German Egyptian Research Short-Term Scholarship Program 2017

German Egyptian Research Short-Term Scholarship Program 2017

The scholarships offer young Egyptian scientists and academics the opportunity to travel to Germany. Research visits are funded to a research institute, a state or state-recognised private university in Germany. The scholarships are awarded for a period of 3-6 months.

The scholarships offer young Egyptian scientists and academics the opportunity to travel to Germany. The scholarship shall enable advanced graduate students and young scientists to pursue part of their master’s, doctoral or post-doctoral research in a specific research project at German universities, archives, libraries or research institutes.

Who can apply?
The programme is aimed at Master's students, doctoral candidates and young postdocs.
The application is also open to non-public university staff members; however, all GERSS applicants should be affiliated to a private or public Egyptian university or Egyptian research institute. Scholarships are not awarded for general-information gathering, visits or for the participation in scientific meetings.

What can be funded?
This programme funds research visits to a research institute, a state or state-recognised private university in Germany.

Duration of the funding
The scholarships are awarded for a period of 3-6 months.
Scholarship periods are not extendable.

Value
Travel allowance for scholarship holders:

• A lump sum will be paid for travel and an accident and liability insurance will be provided

Monthly scholarship payment according to academic status:

• Post-Doctoral scholarship holders will be granted an amount of Euro 2.145 (two thousand one hundred forty-five Euros) per month
• Doctoral and MSc scholarship holders will be granted an amount of Euro 1069 (one thousand and sixty-nine Euros) per month
• GERSS scholarship does not include family allowances

Health insurance:

• The amounts for the DAAD health insurance will be deducted from the monthly stipend of each scholarship holder
• One additional insurance installment will be added and will begin 15 days prior to the arrival to Germany and end 15 days after the scheduled departure date to Egypt

Selection
Selection will take place at the DAAD-Branch Office Cairo.
The candidates will be selected in two rounds. First, a pre-selection is a paper-based procedure which will identify the group of applicants who will be invited for the second phase consisting of a personal interview with the GERSS independent selection committee. Pre- and final selection of the candidates should be conducted according to, but not limited to the following criteria:

• Excellent Research proposal
• Scientific merits, including:
  - Quality of the proposal
  - Preparation and feasibility of the project
  - Quality of the acceptance letter
• Excellent study achievement
• The application has to be submitted through the DAAD Portal and 1 hard copy by post. Please note that the tab "Submitting an application" is only displayed during the application period.
  
  Application documents
  Application documents from the public university/research institute staff members
  A complete application consists of the following documents (13 items) that must be uploaded on the DAAD Portal: 
  1. The online application form which is available on the DAAD Portal
     (When you enter your desired travel date in the online application, please make sure that your first travel day either starts on the 1st day of the month or on the 15th day of the months)
  2. A research proposal including the reference list. Please refer to the document “Research Proposal”, which contains questions to be answered concerning your proposal and insert the reference list on the last page
  3. A detailed CV
  4. Complete list of publications, if available
  5. Acceptance letter or an email from a German host professor showing that the research project under preparation is feasible and can be conducted in Germany under his supervision. The acceptance letter should state the title, the time frame and the objectives of the project. The acceptance letter should not be older than six months
  6. Copies of the B.A. or B.Sc. certificate and the M.A. or M.Sc. and PhD certificate, if applicable
  7. All applicants have to submit proof of English language skills/abilities. The proof should be either IELTS (band 6) certificate or institutional TOEFL ITP (minimum score 550) or international TOEFL IBT (minimum score 80). Sufficient proof of English skills is an eligibility criterion. Research projects submitted in German language in the fields of German studies, Islamic studies in German are exempted
  8. Endorsement letter from the applicant’s home institution. The endorsement letter has to be stamped and signed by the Head of the Institution, Dean of the Faculty or President of the University (Please use the template which is available here, print it and fill it out.)
  9. A detailed official statement of employment issued from the applicant’s institution/university. The statement should indicate that the applicant is affiliated to this institution/university at the time of application under the current position and should reflect a complete history of employment
     Kindly note: The endorsement letter as well as the statement of employment must be issued from the same home institution and should not be older than 6 months.
  10. The form “General Required Information”
  11. Proof of pre-master, master’s or PhD registration. (not applicable for PhD holders)
  12. A copy of your passport
  13. Declaration of consent confirming the applicant’s awareness that the submitted research project will undergo a plagiarism check of pre- and final selection phase with the help of software defined by DAAD Cairo office as well as the full commitment to the language course and intercultural training as a part of the scholarship awarded. The declaration template is available here
  Please note
  The following documents have to be sent in sealed envelopes to DAAD Cairo office:-
  14. Two letters of recommendation from two different professors at the applicant's home university; these should refer to the candidate's academic achievements and the quality of the proposed research or study plan. Please use the template “Request for letter of recommendation” available on the DAAD Portal after Registration
  
  Application documents from non-public university/research institute staff members
  A complete application consists of the following documents (15 items) that must be uploaded on the DAAD Portal:
  
  1. The online application form which is available on the DAAD Portal
     (When you enter your desired travel date in the online application, please make sure that your first travel day either starts on the 1st day of the month or on the 15thday of the months)
  2. A research proposal. Please refer to the document “Research Proposal”, which contains questions to be answered concerning your proposal
  3. A detailed CV
  4. Complete list of publications, if available
  5. Acceptance letter or an email from a German Professor showing that the research project under preparation is feasible and can be conducted in Germany under his supervision. The acceptance letter should state the title, the time frame and the objectives of the project. The acceptance letter should not be older than six months
  6. All applicants have to submit proof of English language skills/abilities. The proof should be either IELTS (band 6) certificate or institutional TOEFL ITP (minimum score 550) or international TOEFL IBT (minimum score 80). Sufficient proof of English skills is an eligibility criteria. Research projects submitted in German language in the fields of German studies, Islamic studies in German are exempted
  7. Endorsement letter from the applicant’s home institution. The endorsement letter has to be stamped and signed by the Head of the Institution, Dean of the Faculty or President of the University, if possible. (Please use the template which is available here, print it and fill it out.)
  8. Official statement of employment issued from the applicant’s institution/university. The statement should indicate that the applicant is affiliated to this institution/university at the time of application under the current position and should reflect a complete history of employment, if possible
     Kindly note: The endorsement letter as well as the statement of employment must be issued from the same home institution and should not be older than 6 months.
  9. The form “General Required Information”
  10. A copy of your passport
  11. Proof of pre-master, master’s or PhD registration. (not applicable for PhD holders)
  12. Motivation letter from the applicant
  13. Declaration from the applicant to assure that he/she will settle the matter of his/her needed vacation with his/her company/university. It is the responsibility of the applicant to acquire the needed leave form from his/her Institution
  14. Declaration of consent confirming the applicant’s awareness that the submitted research project will undergo a plagiarism check of pre- and final selection phase with the help of software defined by DAAD Cairo office as well as the full commitment to the language course and intercultural training as a part of the scholarship awarded. The declaration template is available here
  Please note
  The following documents have to be sent in sealed envelopes to DAAD Cairo office:-
  15. Two letters of recommendation from two different professors at the applicant's home university; these should refer to the candidate's academic achievements and the quality of the proposed research or study plan. Please use the template “Request for letter of recommendation” available on the DAAD Portal after registration
  
  Application deadline
  01.11. - 15.02.
  Application location
  DAAD Portal and Regional Office in Cairo (1 hard copy by post)
  
  Candidates have to apply online through the DAAD portal. In addition, 1 hard copy of the application form as well as all required documents have to be sent to the DAAD Cairo office via post latest by the deadline.
  Please note
  Reapplication rule
  • Former GERSS scholarship holders may reapply, however these candidates can only be supported once at every stage of their research career (as Bachelor’s, Master’s, PhD holders)
  • The same applies for candidates who have been granted other scholarships by MHESR
  Timeline of the programme:
  
  • Call for application: 1. November
  • Deadline: 15. February
  • Pre-selections: March/April
  • Pre-selection results: Mid of May
  • Final selections: End of May
  • Final selections results: End of June
  • Info session: Mid of July
  • Language and cultural preparation course: Mid of August
  • First possible travel date: 15. September
  • Last possible travel date:1. December
  
  Preparation courses in Egypt:
  Selected candidates must participate in the German language and cultural preparation courses which will be prepared in cooperation with the Goethe Institute in Egypt; therefore, a leave of absence has to be taken from work during this period.
  
  Please note:
  
  • If substantial changes to the originally submitted and finally accepted proposal are necessary (after consultation and approval from the German host professor), a new proposal should be submitted and will undergo new evaluation process in which the independent selection committee preserves the right to terminate the scholarship, if needed. In this case the Egyptian Cultural Bureau in Germany has to be notified and the home institution should endorse such changes
  • Candidates awarded the GERSS scholarship have to submit a report about their research stay within a period of 2 months after returning to Egypt
  • Host professors in Germany will be asked to fill in a final questionnaire on the performance of GERSS scholars during their stay in Germany
  • Scholarship holders returning to Egypt before completing the grant period may be asked to refund the monthly stipend collected by the scholar
  • GERSS scholarship holders and applicants whose spouses have been granted a DAAD or MHESR scholarship should inform the DAAD accordingly
  • Former GERSS scholarship holders targeting a PhD title are encouraged to apply for the GERLS programme after completing the GERSS scholarship and returning back to Egypt, provided that they fulfill the requirements of the GERLS programme. For more information about GERLS programme, please refer to the scholarship database (www.funding-guide.de)
  • Priority will be given to younger scientists
  • The DAAD is not in the position to inform the applicants about the reasons of the committee's decision
  • The award of scholarships is subject to the availability of funds
  • Among the reasons for disqualifying an application are the following:
    a) Wrong history information and misleading information about previous applications
    b) Incomplete application
    c) Applications received after the deadlines and incomplete applications will not be considered
    d) Submitting two different proposals in the same call
    e) Creating two different accounts on the DAAD portal in the same call
    f) Handmade changes and corrections in the acceptance letter
    g) Plagiarism (e.g. copied data from the internet without stating the references). Please refer to the Rules of Good Academic Practice. Should you not be fully acquainted of the idea of plagiarism, we recommend applying for the DAAD Cairo Academy module „Ethics in Science “. Please refer to the following link: http://dka.daadcairo.org/ to learn about the application dates
    h) Fraudulent documents
    i) Residing outside Egypt for more than six months at the time of application

What requirements must be met?

• Applicants must be enrolled at a private or state university or research institute in Egypt.
• Applicants for a GERSS scholarship must have a Bachelor, Master or PhD degree.
• Age Limits
  - Graduates: should not be older than 26 years
  - Medicine Graduates: should not be older than 29 years
  - PhD candidates: should not exceed 36 years
  - Post doc candidates should not be older than 40 years
• As a general rule, candidates residing outside Egypt for a period longer than 6 months are not allowed to apply for GERSS
• Candidates who have been granted the GERLS scholarship may apply for GERSS – at least - one year after returning from Germany
• Applicants who have been rejected 3 times in the GERSS programme, are not entitled to reapply}
  [list|Candidates from non-public universities will be limited in number according to the internal regulations between MHESR and DAAD
• Applicants submitting dual applications in MHESR or DAAD programmes are kindly requested to inform the DAAD Cairo Office in writing
• Candidates who received a DAAD/MHESR funded scholarship at a certain academic stage are not allowed to apply for GERSS, unless they change their academic status
• Academic studies in musicology are offered within the GERSS scholarship; however instrumentalists can apply for the programme “Study Scholarship for Foreign Graduates in the field of Performing Artists”. For more information, please refer to the scholarship database (www.funding-guide.de)
• Candidates from the field of medicine can only apply for GERSS, if they intend to visit Germany for research purposes with no direct contact with patients
• Applicants employed at the public universities or research institutes should fulfill the eligibility criteria of the mission Department

Language skills
All applicants have to submit proof of English language skills/abilities. The proof should be either IELTS (band 6) certificate or institutional TOEFL ITP (minimum score 550) or international TOEFL IBT (minimum score 80). Research projects submitted in German language in the fields of German studies, Islamic studies in German are exempted.

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