IDEA League Grants for Short-Term Research Stays

  Copyright: © Martin Braun  

Target Group

• Bachelor’s and master’s students and doctoral candidates at RWTH Aachen University.

Not eligible:

• International master’s students in their first or second semester of study.
• Grants cannot be used in combination with Erasmus+, PROMOS, or UNITECH scholarships.

Purpose of the Grant

To financially support RWTH students’ research stays abroad at IDEA League partner universities.

Grant Amount and Funding Period

• 300 to 600 euros per month, depending on the number of approved applications per application round.
• There are no restrictions for the use of the grant, and it is not expected to cover all the costs of the exchange.
• Research stays from two weeks to six months are allowed, with preference given to short stays.

Selection Criteria

• Excellent academic performance
• The overall quality of the planned project, including a possible strategic value for RWTH
• Students’ academic motivation and their prospects for career advancement
• Other qualifications

Organization of the Research Stay

• Applicant must organize their planned research stay at the partner university independently before applying for the grant. If you are not sure where to start, please see our practical guidelines.
• Remember to plan well ahead. We recommend starting the process at least six months before the start of your stay.
• To apply for an IDEA League grant, you will first need to find a research project and supervisor at the partner university as well as a supervisor at RWTH.
• In addition to organizing your research stay and applying for the scholarship, you also need to apply at the partner university as a visiting student. The partner universities will provide you with all the information you need about the internal application procedures. For further information, please contact the respective partner university at TU Delft, ETH Zurich, RWTH Aachen University, Chalmers, or Politecnico di Milano.

Application Documents

The following application documents must be submitted in English no later than the deadline via the Incoming Students Online Portal:

• Application form – please register via the Incoming Students Online Portal and use the form “IDEA League Short-term Research Exchange Grant”
• Letter of motivation
• CV/Resume including information about any semesters or research projects completed abroad to date
• Research proposal (signed) by the supervising professor at the host university, including a description of the applicant’s responsibilities and tasks during their stay
• Recommendation letter from the supervising professor at RWTH
• Transcript of records

All documents can be addressed to IDEA League. You can expect to hear feedback on your application about two weeks after the submission deadline.

Application Deadlines

• February 1 (recommended start of the exchange May 1 at the earliest)
• June 1 (recommended start of the exchange September 1 at the earliest)
• October 1 (recommended start of the exchange January 1 at the earliest)

Please note: Differing application deadlines for Chalmers University

Please also note that the grant application is independent of your research stay and is just one of the many steps you need to be able to finish before you can start your exchange. You might need a visa, more time to find housing, or consider the partner university´s internal application deadlines. We recommend starting the process at least six months before the planned start of your stay.

Grant Report

Students, who have received the IDEA League grant, need to submit a short report after finishing their research stay.

IDEA League Short-term Research Exchange Grant holders coming to RWTH

If you have received an IDEA League Short-term Research Exchange Grant from one of our partner universities, we advise you to contact us as soon as possible before starting your exchange stay. You will need to register your stay at RWTH by applying as a Visiting Project Student, and we recommend you do so at least two to three months before the start of your stay.