DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants for Doctoral and Postdocs Candidates 2024

DAAD grants for doctoral candidates and young scientists and academics wishing to carry out research and continue their education in Germany for up to 6 months

The primary aim of this programme is to promote research projects within the context of doctoral programmes. The scholarships are funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

• Table of Content
• About DAAD
• DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants
• Aim and Benefits of DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants
• DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants Courses
• Requirements for DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About DAAD

In Japan, the DAAD is represented with a Regional Office in Tokyo. Our mission is to promote scientific exchange and cooperation with people and institutions in the country. © THE GERMAN ACADEMIC EXCANGE SERVICE About the DAAD A brief look back at history shows that the DAAD has a long tradition of uniting people and academia. More © DAAD IN JAPAN DAAD Regional Office Tokyo The DAAD provides scholarships, informs about study and research in Germany, promotes university cooperation and supports German study programmes abroad. Here, you will find more... continue reading

DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants

Aim and Benefits of DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants

• Depending on academic level, monthly payments of euros 1,300.- for doctoral candidates and postdocs
  euros 934.- if you are not yet taking a doctoral degree
• Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover (see also our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 4)
• Travel allowance
• In the case of a disability or chronic illness: subsidy for additional costs which result from the disability or chronic illness and are not covered by other funding providers: Further information
• Green Mobility Top Up (Support for climate-friendly travel) or partial reimbursement of carbon offset payments for air travel

Duration of the funding

• Funding is provided for one month to a maximum of six months. Please indicate in your application how long you wish to receive funding. The funding period will then be determined during the selection process by a selection committee. The committee takes into account your work plan.
• The grant is non-renewable.
• Please note in your time planning that the funded stays should be completed by March 2025 at the latest.

DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants Courses

Requirements for DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants Qualification

What requirements must be met?

Please check if the following criteria are fulfilled:

• As a rule, applicants should not have graduated any longer than six years before the application deadline.
• If you have already started your doctorate, it also applies that the start of the doctorate should not be longer than 3 years ago.
• If you already hold a doctoral degree, you should not have completed your doctorate more than four years ago.
  Please also read our Important Scholarship Information / Section A, point 2.
• You cannot apply, if you have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.

Note:
For applicants from the fields of human medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry, other regulations are applicable. Please refer to the leaflet 'Additional information on DAAD Research Grants for applicants from medical fields' (www.daad.de/extrainfo).
 

• A Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science degree of 2nd class upper division level and a Master of Arts/Master of Science degree are required; or
• a Licence or Maitrise degree of "assez bien" level and a DEA/DESS degree or a Master corresponding to the LMD system are required.

Language skills

• The required language level depends on the applicant's study plans and subject: In the arts, social sciences and in law, at least a good knowledge of German is usually expected. For the natural sciences and engineering, proof of good English language skills may also be accepted if English is spoken at the host institute.

You can apply if you have above-average qualifications and

• you are doing your doctorate,
• you completed your Master's degree or Diplom, or in exceptional cases a Bachelor's degree, at the latest by the time the funding period begins, or
• you have already completed a PhD (postdoc).

You cannot apply, if you are doing your entire doctorate at a German university.

What can be funded?

The programme provides funding for a research project or course of continuing scientific education at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany, which is being carried out in coordination with an academic adviser in Germany.

Interview date, Process and Venue for DAAD Research Grants – Short-Term Grants

An independent selection committee reviews applications.

Central selection criteria are:

• a convincing and well-planned research or training project
• academic achievements

Furthermore, additional documents submitted that prove the applicant's professional aptitude or provide information about extracurricular commitment will also be included in the evaluation.

The selection committee also gives due consideration to equal opportunities; you can provide relevant information in the application form.
For more information on the selection procedure, go to Important Scholarship Information / Section E.

Documents Required for Application

Application documents

Certificates, proof of credits, certifications and translations may be scanned in non-certified form and uploaded to the DAAD portal. The DAAD reserves the right to request certified copies of the documents.

Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD portal:

• Online application form
• Full curriculum vitae in tabular form (max. 3 pages)
• List of your published publications (max. 10 pages), if applicable
• Description of academic and personal reasons for your planned project in Germany (letter of motivation: 1-2 pages), taking account of the following question: What do you hope to gain from your project in Germany (personally, professionally, for your career)? Please upload the letter of motivation under 'study project/motivation' in the DAAD portal.
• A proposal, prepared and formulated by yourself, as well as a description of previous research work (max. 5 pages with max. 3.000 characters without spaces per page plus 2 pages of graphics if necessary). A proposal is an extensive and detailed description of the research project which has been discussed with the academic adviser in Germany. Please also read our Important Scholarship Information / section B, point 2. Please upload the proposal under 'research project' in the DAAD portal.
• Schedule of planned research work
• Confirmation from the academic host in Germany; the confirmation must refer to your project and guarantee that the host institute in Germany will provide you with a workplace. Please also read our Important Scholarship Information / section C, point 3. Please upload the confirmation from the academic host under 'contacts at host institution' in the DAAD portal.
• University degree certificate indicating final grade(s): the certificate must be subsequently submitted before the grant-supported research begins if it is not available at the time of application.
• One recent, supporting letter of recommendation (previously: 'reference form') from a university teacher which provides information about your qualifications. Please regard the instructions given on the tab 'Submitting an application'.
  In the current application procedure, the recommendation can be sent to the DAAD by post as an alternative to uploading it on the portal. Please note the information given under 'Application location' for this purpose.
• Other documents which support your application (example: certificates of employment, proof of practical training/internships, etc.)
• All university certificates on all annual examinations with individual grade(s), incl. explanation of grading system.
• German or English translations of documents submitted in the national language (to be uploaded with the corresponding documents)
• Proof of admission to a doctoral programme at the home university insofar as the applicant intends to take a doctoral degree there

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Application deadlines are updated annually in the second quarter. In most cases, they are in the same period as the previous year. You can find the current dates here:

Application Deadline: October 16th
Selection date in January/February 2024, Start of funding from April 2024

Application Deadline: March 15th
Selection date in July 2024. Start of funding from September 2024

The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD Portal.
Please note that the access to the application portal only appears while the current application period is running. After the application deadline has expired, the portal for this programme is not available until the next application period.

Application location

Section ST32 - Africa
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Kennedyallee 50
53175 Bonn
Germany

Please note

• Your application is only valid if you submit all the required documents to the DAAD portal on time.
• For submitting references by post, the postmark date serves as proof that they have been dispatched on time.
• (If further documents are to be submitted by post, please send them as soon as possible.)
• The DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. (CET or CEST) on the last application day. If possible, please do not send your application on the final date in case technical problems occur.
• Incomplete applications cannot be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their applications are complete.
• The application documents remain with the DAAD. Data relating to applicants is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act and with the EU Data Protection Regulation insofar as this data is needed to process the application.

For more details visit: DAAD website.