The Mercator Kolleg für internationale Aufgaben is an annual fellowship jointly run by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes and Stiftung Mercator in cooperation with the German Federal Foreign Office. Each cohort comprises 20 professionals from different disciplines and sectors who develop practical work around the theme “Europe in the World 2030”.
Fellows attend mandatory seminars in Europe and design six to ten months of full-time practice placements across sectors and regions worldwide. The 2027 cohort runs from January to December; applications are closed, and the 2028 call is planned for spring 2027.
Benefits & funding
- A basic stipend of EUR 2,200 for every active fellowship month.
- Location-related supplements of up to EUR 800 per month for placements abroad or in high-cost cities.
- Worldwide travel costs, German health-insurance support, foreign health and liability insurance, and allowances for language courses, training and conferences.
- A monthly EUR 250 supplement per child for fellows with legal custody, plus possible childcare support during seminars.
- Three seminar phases in Europe, individual coaching and access to a network of more than 500 alumni.
Eligibility
- Hold a Master’s degree or doctorate by the application deadline; a Bachelor’s degree alone is insufficient.
- Have at least one year of substantial professional experience after the qualifying degree by the deadline; internships and assistant roles do not count. The published range extends to about ten years, but applicants above that level may consult the program and are not automatically excluded.
- Have very good English and fluent German.
- Meet one of three routes: German citizenship; any other citizenship with permanent residence in Germany; or EU citizenship with a German university degree and primary residence in Germany.
- Show social responsibility, teamwork, organizational ability, willingness to exchange across disciplines and active commitment to the cohort.
- Current employees of Stiftung Mercator, its partner companies or the Studienstiftung cannot apply, and the program is not open to retirees.
- Carlo Schmid Program alumni may apply only when at least two years separate the two funding periods.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Education required
Master · PhD
Experience required
≥ 1 yrs
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Application process
- 1Check the eligibility rules and develop a practical project question linked to “Europe in the World 2030”.
- 2Register in the online portal during the application window and complete all form fields in German.
- 3Upload a one-page project sketch of no more than 5,000 characters, a two-page CV without a photo, academic records and relevant proof of professional experience.
- 4Submit the complete application by the deadline; submitted applications cannot be edited and missing documents cannot be added later.
- 5Shortlisted applicants attend a three-day digital selection seminar with two interviews, a group exercise, presentations and discussion.
Program timeline
15 April 2026
Applications opened for the 2027 cohort.
Application deadline at midnight.
15 June 2026
Written preselection.
By the end of July 2026
Digital selection seminar.
18–20 September 2026
Offers, rejections and wait-list decisions sent.
By 25 September 2026
Fellowship year begins.
January 2027
Opening seminar in Berlin.
10–17 January 2027
Mid-year seminar in Vilnius and the Baltic region.
2–9 May 2027
Second mid-year seminar in Germany.
4–10 September 2027
Closing seminar in Essen and Berlin.
1–8 December 2027
Spring 2027
The call for the 2028 fellowship year is planned to open; no exact date is published.