DAAD Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME) 2018

Deadline: August 31, 2018

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is accepting applications for the Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME) 2018. The PRIME programme aims to support the international mobility of postdoctoral researchers by temporary positions at German universities in place of conventional stipends.

The programme has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the European Union (EU). 1 After four selection cycles that were partially co-financed by the EU, DAAD has successfully established this funding instrument and will continue the programme in 2018 with support from the national funding provider, the BMBF.

Postdoctoral researchers of all nationalities, who see their long-term career perspectives in Germany, will be given the opportunity to combine employment at a German university with a research stay abroad. The support is provided for 18 months, of which the first 12 months have to be spent abroad and the remaining six months in Germany (reintegration phase).

Benefits

• Funding is provided through an 18-month temporary job position at the selected German university. The position will be remunerated according to the appropriate rate for postdoctoral researchers (according to the German pay scale “TV-L E13”). The specific level within the salary group “TV-L E 13” will be determined by the employing universities on the basis of the previous work experience of the fellows.
• DAAD will provide the respective universities with a grant agreement to cover the costs for the regular salary and an additional monthly expatriate allowance for the research stay abroad.
• An additional lump sum travel allowance in accordance with DAAD rates for the selected candidate and, if applicable, accompanying spouse or partner (within the meaning of the German law on civil partnerships) and children will be paid directly by DAAD.
• Successful applicants will be invited to an orientation seminar before the start of the fellowship, together with current fellows, alumni and representatives of other funding institutions and possibly other researchers from science and business. The seminar will presumably take place in Bonn on 10-12 March 2019. Applicants are asked to save the date but not to make any travel arrangements before receiving a letter of acceptance.

Eligibility

Highly qualified junior scientists of all nationalities and subjects can apply.

Eligibility to the programme is defined by four criteria:

• Applicants must have completed their PhD before starting the fellowship;
• Applicants must comply with the programme’s mobility rule, i.e. they are free to choose any country (except Germany) as destination for their research stay abroad, provided they have not resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in that country for more than 12 months in total during the three years preceding the application deadline of 31 August 2018. Time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention is not taken into account;
• Applicants who are already permanently employed by the research milieu where the research training activities are planned to take place and that is recruiting them may not be supported;
• Applicants must accept that the research stay abroad and the return phase to Germany are both mandatory parts of the programme.

Selection Criteria

The performance based assessment will take into account:

• the achievements of the applicant to date (scientific and other qualifications, and particular conditions which have influenced the academic progress); and
• the quality of the proposed project and its consistency with further scientific qualification and long-term career planning.

Application

The application form will be available at the application portal.

Please mind the instructions on registering on the portal, choose English as portal language and activate, if necessary, the compatibility view of your browser. Once the application form has been completed, all other application documents (except the letters of recommendation) can be uploaded.

To get to the portal please click on Stipendiendatenbank für Deutsche, fill in “Fachrichtung” (subject of your research), “Zielland” (country of the period abroad) and Status “Promovierte” (position) and select the programme.