From internships to partnerships

“RISE has become a brand”: 20 years of RISE Germany

Gabi Knieps (right), Head of Section Scholar­ship Programmes North America/RISE, and Michaela Gottschling, RISE Programme Team Leader

What are you celebrating?

For two decades, RISE Germany has been inspiring bachelor’s students from North American, British and Irish universities to pursue a research internship in Germany. The 300 interns who are funded each year and who are studying a STEM subject meet with young researchers here, discover what day-to-day research is like and have the chance to experience Germany.

What makes the programme so valuable?

RISE has succeeded in establishing a transatlantic network that is continuing to grow, thanks in part to the enthusiasm and financial commitment of our partner organisations. Because their interest in Germany as a place to study, research or work is aroused early on, many former interns return during the course of their academic careers or support the programme later as hosts. Follow-up programmes such as RISE Professional and RISE Worldwide show how dynamic the programme is and highlight its potential.

What are the benefits of such a long-running programme?

5,800 scholarships for research internships in Germany – that’s an impressive number. RISE has become a brand that symbolises long-term ties with Germany. We provide opportunities for exchange and experiences that shape the future of science and technology, have an impact on societies and foster international friendships.

What was a particular highlight?

The scholarship holder meetings and symposia in Heidelberg. Almost ceremonial in nature, these events are attended by senior envoys from embassies. RISE interns give presentations in which they convey their passion for the highly topical research projects to which they contribute.

What are your hopes for the future of the programme?

We want to expand the programme and award 400 scholarships per year in future. The record number of applications we have received for 2026 shows we are moving in the right direction. Another challenge for the future will be to guide our interns successfully through the jungle of travel restrictions and visa regulations.

“Driving internationalisation forward”: 20 years of Research in Germany

Dr Berenike Schröder, Head of Section for International Research Marketing, Central DWIH Management Office at the DAAD

What are you celebrating?

Since 2006, the German government-funded Research in Germany – Land of Ideas initiative has been showcasing and drawing global attention to Germany as a centre for science and innovation.

What makes the programme so valuable?

We have succeeded in attracting countless international researchers at all career levels to Germany using online activities and, for a time, face-to-face events. We have supported universities and non-university research institutions in Germany, helping them develop their internationalisation strategies and improve their research marketing. As a result, Germany is now a more recognised and popular centre for research worldwide than it was 20 years ago.

What are the benefits of such a long-running programme?

After the USA, Germany is the second most important host country for international researchers. This status is thanks in no small part to Research in ­Germany. And there are indeed strong arguments in favour of Germany as a centre for science and academia: the academic freedom enshrined in the constitution, the country’s very good research infrastructure, the government’s commitment to research funding and a society that is truly cosmopolitan at heart.

What was a particular highlight?

Everyone who has spent years com­mitting themselves to Research in Germany will especially remember in­stances of inspiring co­operation – be it at fairs or international conferences, or when working with the many stakeholders in our academic system.

What are your hopes for the future of the programme?

We envisage a wide range of new activities for the future aimed at responding to the geopolitical and science policy challenges of our time and continuing to successfully drive ­Germany’s internationalisation forward.

“When curiosity leads to partnership”: 50 years of Eastern Partnerships

Susanne Lüdtke, Susanne Lüdtke, Head of DAAD Section Cooperation Projects in Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia

What are you celebrating?

We are celebrating the countless cooperation projects ­between universities in Germany and Eastern Europe that have been supported with funding from the Federal Foreign Office since 1975.

What makes the programme so valuable?

The Eastern Partnerships programme was launched when the partner universities were still located in the former Soviet Union and what was known as Eastern bloc. In the meantime, we have experienced historical turning points and epochal shifts, which is precisely where the programme’s strength lies. Establishing lasting partnerships has resulted in robust contacts being forged and has built trust, enabling academic exchange with Eastern Europe to be maintained and expanded despite the geopolitical and social upheavals.

What are the benefits of such a long-running programme?

Continuity, reliability and flexibil­ity. I am delighted time and again by how well universities are able to react to new challenges thanks to the Eastern Partnerships. One ex­ample is the way funding was reassigned to digital exchange during the coronavirus pandemic or to foster cooperation with Ukrainian univer­sities against the backdrop of the Russian war of aggression.

What was a particular highlight?

It is really wonderful to see how committed university staff and lecturers are to taking advantage of the programme’s flexible opportunities for designing their collaborative activities. The wide-ranging feedback we recently obtained from a survey of the projects confirms this. It reminds us just what our work is all about.

What are your hopes for the future of the programme?

Our flexible programme, complemented by digital tools and trips to promote it, is also proving its value in the current political situation. For example, more and more partnerships are increasingly being established in regions such as the South Caucasus and ­Central Asia. I hope that the programme will remain just as open to new ­challenges and just as future-oriented as it has been throughout the past 50 years!

“A unique treasure trove”: 10 years of Dhoch3

Stefan Buchholz, Programme Coordinator Dhoch3 at the DAAD

What are you celebrating?

Ten years ago, the Dhoch3 programme received its first funding from the Federal Foreign Office to support the university training of future German teachers abroad, with particular emphasis on both academic content and teaching methodology. To date, 6,000 trainee teachers have taken advantage of the programme‘s eleven digital study modules.

What makes the programme so valuable?

From the outset, the teaching material for these modules has been created in collaboration with an international community of teachers of German as a foreign language (GFL). Each module contains a variety of texts on specific topics and a wealth of didactic material curated by the module teams and their international partners. The range of topics featured in Dhoch3 extends from didactic approaches to assistance while working with electronic and aesthetic media. This is a globally unique treasure trove of support services and material that is free to sign up to and use.

What are the benefits of such a long-running programme?

Because it is being constantly revised and improved, the programme remains alive. The treasure trove – to stick with our metaphor – that keeps being added to. The specialist texts are always topical, and the content of the modules is always updated for each new funding phase. It’s also about transferring knowledge – in both directions. New ideas are put to the test and reworked on the basis of user feedback. We offer further training and continuing education courses, providing everyone who uses the material with opportunities for networking.

What was a particular highlight?

As the programme’s coordinator, I am particularly pleased about the summer schools. 20 German teachers from every corner of the world come to Bonn to spend an intensive week undergoing further training. This results in wonderful group dynamics that inspire exchange and collaboration across continents.

What are your hopes for the future of the programme?

I would like to see more regional variants of the modules in the next few years. I also hope that the programme will be even better able to attract the younger generation – they will shape GFL and German studies in their countries in future, so we need their ideas.

“Taking a local view of global challenges”: 5 years of the Global Centres

Hanna Cornelius, Programme Manager Global Centres for Climate /Environment and Health/Pandemic Prevention at the DAAD

What are you celebrating?

Five years ago, eight Global Centres for Climate and Environment, Health and Pandemic Prevention were established in countries of the Global South. At the local level – for example in Mexico, Thailand or Ghana – these international higher education networks organise cross-disciplinary research and teaching and take a local look at global challenges.

What makes the programme so valuable?

Focusing on its various core topics, the funding programme establishes the structures necessary for young people to obtain international training in their countries. What is particularly valuable is the way the centres adopt an overarching perspective on the subjects of health and climate change while nonetheless considering the respective local circumstances. This combination is extremely important if local healthcare is to be improved or climate change adaptation achieved.

What are the benefits of such a long-running programme?

I am particularly pleased about the new study opportunities: three new master’s programmes plus supplementary modules for existing degree courses have been launched. Two interdisciplinary graduate schools have also been set up and PhD scholarships awarded in all of the six other centres. Further training courses for healthcare personnel – on infectious diseases or one health approaches, for example – have also been made available.

What was a particular highlight?

We put the PhD students from the different health centres in touch with one another to create networks – for example by giving them the chance to present their research to each other at the World Health Summit or via projects developed and run by the PhDs themselves. This resulted in a wonderful workshop in Ghana attended by more than 300 people. I was particularly impressed by the dedication shown by the PhDs involved.

What are your hopes for the future of the programme?

Our plan for the future is to focus more on the sustainability of the centres to increase the likelihood that key activities such as the jointly run degree courses can continue even after funding ends in 2030.

“A springboard for careers”: 25 years of the Carlo-Schmid-Programm

Hannah Brust-Scheller, Head of Section for German Schools Abroad, Internships, Summer Schools at the DAAD

What are you celebrating?

For the 25th time, around one hundred outstanding German students and graduates will be embarking on an exceptional internship lasting six to eight months at international organisations, EU institutions and selected non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We are celebrating this together with our partner organisation, the German Academic Scholarship Foundation.

What makes the programme so valuable?

The fellowship often paves the way for an international career. We hear from our group of alumnae and alumni – the largest and most active in the DAAD – that this insight into the work of global organisations has served as a springboard for many of their careers, be it at UNESCO, the World Health Organization, the World Bank or the OECD, or at universities or in the private sector.

What are the benefits of such a long-running programme?

It is impressive to watch how this dedicated network of alumnae and alumni keeps growing and how much its members give back to the programme. Many of the more than 2,000 people who have received funding to date are now supervisors themselves in their international professions. As such, they ensure that future fellows will receive high-quality mentoring, while also supporting us as members of the selection committees. It is thanks in part to our fellows that the programme is so renowned.

What was a particular highlight?

There is a trend that can definitely be seen as a highlight: each year, we receive more enquiries from international organisations wishing to take part in the programme and offer internship places. The number of applications increases every year – a record 951 for the 25th intake alone.

What are your hopes for the future of the programme?

The global political situation is very dynamic just now and international organisations are under pressure. Nonetheless, our fellows are welcomed into teams, entrusted with work and shown their scope for shaping the future. I hope that these young people will find a good path for themselves and will perhaps become part of forward-looking reforms.