Research Program•Germany

DAAD Research Grants in Germany

Funding

Fully Funded · Grant

Program dates

TBA

DAAD Research Grants in Germany fund a defined research project at a state or state-recognised German university or non-university research institute. The grant is run by the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) and supports two groups: doctoral candidates enrolled at a university or research institution outside Germany, and early-career postdoctoral researchers. It pays a monthly living stipend together with insurance and research-related allowances for a stay of a few months up to one year. Funding under the current call must begin in 2027. It is not a degree scholarship — it funds a research stay, and you cannot apply if you are completing your entire doctorate at a German university.

Benefits & funding

  • Monthly stipend of €1,400.
  • Health, accident and personal liability insurance contributions.
  • Research allowance of €460 (for grants longer than 6 months).
  • Travel allowance (for grants longer than 6 months).
  • Optional add-ons subject to conditions: rent subsidy, family/accompanying-dependant allowance, and language-course support.
  • Duration: 2 to 12 months for doctoral candidates; 2 to 6 months for postdocs.

Eligibility

  • Open to applicants worldwide; eligibility and deadlines depend on your country of residence, which you select from the DAAD list when applying.
  • Doctoral candidates doing their doctorate at a university or research institution outside Germany, or postdocs up to 4 years after completing their doctorate.
  • You cannot apply if you are doing your entire doctorate at a German university.
  • Your doctorate must have started no more than 3 years before the application deadline.
  • You must not have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline.
  • A written confirmation of a host and workplace from an academic host in Germany is required.
  • Adequate knowledge of the working language(s) of the research project, assessed during selection.

Application process

  1. 1
    Find a research project and secure written confirmation of a host and workplace at a German university or research institute.
  2. 2
    Check the country-specific deadline and document list for your country of residence in the DAAD scholarship database.
  3. 3
    Submit the online application through the DAAD portal with a CV, list of publications (mandatory for postdocs), motivation letter, research proposal and time schedule, degree certificates and transcripts, a DAAD-form letter of recommendation, and the host confirmation and supervisor’s ethics/safety declaration.

Program timeline

  1. 2026 (second quarter onward)

    country-specific application deadlines for funding beginning in 2027 are confirmed, usually around the same period as the previous year.

  2. funded research stays begin.

    2027