Who can apply?

Scholars at US or Canadian universities or research institutions who hold the Ph.D. (or equivalent) and have been working in research or teaching full time for at least two years at the time of application and after receipt of the doctorate are eligible.

• Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States or Canada. German nationals must have been affiliated with a US or Canadian institution in full-time employment for at least ten consecutive years.
• Applicants should possess adequate knowledge of the German language to carry out the proposed research.
• Applicants may not hold a DAAD grant and a grant from another German or German-American organization concurrently for the same project.
• Former recipients of DAAD research grants who wish to apply again may do so after a lapse of at least three years.
• A change of dates for recipients of the Research Grant for University Academics and Scientists is a rare exception granted only in special circumstances.

What can be funded?

• Research projects at state or state-recognized institutions of higher education or non-university research institutes in Germany.
• A research visit can also take place at several host institutions.
• Funding may only be claimed once within three years.
• Grants are awarded for research projects and cannot be used for travel only. Airfare to Germany will not be covered. Lecture tours, attendance at conferences or conventions, editorial meetings or extended guest professorships are not funded.

Duration of the funding

• One to three months; the length of the grant is decided by a selection committee and depends on the project in question and the applicant’s work schedule.
• The grant is non-renewable.

Value

Monthly payments vary based on academic status. All DAAD Grantees receive mandatory health insurance through DAAD. The monthly contribution to the insurance is deducted from the stipend and cannot be waived.

For more information about research stays, click here.

The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD Portal on daad.de. Access to the DAAD Portal opens about 6 weeks before the application deadline.

A complete application is comprised of the following mandatory documents. Please upload all documents in PDF format to the DAAD Portal.

Documents to be uploaded to the DAAD Portal:

1. Online application form – available for download from the portal after registering
2. Curriculum vitae (max. 3 pages)
3. List of academic publications (max. 3 pages)
4. Comprehensive statement about research/ working project (max. 5 pages)
5. Time schedule and itinerary (host institutes/ academic hosts) of the planned research stay. Please also specify any travel plans within Germany in the framework of your research.
6. Letter from host which refers to the applicant’s proposal and guarantees that a workplace will be provided. The invitation letter should be a PDF document that can be uploaded to the portal by the applicant.
7. No letter of recommendation is required (ignore the respective section on the online portal).

Please note:

• Your application is only valid once you submit all the required documents to the DAAD Portal.
• Late or incomplete applications cannot be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that their applications are complete.
• You do not have to submit a paper copy of the application to our office.

After submitting your application:

• As soon as you have submitted your application online, you will automatically receive confirmation that your application has been successfully submitted and an e-mail informing you that a message has been sent to you via the portal’s messaging system. The message confirms that your application has been received.
• Please do not call or email to inquire whether your online application materials have been received. Within 6-8 weeks after the application deadline, you will receive an email to confirm the receipt of your complete application. You may submit your application in advance of the deadline date, but it will not be processed until after the deadline.
• The application documents remain with the DAAD. Data relating to applicants is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the German Federal Data Protection Act insofar as this data is needed to process the application.

An independent selection committee reviews applications. The most important selection criteria are:

• Academic achievements and recent publications which must be documented in the curriculum vitae and a list of publications.
• A convincing and well-planned research/ working project.

We expect results for the January 2023 deadline by the end of May. Please note that no reasons for decisions will be given.

The portal closes at 11:59pm Central European Time (5:59pm EST, 4:59pm CST, 3:59pm MST, 2:59pm PST) on the deadline date; as the electronic application system shuts down automatically, applicants are advised to start the online application at least one week before the closing date.

The next application deadline is on May 15, 2023 for stays between September 1, 2023 and January 31, 2024. For more information, visit the DAAD Scholarship Database.

If you have questions about the program, please contact Mr. Ethan Grandel at grandel [at] daad [dot] de.

For technical problems with your online application, please send an e-mail to portal@daad.de.