PhD students

Here you find a selection of funding programmes for international PhD students by various funding organisations. For more funding opportunities please search our funding databases.

Selection of funding programmes (alphabetical order):

DLR-DAAD Research Fellowships in Space, Aeronautics, Energy and Transportation Research

Outstanding doctoral students, scientists and researchers can complete a doctorate or conduct special research at an institute of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

Green Talents

The winners of this competition are invited on a journey to leading German institutions of environmental and sustainability research. Furthermore, Green Talents awardees can complete a research stay at an institution of their choice.

Helmholtz Research Schools and Graduate Schools

These research schools and graduate schools offer structured doctoral programmes for highly-qualified PhD students in partnership with universities.

Helmholtz Visiting Researcher Grant

Doctoral students and postdocs with a strong link to (applied) data and information sciences can do a short-term research stay at the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers.

Individual Doctoral Projects at Fraunhofer Institutes

PhD students can complete a doctorate while working on exciting projects in the newest areas of technology with state-of-the-art equipment at a Fraunhofer Institute.

Individual Doctoral Projects at Leibniz Institutes

PhD students can complete a doctorate while working in an excellent interdisciplinary research environment at a Leibniz Institute.

Individual Doctoral Projects at Max Planck Institutes

PhD students can complete doctoral projects within the scope of research work conducted at a Max Planck Institute.

International Max Planck Research Schools

The Max Planck Schools are a joint graduate programme currently run by 24 universities and 34 institutes from non-university research organisations. Ambitious and promising PhD candidates engage in cutting-edge interdisciplinary research in the fields of cognition, matter to life, and photonics, while studying in the context of a unique scientific network, closely supervised by outstanding scientists. Both Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates can enter the programme and benefit from early access to first-class research infrastructures and innovative teaching formats in a fully-funded PhD programme.

International Visiting Researchers at Max Planck Institutes

International researchers can conduct independent research at a Max Planck Institute. The programme aims to strengthen cooperation and promote networking between Max Planck Institutes and their international partners.

Leibniz Graduate Schools and Leibniz ScienceCampi

Young researchers find ideal conditions for completing a doctorate in a structured doctoral programme that can take place either at a Leibniz Institute or a partner university.

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks

PhD students receive structured doctoral training within these networks, which are formed jointly by different European institutions.

Max Planck Schools

The Max Planck Schools in the forward-looking fields of cognition, photonics and matter to life are aimed at promising PhD students from all over the world. They will gain access to fascinating interdisciplinary research questions.

Munich Aerospace: Doctoral Scholarships

Munich Aerospace PhD scholarships allow talented young scientists to focus exclusively on the research work at hand and a timely doctoral degree.

PhD Fellowships

The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds awards PhD fellowships to outstanding junior researchers who wish to carry out an ambitious scientific PhD project in basic biomedical research at an internationally leading laboratory.

Research Grants – Bi-nationally Supervised Doctoral Degrees/Cotutelle

The aim of this programme is to support doctoral degrees at the home university with integrated research phases in Germany.

Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany

International PhD students can realise a doctoral project (individually or in a structured programme) at a state or state-recognised German university or non-university research institution.

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Research Training Groups

Research training groups are set up by universities and pursue a focused research programme. PhD students and postdocs can complete a doctorate or engage in independent research activities.

RISE Professional

This programme enables students in the fields of natural sciences, engineering or computer science from North America, Great Britain or Ireland to gain serious practical experience in a German company or research institution with strong industry ties.

Support for Early Career Researchers within Collaborative Research Centres

Collaborative Research Centres offer PhD students and junior researchers opportunities to pursue an outstanding research programme that crosses the boundaries of disciplines, institutes, departments and faculties.

Search funding databases

There are more funding programmes available for international researchers. For more information you can either search the funding databases or go straight to funding organisations’ websites.