DAAD research grants provide young foreign academics and scientists with an opportunity to carry out research and continue their education in Germany. There are funding programmes for various qualification phases and stages in a career. The grants also promote the exchange of experience and networking amongst colleagues.

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 850.- 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.
The most important selection criteria:
  • a convincing and well-planned research project or course of continuing education
  • academic achievements
Additional documents that prove academic suitability or provide information about extracurricular activities will also be considered in the assessment.

What requirements must be met?

  • As a rule, applicants should not have graduated any longer than six years before the application deadline. If you are already working on a doctoral degree, you should not have started your degree any longer than three years previously.
  • Applicants who have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline cannot be considered.
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).

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.
The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD portal.
You are also required to send 1 copy of the "Application summary" (PDF file), which is generated in the DAAD portal after the online application procedure has been completed, by post to the application address.
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.
The access to the DAAD portal generally opens about 6 weeks before the application deadline at the latest.

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 publications (max. 10 pages), if applicable
  • Extensive and detailed description of the research proposal and a description of previous research work (max. 10 pages)
In the case of individual projects supervised by a university teacher (academic adviser)
  • Letter confirming supervision by a university teacher in Germany (academic adviser)
  • Schedule of planned research work
In the case of planned participation in a structured doctoral study programme:
  • Letter of admission to a study programme; this can be subsequently submitted before the grant-supported research begins if it is not available at the time of application.
  • Proof of existing contacts to the coordinator of the doctoral programme in the form of copies of correspondence
Also for all applicants:
  • Diplom or 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.
  • Other documents which support your application (example: certificates of employment, proof of placements, etc.)
  • Depending on the subject certificate of knowledge of German language (onDaF, TestDaF) or English language (IELTS or TOEFL iBT or TEM)

To be submitted by post:
One recent reference from a university teacher which provides information about your qualifications (hand-signed, no digital or scanned signature). Please regard the instructions given on the tab “Submitting an application“.
You are also required to send 1 copy of the "Application summary" (PDF file), which is generated in the DAAD portal after the online application procedure has been completed, by post to the application address.

Application deadline

1 October for stays that start in October of the following year

Application location

Regional Office Tokyo
Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst
Akasaka 7-5-56, Minato-ku
107-0052 Tokyo
Japan
Tel.: +81 (3)/3582-5962
Fax.: +81 (3) /3582-5554
E-Mail.: daad-tokyo@daadjp.com
WWW.: https://www.daad.jp

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.)
[listThe DAAD portal closes at 24.00 hrs. Central European Time (CET) on the last application day.]
  • 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.

More detailed information

Please note:
To submit an application on the DAAD Portal, please use a desktop or laptop computer as the site’s full functionality is not available on mobile devices. Technical requirements

General information on the application via DAAD portal

You can access the DAAD portal by clicking "Application portal" at the end of the page. Here you will find an online application form in which you can enter your application data.

This is what you have to do:

1. Register in the DAAD portal (Read notes about registering in the portal >>)

2. Request references
The form, which has to be completed by a referee, has to be generated in the DAAD portal in the section "Request reference" after registration and downloaded. Please send the form by e-mail to your referee and ask for the completed reference form to be returned to you in a sealed envelope. In each case, please provide your referee with the application address thus enabling him/her to send the recommendation letter there direct.

Please note that the form for completion by a referee can only be generated during the application period (from about 6 weeks before the application deadline).
Please generate one form for each referee.
The reference is confidential and may not be viewed by the applicant!

3. Applying online in the DAAD portal (Read notes on applying in the portal >>)
  • Download and complete the online application form
  • Prepare application documents
  • If necessary, translate documents (unless they are already in German or English).
  • Scan paper documents (except references) and save in PDF format. Please note that you can only upload PDF files to the portal.
  • Upload the completed application form and the other application documents to the portal in PDF format. Translations, if applicable, should be uploaded together with the document issued in the original language.
  • Submit the uploaded application documents online.

4. Sending application documents by post
References must be sent in the unopened envelope to the application location.

You are also required to send 1 copy of the "Application summary" (PDF file), which is generated in the DAAD portal after the online application procedure has been completed, by post to the application address.

Information for applicants from non-EU countries:
Please remember to specify the exact contents of your postal consignment in the documents for the customs authorities, e.g. "Application for a scholarship with application documents, a reference and a DVD with work samples (no commercial goods, no merchandise value, no insurable value)".

Please note:
If you have any technical questions or problems your local information and advice centres could not help you with, please do not hesitate to contact our technical Portal hotline: +49 (0228) 882-8888 or via e-mail portal@daad.de, open every weekday from 9.00 am to 12.00 pm and from 2.00 pm to 4.00 pm (CET).
Please consider this when you are planning your application.

Research Grants - Doctoral Programmes in Germany, 2020/21

To the application portal