Scholarships for International Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, Hamburg

The following documents should be prepared and at hand for your online application. We recommend that you print and tick off items on the checklist that we have created. Please be advised that application materials should be in German or English. In exceptional cases, French documents will also be accepted.

Please state why you are applying for a research scholarship at the Institute. What goals and expectations are connected to a research stay at the Institute? Where do you see the links between your research topic and our current or previous academic work? Who could serve as possible dialogue partners at the Institute? (It is not required that you have already established contact with such individuals.) Would it be possible to proceed with your research project at another research institute? Please sign your statement of purpose.

Please submit an up-to-date CV that describes in particular your professional training, your past academic activities and employment, and your current job situation.

C. Research Proposal (maximum of two pages)
Please present the research project that you would like to work on in connection with the scholarship. You are asked not to submit your proposal in simple outline form. Be advised that the research proposal is the most important part of your application. It should not only generally describe your topic of research but also identify the central problems and challenges associated with the project. Additionally, the proposal should be formulated so as to be understandable for legal researchers having other areas of specialisation. You are not required to submit a timetable and work plan.

Doctoral and post-doctoral candidates (up to five years after receipt of their doctoral award) are required to submit two letters of recommendation. It is strongly recommended that submitted letters of recommendation be printed on official letterhead and bear the signature of the author. As regards doctoral candidates it is expected that one of the provided letters of reference will be from the supervisor of the doctoral project. If this is not possible, you should in addition to the two required letters of reference include an official confirmation of your status as a doctoral candidate. If your referee chooses to send the letter of recommendation directly to the Institute, please ensure that this occurs within the relevant application period. For applicants other than those specified above, the submission of letters of recommendation is optional. Please note that a letter of recommendation will be considered most informative, if written by someone who knows you and your research well.

Applicants who have already obtained their doctoral degree should upload their doctoral diploma or some other official confirmation onto the application portal. If you have not yet completed your doctoral project and are not in possession of a letter of reference from your doctoral supervisor, please provide us with an official confirmation of your status as a doctoral candidate.

Please indicate in your online application the desired time frame for your scholarship stay. The number of months requested does not have any impact on your chances of approval. It is possible, however, that you will be offered a scholarship for a period shorter than applied for. The minimum scholarship period is one month.

Once you are in possession of the above-described documents, you should register on our online portal. Registration requires only your first and last name, an email address and a password.

Upon successful registration, you will receive a confirmation email. Please be advised that this process may take some time to complete.

To make application, please complete the following steps:

- Sign in on the online portal. You will need your email address and your password. 
- Application takes place entirely online. Please be sure to have assembled all the necessary documents prior to commencing your online application – it is advised that you use the checklist we have provided (checklist as PDF document). 
- When you have all the documents at hand, carefully fill out the online application form and upload your documents. 
- It is permissible to send letters of recommendation by mail. They should be forwarded to the following address:

Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law
Scholarship Administration 
Mittelweg 187 
20148 Hamburg 
Germany

Please be advised that letters of recommendation received after expiration of the application deadline will not be considered.

The application process is completed once you have filled out the online application form and uploaded your documents.

You will receive a confirmation email shortly after successful transmission of the application and your documents. A decision as to applications will be made approximately 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the application period.