Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany

DAAD research grants is an opportunity to carry out full-time Ph.D. research at the majority of German universities. Pre-requisites for applications are:

• First class Masters degree (Not ongoing)
• Acceptance letter from a German Professor
• Mutually (with guide) prepared Ph.D. Proposal 
• NO exam is required until the thesis is to be written in language except English

Further Details (such as scholarship benefits) are available at Research Grants – Doctoral Programmes in Germany

Procedure

• With above-mentioned documents the application by 1 October (starts 6 weeks before) on DAAD Portal
• If shortlisted would receive an email from DAAD New Delhi Office by the first week of January
• Interviews are held in the first week of February
• Results are expected by last week of February (only if selected)

Interview Experience

Below is the list of questions I had to face for my DAAD Ph.D. interview at New Delhi DAAD office

• Panel consist of four persons, left to right: a German lady prof, a DAAD office representative, an Indian Prof and a German prof.
• Interview lasted for around 20 minutes and the sequence of question was as follows

Indian Prof:

Read out my CV quickly

1. What are you doing right now?
2. What you are doing right now is different from your master's work as well as your proposal, so how do you relate both of these?

German Prof:

So, you have been in Germany for a while…

3. What you liked in Germany.
4. Asked whether I know German, then discussion in German about food, places visited
5. Why you choose the same prof. Did you search for someone else?

DAAD office representative:

6. What other things you like in Germany, and why?

German Prof:

7. I had mentioned demerit of a method in my proposal, Elaborate it.

Another German Prof:

8. Explain the proposal in a lay man’s term?
9. Mention some of its advantages and applications.

German Prof

10. What do you aim to opt after your Ph.D., industries or academics?
11. As you have done your masters, How would you guide someone for his master's thesis?

Indian Prof:

12. what topic would you suggest him/her for Ph.D.?

Fortunately, I got selected for the research grants which is initially for 1 year + 2 months language course at Marburg. The grant extends based on performance which is a normal procedure. I was also a DAAD IIT Master sandwich progamme students and had written a similar blog for it, which you can find here at: DAAD IIT Master Sandwich Program