Bi-nationally Supervised Doctoral Degree Scholarship

This is a scholarship programme specially designed for students who have enrolled for PhD at an institution in South Asia and want to do a part of their research in Germany. They get to carry out research at the home institution and also in Germany. As a scholarship holder the student not only gets access to a wide range of resources and advanced infrastructure but also guidance and exposure.

Indeed! Your doctoral research is supervised by a supervisor from your home university as well as by a supervisor from your host institution in Germany. This way you get guidance from multiple perspectives.

While the role of the DAAD is to provide you with the finances for your stay in Germany, your contribution is to identify and get acceptance from the German supervisor. Both these supervisors will need to sign your proposal.

Your home institution awards you the doctoral degree. After your research in Germany, you come back, consolidate your research, and submit your PhD thesis to the home institution. They will evaluate it and award you a PhD.

You are eligible to apply for this scholarship if you are formally registered for your PhD. After the third year of PhD registration, you are no longer eligible.

The application deadline is 20 October every year. This is for scholarship starting from October of the following year.

The application portal opens 6 weeks ahead of the deadline.

To apply for this scholarship the knowledge of the German language is not mandatory.

After you have submitted all the required documents online successfully, an independent selection committee consisting of specialist scientists from Germany and the region i.e. India/ Bangladesh/ Bhutan/ Nepal/ Sri Lanka reviews your application. If you are shortlisted, you are invited for a personal interview which either takes place in face to face or online.

Your academic qualifications including your scholarly achievements after the graduation and quality of your research project, research publications if any etc. are checked during the selection.

Your personal interview plays a very important role.

Initially the scholarship is awarded for 12 months.

Based on approvals from the home supervisor, the host professor and the DAAD, the scholarship can be extended for another (maximum) 12 months.

You get the scholarship value of €1,200 per month once you are in Germany. This is in addition to travel allowance, funding for the mandatory language course, research allowance and insurance. The scholarship also covers monthly allowance for accompanying members of family.
The amount is not taxable.

An individual student typically requires about EUR 934 per month for subsistence i.e. housing, food, clothing, study material and other expenses such as health insurance and leisure activities. The amounts can vary from city to city, and of course from lifestyle to lifestyle! The precise split up for this amount will be updated soon.

Additionally, travel and accommodation expenses of your supervisors for one trip of maximum 10 days are also covered. The trip can either be to Germany to monitor your progress or to your home university to take part in your PhD viva. You need to indicate the trip of your home institution supervisor in your work and time schedule.