After the successful implementation of RISE in North America 2009 and 2010 - in which DAAD supported 200 projects by funding undergraduate German students to serve as research assistants - the program is returning in an extended version - RISE worldwide - in 2011.

Students in the early stages of their studies who have an excellent background in the fields of engineering, natural sciences, and related disciplines, including earth sciences, and the ambition to work abroad and gain hands-on research experience in their fields will be matched with researchers worldwide who wish to engage in a meaningful cooperation with a young German research assistant. DAAD will support these short-term summer internships by awarding scholarships to successful applicants to help cover part of the living and travel costs.

How does RISE worldwide work?

1. Researchers from accredited universities and non-profit research institutions register online and submit internship offers, including a one-page project description, from October 11, 2010 through November 26, 2010. DAAD posts the internship offers in a database on its website.

2. German applicants register online to review the internship offers. They apply from December 6, 2010 to January 16, 2011 to a maximum of three projects.

3. The German applicants’ profiles are checked for eligibility by DAAD staff and are then activated to be reviewed online by the researchers.

4. The prospective hosts are asked to provide DAAD with their quality assessment of applications their projects.

5. DAAD places students with internship projects and awards scholarships based on academic merit and the internship providers’ quality assessment. Future hosts and interns are notified of the decision in March 2011.

Why should you take part?

As a German undergraduate student you ...

... get further theoretical and practical trainings in a research environment,

...improve your language skills,

... get acquainted with different academic landscapes worldwide,

... gain cultural experiences worldwide.

As a researcher you ...

... get assistance within your experimental work,

... might gain new insights through a foreigner’s perspective on scientific discussions,

... develop soft skills & skills in personnel management, which are of special importance to PhD students,

... gain new contacts with German universities.

As an academic institution you ...

... raise your profile as an internationally oriented institution,

... establish new contacts with German universities,

... strengthen existing ties with the German higher education.

RISE worldwide is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

To register online, please go to: http://www.daad.de/rise-weltweit/en/index.html