DAAD North America: Research Grants - Bi-nationally Supervised Doctoral Degrees / Cotutelle

Funder: German Academic Exchange Service (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst - DAAD)

The DAAD North America Research Grants support bi-national doctoral projects in collaboration with German universities. This program offers funding for up to 24 months, with the possibility of extensions based on academic progress. Eligible applicants include US or Canadian citizens and permanent residents, who must demonstrate a basic knowledge of German. This initiative aims to foster international academic cooperation and enhance research opportunities for doctoral candidates.

Overview
The aim of this programme is the funding of bi-national doctoral projects at the home university and at a university in Germany.
The programme offers two options:

• Doctorate with bi-national supervision:

Your doctoral project is supervised by a university teacher both at your home university and at the host institute in Germany (so-called 'sandwich model'). Your project must be agreed with both supervisors according to the following procedure:
You start your doctoral degree in your home country.This is followed by research trips to Germany.You complete your doctorate in your home country and are also supervised by the German academic adviser.Your home university awards the doctoral degree.
Doctorate following the “Cotutelle” procedure:
Funding is provided for doctoral projects that are carried out at the home university and at a university in Germany according to the so-called Cotutelle model. This is based on an individual cooperation agreement which is concluded individually for your doctoral project by the participating universities. After you have successfully completed your doctorate, the German university and your home university award the doctoral degree jointly.
Duration of the funding
Funding is provided for between 7 and a maximum of 24 months.Grants are initially awarded for a maximum of one year. Your academic achievements will be assessed once a year. If this shows that you will successfully complete your doctorate within a reasonable period of time, the scholarship will continue as planned. You can apply for an extension of the scholarship for a possible fourth year of funding.The length of the funding period is determined by a selection committee and depends on your project and study plan.The grant can be used flexibly for several shorter stays during your doctoral project.When you apply for the grant, you should outline in your study plan and time schedule (see ‘Application documents’) how you intend to divide your time between Germany and your home university.If you plan to visit other countries (e.g. to collect material), please specify these plans in your application. Such visits can only be funded if they take place in connection with your visit to Germany and they do not exceed one quarter of your expected total funding period.Funding must begin in 2026.
Value
Monthly payments for doctoral candidates during the stay in Germany: 1,400 euros. Please note that no scholarship payments are made during stays at your home university.Payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance coverTravel allowances for up to three outward and return journeys unless these expenses are covered by the home country or another source.A research allowance of € 460Travel and accommodation expenses according to the German Federal Travel Expenses Law for your supervising university teachers for one trip of up to 10 daysto Germany to monitor progress,to your home university to take part in final examinations.Please indicate the trips in the time schedule (see 'Application documents') when applying.Under certain circumstances, you can apply for the following additional benefits for uninterrupted stays of over 6 months in Germany after start of funding:monthly rent subsidy (please read the important scholarship information / section F, point 9)monthly allowance for accompanying members of family. Please also read our important information for scholarship applicants / section F, point 3.In case of a disability or chronic illness: on application, a subsidy may be provided for justified additional costs incurred abroad that are necessary to realise the project in Germany and that are not covered by a third party; whether and to what extent a subsidy will be paid, will be reviewed and determined on an individual basis (see important information for scholarship applicants, section F, point 8)

Eligibility

Who can apply?Depending on the nature of the project:Bi-national supervision following the “sandwich model”: Applicants who have completed a Master's degree or Diplom (in exceptional cases a Bachelor's degree) at the latest at the beginning of their scholarship.“Cotutelle” procedure: Applicants who have admission to a doctoral programme at the latest at the beginning of their scholarship.What can be funded?Option a) Doctorate with bi-national supervision following the “sandwich model”: Research stays at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education or a non-university research institute in Germany as part of a doctoral programme in the home country. Option b) Doctorate following the “Cotutelle” procedure: Research stays at a state or state-recognised institution of higher education for the preparation of a doctoral thesis, which is supervised and carried out bi-nationally on the basis of an individually concluded cooperation contract.Eligible Applicants:US or Canadian citizens or permanent residentsForeign nationals who live in the USA or in Canada and by the time of application deadline have gained their last degree in the US/Canada or will be gaining it before the beginning of their funding period.No more than six years should pass between the final examinations and the application deadline. Doctoral candidates should not have started their doctoral degree any longer than three years previously.Applicants who have been resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline cannot be considered.Language skills
Applicants must be able to prove they have a basic knowledge of German at the time of their application.
DAAD Language Evaluation Form (Sprachnachweis): If you have any knowledge of German, submit this document signed by a faculty member (professor or teaching assistant) of the German Department at your institution. If you have no knowledge of German and your study language in Germany is English, be sure to submit this certificate anyway, indicating that your study language is English, and write at the top "No knowledge of German." (Please note that German is not a requirement).

Ineligibility

Applicants who have been a resident in Germany for longer than 15 months at the application deadline cannot be considered.