctoral project (individually or in a structured programme) at a state or state-recognised university or nonuniversity research institution in Germany.

Who can apply?

PhD students with

• an excellent university degree equivalent to a German Master’s degree
• a convincing and well-planned research project or course of continuing education

Further requirements

The doctorate must have been begun within the last 3 years.

Type and extent of funding

Grant of 861 to 1,200 euros per month (depending on qualifications) plus additional allowances, such as health, accident and personal liability insurance contributions, a possible travel subsidy, a research allowance and language course.

Up to 4 years

Application

Applications must be submitted online through the DAAD portal. You can access the application portal through the scholarship database. Some documents need to be sent separately by post. Application details vary from country to country. For country-specific information on addresses and deadlines please check the programme website.

DAAD funding programmes

Here you will find a list of DAAD funding programmes (please select “DAAD funding programmes only”).

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 .

German Research Foundation (DFG): Research Grant

German Research Foundation (DFG) Kennedyallee 40 53175 Bonn Germany

Contact Tel.: +49 228/885-1 Weblink

Application requirements

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”).

Programme Description

The grants enable scientists and academics to conduct research projects with clearly defined topics and a limited duration. Researchers from any subject working in Germany or at a German research institution abroad who have completed their academic training (usually a doctorate) are welcome to apply for the DFG Research Grants. Only internationally competitive research projects of high scientific quality and originality are eligible for submission. The funding generally covers a maximum period of 3 years. After this, however, candidates can apply for the funding to be renewed.

Target Group

researchers from all disciplines working at a German research institution who have completed their academic training (usually a doctorate)

Academic Requirements

specific to a project (in general, several years)

Scholarship Value

The sponsorship amounts depend on the selected programme modules. You will find detailed information on the benefits in the guidelines on the programmes and modules.

Application Papers

Applications are welcome at any time and should be submitted according to the instructions for project proposals.

Application Deadline

Applications may be submitted at any time.

Application Requirements

Candidates should propose high-quality, innovative and internationally competitive research.

Please select your status and your country to enable you to submit an application

„Country“ is the country in which you are living and from which you are applying. If you come from another country, please contact us to find out whether you are eligible for the programme of your choice. More Information

Graduates are people who already have at least one first academic degree, e.g. Bachelor.

Your status and/or country is not in the list? If your status and/or country is not included in the list, you cannot apply for this scholarship programme. To ensure that only scholarship programmes for which you are eligible to apply are shown, please select your status and your country in the results list (left-hand column).

Special announcement

Research grants.

Research Grants are awarded to highly qualified candidates who have completed a master’s degree, or in exceptional cases, a bachelor’s degree at the latest by the time they begin their grant-supported research.

Research in Germany

DAAD research grants offers doctoral students and postdocs the opportunity to pursue short- or long-term research projects in Germany.

• Research Grants in Germany

Short-Term Projects

• Cotutelle Doctoral Programs

The Cotutelle Doctoral Programs in Germany research grant offers funding for students to pursue bi-national doctoral degree programs.

Focus on German Studies

German Studies Research Grant

This specialized DAAD program offers German Studies Research Grants to highly-qualified undergraduate and graduate students who are nominated by the professor supervising their research project. The grant may be used for short-term research (one to two months) in Germany.

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