• For German
    research organisations
  • Research landscape
  • News and research areas
  • Your goal
  • Our service
Why Germany
  • R&D policy framework
  • Research infrastructure
  • Research funding system
Universities
  • Universities of applied sciences
Research-Organisations
  • Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
  • Helmholtz Association
  • Leibniz Association
  • Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
  • Academies of sciences and humanities
  • Federal institutions
  • Länder institutions
  • Research infrastructure
  • Industrial research
Industrial research
Top universities
Research News
Global Health
Bioeconomy
InnoHealth
EnergInno
Future of Work
COVID-19 in Germany
Cancer Research
Bachelor or master
PhD
  • Good reasons
  • Two ways to get your PhD
  • Find your PhD position
  • Funding programmes
  • Funding organisations
  • Funding databases
  • Job portals
Postdoc
  • Good reasons
  • Career options & dual careers
  • Funding programmes
  • Funding organisations
  • Funding databases
  • Job portals
Advanced research
  • Good reasons
  • Career options & dual careers
  • Funding & awards
  • Funding organisations
  • Funding databases
  • Job portals
Research Position
  • Find a job
  • Potential employers
  • Research fields
Events & online talks
  • Events
  • Online talks
  • Innovation Week
Research news
Newsletter
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletter 2022
  • Newsletter 2021
Our publications
Success stories
Link to German Institutions research organisations
  • Research landscape
    • Overview Research landscape
    • Why Germany
      • Overview Why Germany
      • R&D policy framework
      • Research infrastructure
        • Overview Research infrastructure
        • DESY – Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron
        • DKRZ – German Climate Computing Centre
        • Research vessel Polarstern
        • FLASH – free-electron laser in Hamburg
      • Research funding system
        • Overview Research funding system
        • Government funding
        • How does government funding work?
    • Universities
      • Overview Universities
      • Universities of applied sciences
    • Research-Organisations
      • Overview Research-Organisations
      • Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
      • Helmholtz Association
      • Leibniz Association
      • Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
      • Academies of sciences and humanities
      • Federal institutions
      • Länder institutions
      • Research infrastructure
      • Industrial research
    • Industrial research
    • Top universities
  • News and research areas
    • Overview News and research areas
    • Research News
    • Global Health
    • Bioeconomy
    • InnoHealth
    • EnergInno
    • Future of Work
    • COVID-19 in Germany
    • Cancer Research
  • Your goal
    • Overview Your goal
    • Bachelor or master
    • PhD
      • Overview PhD
      • Good reasons
      • Two ways to get your PhD
      • Find your PhD position
      • Funding programmes
      • Funding organisations
      • Funding databases
      • Job portals
    • Postdoc
      • Overview Postdoc
      • Good reasons
      • Career options & dual careers
        • Overview Career options & dual careers
        • Professorship
        • Postdoc positions
        • Junior research group leader
        • Researcher in industry
        • Research stays and visits
        • International collaborations
        • Dual careers
      • Funding programmes
      • Funding organisations
      • Funding databases
      • Job portals
    • Advanced research
      • Overview Advanced research
      • Good reasons
      • Career options & dual careers
        • Overview Career options & dual careers
        • Professorship
        • Visiting professorship & visiting lectureship
        • Leading a research group
        • Researcher in a company
        • Research stays and visits
        • International collaborations
        • Dual careers
      • Funding & awards
      • Funding organisations
      • Funding databases
      • Job portals
    • Research Position
      • Overview Research Position
      • Find a job
      • Potential employers
      • Research fields
        • Overview Research fields
        • Agriculture
        • Architecture
        • Earth Sciences
        • Engineering
        • Forestry
        • Law
        • Logistics
        • Pharmacy
  • Our service
    • Overview Our service
    • Events & online talks
      • Overview Events & online talks
      • Events
      • Online talks
        • Overview Online talks
        • Planning your research career in germany
        • The DAAD PRIME fellowship
        • Meet the Helmholtz Association
        • Learn more about the new Erasmus+ programme for PhD students
        • Interdisciplinary research
        • Global health research
        • Digital learning
        • Meet the German Research Foundation
        • Meet the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
        • Ask a professor
        • Postdoctoral Opportunities in Germany
        • Doctorate Opportunities in Germany
        • The German research landscape
        • Doing research in humanities
        • Women in science
        • Departmental research
        • Online talk: bioeconomy
        • Research opportunities for Indian scholars
        • Universities of Applied Sciences
        • German research clusters
        • Scientific start-ups in Germany
        • Artificial intelligence
        • Online talks for science administrators
        • Future of work
        • How is a research group structured?
        • How to do research in industry
        • Learn from first-hand experience!
        • Funding your research stay
        • Registration Process and Technical Requirements
      • Innovation Week
    • Research news
    • Newsletter
      • Overview Newsletter
      • Subscribe
      • Newsletter 2022
        • Overview Newsletter 2022
        • February 2022
      • Newsletter 2021
        • Overview Newsletter 2021
        • December 2021
        • October 2021
        • August 2021
        • June 2021
        • April 2021
        • February 2021
    • Our publications
    • Success stories
  1. Home
  2. Your goal
  3. PhD
  4. Funding programmes

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).

More

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.

More

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.

More

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.

More

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.

More

Individual Doctoral Projects at Leibniz Institutes

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

More

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.

More

International Max Planck Research Schools

PhD students can complete a doctorate in a structured programme that provides excellent research conditions. Students have the choice of receiving their doctorates from either the German university or their home university.

More

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.

More

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.

More

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks

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

More

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.

More

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.

More

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.

More

Re-invitation Programme for Former Scholarship Holders

This programme is aimed at former DAAD or GDR scholarship holders. Funding is provided for research and work projects at a state-run or state-recognised higher education institution or non-university research institute.

More

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.

More

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.

More

Research Grants – One-Year and Short-Term Grants

International doctoral candidates and young scholars or researchers can realise a research or training project at a state or state-recognised German university or non-university research institution.

More

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.

More

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.

More

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.

More

More information:

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.

More

Get updates! If you want to stay informed, follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, WeChat, YouTube or via RSS and subscribe to our newsletter.

Publisher BMBF Website
Editor DAAD Website
  • Contact us
  • About us
  • Imprint
  • Data protection