Eligibility

To be eligible for this scholarship, you must:

1. Have completed a PhD before starting the fellowship.
2. Comply with the programme’s mobility rule, i.e. you are free to choose any country (except Germany) as the destination for your research stay abroad, provided you have not resided or carried out your main activity (work, studies, etc.) in that country for more than 12 months in total during the three years preceding the application deadline. If the research stay abroad is to be undertaken in a country other than an EU member state or an associated country, you must either be a national/resident citizen of an EU member state or an associated country or have been continuously active in research for five years’ full-time equivalent in a member state or an associated country immediately prior to the time of recruitment. If this condition is not met, the applicant will be deemed ineligible

The PRIME programme enables postdocs of all nationalities who see their long-term career in Germany to combine employment at a German university with a research stay outside Germany. The duration of the programme is 18 months, in which 12 months have to be spent abroad and 6 months (the "return phase") at a German university. These are both mandatory parts of the programme.

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. Please see DAAD's Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience for further information or DAAD's Australian website.

Selection criteria

The key criteria for evaluation are:

1. The achievements of the applicant to date (scientific and other qualifications, and particular conditions which have influenced the academic progress).
2. The quality of the proposed project and the consistency with long-term career planning.

The Call for Applications explains the criteria in detail and provides information on the selection processes.

Application forms are submitted online via the German Academic Exchange Programme's Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience. The Call for Applications describes the application process and documents required. For enquiries, contact prime@daad.de

Submit a scholarship application now

Selection: March 2022
Earliest starting date: 1 June 2022

In addition to the Postdoctoral Researchers International Mobility Experience, the German Academic Exchange Programme offers these scholarships for Australian applicants:

• DLR-DAAD Research Fellowship Programme
• Graduate School Scholarship Programme
• Practical Traineeships for Foreign Students of Natural and Technical Sciences, Agriculture and Forestry
• Re-invitation Programme for Former Scholarship Holders
• Bi-nationally Supervised Doctoral Degrees / Cotutelle
• One-Year Grants for Doctoral Candidates
• Short-Term Grants
• Research Stays for University Academics and Scientists
• Study Scholarships - Master Studies for All Academic Disciplines
• Study Scholarships - Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Architecture
• Study Scholarships - Postgraduate Studies in the Field of Music
• Study Scholarships - Postgraduate Studies in the Field of the Performing Arts
• Study Scholarships - Postgraduate Studies in the Fields of Fine Art, Design, Visual Communication and Film
• Study Visits by Groups of Foreign Students
• Study Visits for Academics - Artists and Architects
• University Winter Courses in Germany for Foreign Students and Graduates

If you wish to apply, read the call for applications for your chosen scholarship programme in the DAAD scholarship database or visit DAAD's Australian website to search fo funding opportunities.