DAAD

Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst German Academic Exchange Service

Call for Proposals 2011/12

German-Pakistani Research Collaborations

Objectives The DAAD has set itself the goal of promoting collaboration between German and Pakistani universities in the fields of research and teaching. The aim, in particular, is to consolidate scientific exchange between former Pakistani scholarship holders and their German host universities, and to support new joint projects. Thanks to an extensive DAAD managed scholarship programme of the Pakistani Higher Education Commission (HEC), more than 50 young Pakistani researchers have been able to complete their doctorates at a German university and now contribute their expertise to teaching and research at Pakistani universities. The former scholarship holders, who have established positive and intensive bonds with their German host universities, are ideal partners for future projects in the German-Pakistani university collaboration. The request for funding in order to establish such projects, expressed by representatives of German universities and the HEC, is now being met by the "German-Pakistani Research Collaboration Programme". The objective of the "German-Pakistani Research Collaboration Programme" is to establish long-term and sustainable research projects jointly implemented by German and Pakistani universities in selected research fields with an unequivocal impact on teaching; with clear points of reference on current questions regarding Pakistan's economic, ecological and socio-economic development; with a special focus on continuing training and specialisation of young scientists; to the mutual benefit of all institutions involved.

The following topics will be given priority: Water Resources Management, Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency, Agricultural Sciences, and Social Sciences.

Research projects from other disciplines are also eligible for funding, if submitted with sound and conclusive concepts which can be expected to have a sustainable impact on the research collaboration between Pakistan and Germany.

Target groups

The call for proposals targets departments and institutes at German universities as well as university faculty with an interest in long-term and sustainable research collaboration with Pakistani partner universities on the above-specified topics.

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DAAD

Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst German Academic Exchange Service

Call for Proposals 2011/12

Who can apply?

Applications have to be submitted by departments or institutes of German universities or German university faculty which/who are already collaborating with universities in Pakistan, or are prepared to establish such ties in due course, (documented by a letter of intent signed by both sides), and are aiming to integrate young scientists holding a German PhD into the collaborative project.

What can be funded?

Research projects are eligible for funding if they correspond with the 1. above-mentioned objective and are clearly defined within this scope. With regard to the research partners in Pakistan, alumni of German universities, who obtained their PhD within the last five years, should be given priority. To qualify for the programme, the applicant must present a concrete, high-quality research project on which the partners from both countries intend to work together in a complementary way. It is not enough to concentrate on scientific questions of general nature. Within each project, the following measures can be funded: individual study and research stays (including field research) of up to 2 months; exchange of student groups and doctoral student groups to participate in joint scientific events and to carry out test series and trials; subject-related scientific events: conferences, seminars, workshops; equipment donation (minor equipment, e.g. laboratory equipment) for the department of the Pakistani project partner of up to 10,000 for the whole funding term of the research project.

Funding volume and funding term

The funding for a research project is designed for 3 years, although the initial grant is limited to 2 years. The maximum funding volume per application is 30,000 in 2011 and 40,000 for the following years. The research project's funding can begin from August 2011 and is to be managed in the form of a grant agreement concluded between the DAAD and the German university. Approval for the second and, possibly, third project year is subject to the DAAD having received the corresponding budgetary resources from its sponsor.

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DAAD

Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst German Academic Exchange Service

Call for Proposals 2011/12

Application process

The German university must submit a complete online application via the DAAD-Portal (https://portal.daad.de). The application must be drawn up in agreement with the Pakistani project partner/s. The project description must be signed by the German AND the Pakistani project coordinators and must be written in English.

Application deadline

The application deadline is 24 June 2011.

Selection Process and Criteria

A Selection Committee appointed by the Executive Board of the DAAD decides on applications and the level of funding. The Selection Committee is made up of scientists from various disciplines with particular experience in collaborating with developing countries. Applications are assessed on the basis of formal criteria and content, whereby particular significance attaches to the development policy relevance. The criteria derive from the programme's specified objectives. The main selection criteria are: the project's quality (in particular, the clarity of the project goals and methodology); the project's scientific status (the topic's current relevance and the project's degree of innovation); development policy relevance; project-relevant competence on the part of both research groups; inclusion of young scientists, in particular alumni of German universities; the research project's feasibility (in particular in the temporal dimension).

Sustainable effects arising from the collaboration project, which extend beyond the funding period, should be recognisable.

Contact and information

further

DAAD Information Center Ursula Saarbeck saarbeck@daad.de Tel: ++92 (0)51 26 56 382 Note: Applications can ONLY be submitted by the German partner. The DAAD is not in the position to find collaboration partners in Germany

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