DAAD - Short-Term Research Fellowships

DAAD Short-Term Research Fellowship

A scholarship is a research grant. You will receive around 1,000 EUR per month for a research stay of up to 6 months at a German university or research institute. The exact amount depends on whether you are a PhD student or a postdoctoral researcher. In addition to the scholarship, the DAAD will cover your health, accident and third-party liability insurance. It will also pay a flat-rate travel allowance if your home institution does not do so. You may also receive research grants, a housing allowance and additional funds to cover disability-related costs. The funding is provided by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) via its office in Paris. It is intended to finance a research stay, not further studies, and you must arrange the stay in advance with a supervisor in Germany.

Who can apply

• Degree level: You are a PhD student with a Master’s degree or an equivalent qualification, or a postdoctoral researcher with a PhD. As a rule, PhD students will have started their PhD no more than 3 years ago, and postdoctoral researchers will have completed their PhD within the last 4 years.
• Field of study: All degree programmes are open to applicants. Special conditions apply to the degree programme in Medicine; please therefore contact the DAAD for further information.
• Host in Germany: You have already made contact with a German host institution, such as a university, a research institute, a library or an archive, and have received a written invitation.
• Language: Your knowledge of German or English is sufficient for your project. There is no language test, but the working language must be confirmed in your letter of invitation.
• Nationality and residence: Primarily for French nationals. People of other nationalities (with the exception of German nationals) may apply via the Paris office after having lived in France for at least 1 years. German nationals must have lived in France for at least 6 years.
• Not already in Germany: You have not been living in Germany for more than 15 months and are not yet enrolled at a German university. An exception to this is a German-French doctoral supervision programme.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted online via the DAAD application portal. There are two application deadlines each year. Please apply by 15 September for a stay beginning between January and June of the following year, or by 15 February for a stay beginning between July and December of the same year. Scholarship recipients are selected by a joint panel of French and German academics at the DAAD office in France.

How realistic are your chances?

This funding scheme is very narrowly defined. You must be a early-career researcher based in France who has already found a German host institution, which means the pool of applicants remains small. The key selection criteria are your academic background and a well-prepared project that would clearly benefit from a stay in Germany. A concrete plan and a binding invitation are the most important factors. If you fit the profile and meet these requirements, your chances are good.