DAAD-OSI Scholarship programmes

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and Open Society Scholarship Programs sponsor a joint scholarship program for graduate students in the Balkans and graduate students and junior faculty in the Transcaucasian and Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union.

The DAAD-OSI Program is designed to improve the framework for teaching and research in humanities and social sciences in the region. At the same time, it promotes network-building among the participants and German academics as a basis for further international exchange activities.

Eligibility

For the 2012-13 academic year, candidates from the following countries are eligible to apply:

Armenia, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Serbia, Tajikistan and Ukraine

Support Opportunities

• Selected one and two-year postgraduate MA programs for those candidates holding the equivalent of a bachelors degree (Aufbaustudiengänge)
• Three-year dissertation fellowships for PhD (Promotion) candidates (requirement: completed MA)
• Research fellowships (Studienaufenthälte) (excluding candidates from Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia ) of six months over two consecutive years. These awards are aimed at junior faculty members holding a doctoral degree (kandidat nauk), who show a passion for developing new curriculum and lesson content, as well as forging links with German academics into the future. Candidates must already have proof of contact with a German academic who they wish to collaborate with during their research stay

Academic Programs

Awards are available to support MA, PhD and Faculty in the following broad fields:

Political Science, Sociology and the Social Sciences, International Relations, Law, Economics, European Studies, European Integration, Public Policy and Administration, Public Health, Educational Administration and Philosophy, Peace Studies/Conflict Resolution, International Development Studies and Global Political Economy.

Note: Only selected programs are available for MA (Aufbaustudiengänge) degree students (see MA Course List 2012-13 attached below).

Faculty and PhD candidates may choose any university in Germany where eligible disciplines are taught.

Applicants currently residing outside of their home countries are not eligible to apply.

Language Requirement

A good knowledge of German is desirable. Funding for additional language training may be available in German only.

Applicants wishing to follow a course intructed in English are required to have a very good command of the English language, proven by a TOEFL test.

Selection Process

In early 2012, preselected applicants will be invited to an interview held in their home country. The selection committee will comprise of two- three German university professors, one DAAD and one Open Society Foundations representative. In the case of applications for PhD scholarships, the final decision may be conferred to a selection committee in Bonn.

The Test of German (DSH) will be administered by DAAD Lecturers.

Financial Support

Participants will receive standard DAAD stipends, an allowance for travel to and from host institutions and, if required, a German language course (lasting up to 4 months). PhD students are entitled to a return trip to their home country after the second year.

Please note that within this program, accompanying spouses or children are not eligible for family allowances.

Application Forms and Procedures

Applicants should apply on the standard DAAD application forms, submitting all necessary documents requested on page 5 of the DAAD Application Form (Antrag auf ein Forschungs-/Studienstipendium) along with two reference forms, available from German embassies and consulates, DAAD lecturers in country, and also through the following link: www.daad.de/de/form.

Detailed and specific instructions on the procedures in each country are available through the following link: www.daad.de/deutschland/foerderung/stipendiendatenbank/00462.de.html.

Deadline

October 31, 2011

Contact Information

For more information on eligibility criteria and application details, please refer to the local DAAD-IC-Office contact in the first instance, or www.daad.de, following the links for your country.

General DAAD-OSI scholarships information can be obtained from:

Inga Pracute
DAAD-OSI Program Coordinator
inga.pracute@osf-eu.org

or in German and Russian from the DAAD Central Office in Bonn:

Jana Merzouk
Merzouk@daad.de

Local Scholarship Coordinators

General OSI information can be obtained from the Open Society Foundations scholarship program coordinator in your home country.

More information: http://www.soros.org/initiatives/scholarship/focus_areas/daad/guidelines