Research Program•Germany · Hamburg

DESY Summer Student Programme

Funding

Partial / Stipend

Program dates

Jul 21, 2026 – Sep 10, 2026

The DESY Summer Student Programme gives undergraduate and early Master’s students first-hand research experience at Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), a national research centre of the Helmholtz Association. Selected students spend seven weeks embedded in a research group at DESY’s Hamburg or Zeuthen (near Berlin) campus, working on a supervised project alongside a lecture programme. Fields span photon science, accelerators, elementary particle physics, astroparticle physics, and scientific computing or engineering. The placement is paid, includes free on-site accommodation, and carries a certificate equivalent to 10 ECTS points.

Benefits & funding

  • Daily payment of €28.50 per calendar day (roughly €1,482 in total, paid in three installments).
  • Free single-room accommodation in the DESY Hostel — private bathroom, furnished with bed, desk and chair.
  • Travel: a €125 lump sum for every student, plus reimbursement of 80% of costs above €300 for those with higher travel expenses.
  • A supervised research project plus a lecture programme; a certificate stating the work is equivalent to 10 ECTS points.
  • A 39-hour working week (project work and lectures) across the seven-week period.

Eligibility

  • Undergraduate or Master’s students who have completed at least three years of full-time university study in physics, a related natural science, or computing.
  • Aimed at students about to finish a Bachelor’s or currently enrolled in a Master’s; those who already hold — or will obtain by the programme start — a Master’s degree are not eligible.
  • Must remain enrolled at their university for the whole programme period (required under German employment rules).
  • Applicants who have previously taken part as a DESY summer student cannot reapply.
  • A good working knowledge of English and some basic computing skills are expected.
  • Applications are not accepted from students enrolled at Russian or Belarusian universities.
  • Open to all nationalities; no age limit is stated.

Application process

  1. 1
    Apply online through the DESY summer-student application portal during the annual open window (typically late autumn until the end of January).
  2. 2
    Submit the required documents, including an enrolment certificate and a signed and stamped declaration of enrolment covering the full programme period (21 July – 10 September). A missing document means the application is not considered.
  3. 3
    Give the name and email address of one referee, who is emailed instructions to upload a reference letter directly.
  4. 4
    DESY research groups make the selection; all applicants are notified of the outcome by the end of March.

Program timeline

  1. Application deadline

    Late January (annual)

  2. Selection outcomes announced

    End of March

  3. Programme starts

    Jul 21, 2026

  4. Programme ends

    Sep 10, 2026