2025 AROP Fellowship for Research Stays at RWTH Aachen University

RWTH offers fellowships and travel grants to support research stays of doctoral candidates and postdocs from strategically relevant international universities or research institutions. Funding is provided by the Excellence Strategy of the German federal and state governments.

The goal of the Advanced Research Opportunities Program (AROP) is to develop and/or strengthen bilateral relations with international partner institutions. In addition to receiving funding for their research stay and travel, AROP fellows may participate in German-language classes and intercultural training at RWTH.

• Table of Content
• About RWTH Aachen University
• AROP Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of AROP Fellowship
• Requirements for AROP Fellowship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for AROP Fellowship
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About RWTH Aachen University

RWTH Aachen University or Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen is a public research university located in Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. With more than 47,000 students enrolled in 144 study programs, it is the largest technical university in Germany

AROP Fellowship

Aim and Benefits of AROP Fellowship

• A monthly stipend of 1,800 euros for a period of up to six months
• A travel grant based on the country of origin:
  • Europe: 500 euros
  • High-income countries outside of Europe (in accordance with the OECD’s DAC list of ODA recipients): 1,000 euros
  • Low and middle-income countries outside of Europe (in accordance with the OECD’s DAC list of ODA recipients): 1,500 euros
• German language classes and intercultural training

Requirements for AROP Fellowship Qualification

Doctoral candidates and postdocs from strategically relevant international universities and research institutions, which are either RWTH partner institutions or are planning to initiate a partnership with the University.

Interview date, Process and Venue for AROP Fellowship

• Invitation letter from RWTH
• Strategic relevance of the home institution in accordance with the RWTH Internationalization Strategy
• Prospects of building sustainable long-term collaboration or, in the case of already existing relations, to strengthen and extend these partnerships to other research areas

Documents Required for Application

Please submit all the following documents in English:

• CV, including contact details (mail and email address)
• Statement of purpose and research abstract: Please outline the background, content and expected outcome of your intended research project, state your personal motivation as to why you would like to conduct research at RWTH and provide a future perspective of the research collaboration between both institutions (please see “Goals of AROP” and “Selection Criteria” for details). The statement of purpose/research abstract should ideally comprise between three and five pages.
• Invitation letter issued by an RWTH professor: This letter should include a brief description of the joint project and outline the duration of stay, expected outcome (if possible), and future perspectives of the collaboration.
• Research schedule: Please indicate the intended time frame of your stay and outline the specific research activities you plan to undertake within this period.
• List of recent publications

Application Deadline

How to Apply

For more details, visit RWTH Aachen University Fellowship webpage