Great opportunity to get a fellowship and spend 6-12 months at German host institutions (universities, research institutes, companies, environmental authorities, NGOs, etc.)

Each year, the German Federal Foundation for the Environment (DBU) awards up to 60 fellowships for further qualification in the field of environmental protection and nature conservation for young talents. The fellowships are open to qualified Master graduates of all disciplines from the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), including Kosovo.

DBU is a foundation established by the Federal Republic of Germany in 1989. It is the largest environmental foundation in Europe.

DBU aims

- advanced qualification of Master graduates of all disciplines for environmentally relevant topics,

- knowledge transfers to science, administration, business, practice elsewhere international, 

- networking between environmental experts of all disciplines.

What DBU expect

- above-average Master degree obtained within the last five years,

- all disciplines are eligible citizenship and residence in one of the participating CEE countries, e.g. Kosovo,

- proposal of an environmentally relevant and applied topic; please check our FAQs for the outline,

- sufficient knowledge of the German language; needs to be proven at the beginning of the stay at the host institution,

- doctoral candidates can apply if the doctoral project is put on hold – and will be completed only until the end of the fellowship, 

DBU application procedure

- online application procedure available in German and English

- Registration/login on the respective country site: https://www.dbu.de/en/promotion/moe-fellowship/kosovo

Funding

- up to 60 CEE fellows are funded per year; you can check database for examples: https://www.dbu.de/2431.html

- funding period: 6-12 month

- monthly grant: 1.350 €

- health, accident and liability insurance

- several weeks of intensive German course in Osnabrückbefore the beginning of the stay at the host institution.

Mentoring

- support with finding an appropriate host institution in Germany: hosts can be e.g. universities, research institutes, companies, authorities, NGOs

- seminars for exchange between fellows,

- invitation to important events of the DBU, such as the German Environmental Award (https://www.dbu.de/2547.html)

- networking between fellows and alumni via the online platform Stipnet,

- yearly meetings of Alumni in their home countries.

During the fellowship time in Germany, the fellowship-holders develop solutions to environmental issues. After returning to their home countries, the fellowship alumni’s are supposed to directly transfer and implement their knowledge to their countries of origin. For this purpose, in some cases, the DBU can also award a limited number of alumni with additional Small Grants in their home country.

Application deadline: 05.03.2024

Selection interviews: April 2024

Start of the Fellowship: 18.08.2024

Start of the German intensive course: 20.08.2024

Start of further education: 16.09.2024