Incoming PhD Students

Whether you are looking for a PhD position or are interested in completing a research stay during your current PhD program, the Department of Chemistry offers you an open, interdisciplinary and state of the art research environment. We support you in selecting the best funding option for either PhD positions or fixed-term reseach stays.

Your ticket to Cologne

Please have a look at the research profile of the Department of Chemistry to find the best match for hosting you during your time in Cologne.
Choose a funding scheme which is best suited for your situation. We have summarized some funding options below, but as there is a multutide of funding options available for different target groups, we cannot cover all options and will update the list accordingly.
Contact your host and agree on the modalities of your stay as your host will be your main point of contact.
We are supporting you and your host in all stages of your stay here in Cologne. Contact us directly.

Things to remember

Before your stay

Timing: Plan you stay well in advance and make yourself aware of the deadlines as well as the proposal processing times (time from proposal submisstion to decision and funding availability). Already include an aligned time planning in your proposal.
Proposal submission: Read the funding guidelines carefully and prepare your documents in time. Often additional document pre-checks and signatures are required before submission which must be included in your schedule in order to meet the deadlines.
Travel arrangements: Plan your travel well in advance and respect the funding regulations regarding your travel budget. Check for visa requiremens and necessary documents for visa application (i.e. letter from host institution or funding agency).
Local accomodation: An application at an early stage is mandatory for student appartments offered by the University of Cologne (Studentenwerk). Also many single or shared appartments are available for rent on the private market. Please be aware that dubious offers (i.e. very cheap compared to other offers, high pre-payment, etc.) are also found on the private market.
Insurance: Health insurance in mandatory in Germany! Although health insurance is included in all classical work contracts with the University of Cologne, stipendiaries must check with their funding agency whether an insurance is included or not and has to be paid extra. A liability insurance is also recommended. More information on this topic is available at the International Office.

During your stay

Connect: Connect with the local administration (University, City hall) for registration.
Timing: Time flies! Discuss with your host and funding agency a reasonable time planning of you stay in Cologne and include sufficient buffer especially during the end of your stay to finalize pending tasks.
Reporting: Make yourself aware of the reporting schedule laid out from your funding agency and respect the all deadlines. Often separate documents and additional signatures are required from your host or the University administration. Please coordinate ahead of time with the persons responsible.

After your stay

Further Information

Available Programs

The Fulbright programme is aimed at financing academic stays by US citizens in Germany. It offers a range of different funding opportunities for students and graduates from universities of applied sciences and other higher-education institutions, for teaching assistants, post-doctoral students, lecturers and researchers from US higher-education institutions. Funding modalities and grant amount depend on the individual sponsorship programme.

Funding Organization	Fulbright Commission
Target Group	Students, Postoctoral Researchers, Faculty Members
Funding Scheme	Incoming & Outgoing
Region	USA
Funding Duration	various options
Website	https://www.fulbright.de

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UNIVERSITY OF COLOGNE

Faculty of Mathematics and Natural SciencesInternational Office Chemistry