DAAD: research grants for doctoral students and postdocs

This programme will help you continue your research activities at a German university. Young Ukrainian scientists will receive a monthly stipend covering living expenses, travel expenses there and back, insurance, and educational materials.

The grant supports research programmes lasting from 2 to 12 months. You can plan your trip from February 2026 and complete the language courses earlier.

This is one of numerous DAAD opportunities funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. This is one of the thousands of EU opportunities for Ukraine.

More about the grants

What do I get?

Research residency: from 2 to 12 months for doctoral students and from 2 to 6 months for PhD students
EUR 1,400 of monthly stipend
If your trip is more than 6 months, a one-off payment of EUR 460 that you can spend on textbooks, a library card, conference tickets, etc
Reimbursement of travel expenses to and from Germany
Medical insurance
An online or offline German course if you need to brush up on it
Reimbursement of TestDaF or DSH costs if you need to take the exam after receiving the grant
In exceptional cases, you can also get a monthly rent subsidy or monthly allowance for accompanying family members

Can I apply?

These grants support graduates who:

Are already taking a doctoral degree or have defended your dissertation less than 4 years ago
Plan to work on any research project except for human medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry
Know the language of instruction of the desired study programme and have a language certificate to prove it

What do I need to apply?

Completed application form
CV in tabular form — up to 3 pages
Letter of motivation — up to 2 pages
A list of publications, if so
A detailed description of a research project you want to implement — up to 10 pages. Please indicate how long you wish to receive funding
University degree certificate indicating final grades
Letter of recommendation
A language certificate confirming knowledge of the language in which the Master's program is taught
Other documents that will strengthen your application: certificates of internship, etc.
If you will work on research, a project schedule plan, and confirmation from the scientific supervisor
If you are applying for a doctoral programme, a module plan, contact details of the coordinator and a letter of admission to a study programme

Please note that all documents must be in PDF format. For papers submitted in Ukrainian, please provide German or English translations.

How do I apply?

Apply via the DAAD online portal by 18 August. If you need help with the application portal, contact portal@daad.de.

Good to know

You should find an academic host in Germany yourself. Choose a state-funded, state-recognised university or a non-university research institute, which is being carried out in agreement with a supervisor in Germany.
You may apply if you completed your Master's degree no later than six years before the application deadline and started your doctorate no later than three years ago.
If the competition results are unavailable, enrollment confirmation can be provided later, before the doctoral programme studies start.
If your scientific research is in the arts, social sciences and law, you should have good to excellent knowledge of German. The other fields require basic knowledge of German and good English knowledge.
More opportunities from DAAD are at the link.

DAAD: research grants for doctoral students and postdocs

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