In 2014 the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) initiated the programme “Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience” (PRIME) to support the international mobility of postdoctoral researchers by temporary positions at German universities in place of conventional scholarships.
The programme has been funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the European Union (EU/FP7/Marie Curie Actions/COFUND).
Funding is provided for 18 months, in which 12 months have to be spent abroad and 6 months (re-integration phase) at a German university. The re-integration phase is mandatory. The German university administrates the salary during the whole funding period.
DAAD Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME) Eligibility.
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 30 August 2019. Time spent as part of a procedure for obtaining refugee status under the Geneva Convention is not taken into account. If the research stay abroad is to be undertaken in a country other than an EU member state (MS) or an associated country (AC), the applicant must either be a national/resident citizen of an EU MS or AC, or have been continuously active in research for five years’ full-time equivalent in a MS or AC, immediately prior to the time of recruitment. If this condition is not met, the applicant will be deemed ineligible;
- 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.
Other requirements
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Appropriate host institutions in Germany and abroad must have been identified at the time of application. The contact with these institutions and the agreement on modalities are the responsibility of the applicant.
- The employing host institution in Germany has to be a university.
- The German host university must confirm in writing that the postdoc will be employed for the whole funding period, should the application be successful. The necessary means will be made available to the university through separate DAAD project funding. The university will appoint a mentor/scientific host, who will inform the PRIME scholar during his/her stay abroad about developments at the institution and answer his/her queries to ensure a successful reintegration at the end of the period abroad. It is expected that the German university indicates at the time of application the possibilities for longer-term research perspectives at the institution following DAAD funding.4 On its website (www.daad.de/prime/contacts) DAAD offers a list of PRIME contacts at German universities who can answer questions from potential applicants concerning their institution. Universities that did not specifically nominate a PRIME contact person are equally eligible as hosts.
- The foreign host institution shall be selected according to the scientific preferences/needs of the applicant and the research project. It can be a university, a non-university research institute, or an industrial research entity. It must be willing to support the postdoc in the realization of her/his research project and provide the necessary infrastructure. The type of support (office space, access to instruments, laboratories, libraries etc.) has to be defined and a mentor/scientific host appointed at the foreign host institution. DAAD cannot make funding available to the foreign host institution.
DAAD Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME) Support.
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 and alumni. The seminar will presumably take place in Bonn on 9/10 March 2020. Applicants are asked to save the date but not to make any travel arrangements before receiving a letter of acceptance.
How to Apply for DAAD Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience (PRIME).
The application form is available in the application portal. To get to the portal please click on Stipendiendatenbank für Deutsche (link below), fill in Fachrichtung (subject of your research), Zielland (country of the period abroad) and Status “Promovierte” (position), and select the programme.
Please mind the instructions on registering on the portal, choose English as portal language, activate, if necessary, the compatibility view of your browser and choose English as browser language. After registration in the portal, please click on the tab “personal funding“.
Apply Here Official Link
Application deadline 30 August 2019.
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