Important Information for Applicants
The Max Planck Institute offers a limited number of scholarships for legal scholars whose primary place of residence is outside of Germany. The scholarships are financed by the Max Planck Society. The scholarships are financed by the Max Planck Society.
Our scholarship program is aimed at:
- Foreign doctoral candidates,
- Postdocs
- Scientists with their own research profile whose doctorate was completed less than 12 years ago and who hold a position as assistant professor or Junior Research Group Leader or who can demonstrate several years of independent scientific work
- W3 professors and full professors, Directors or Institute Managers
As regards large-scale research projects, particularly dissertations, scholarships will generally be granted only when the project is at an advanced as opposed to a preliminary stage.
Applicants need not be proficient in German. However, if you envision that your intended research will include an inquiry into German law, your research proposal should indicate how you will – as necessary – obtain the desired information from foreign-language sources.
To ensure smooth and effective communication with Institute staff members and other guests, applicants should at a minimum have a strong command of either German or English.
Please take careful note of our application process guidelines. Applications which are incomplete or deviate from the guidelines will not be considered.
Research Topics at the Institute
The research project in question must correspond to the academic interests of the Institute, as only then can it be ensured that scholarship recipients will be able to engage in meaningful academic exchange with other researchers and find relevant literature in our library.
Applicants applying for the current round of scholarship awards are advised that topics presently being researched at the Institute include, in particular, the following:
- Private international law and international civil procedure
- Theory and history of private international law
- Conflict of laws as a regulatory mechanism
- Private international law in Africa
- Comparative Succession Law (Europe and other continents)
- Uniform Private Law
- Decolonial comparative law
- Private International Law and Gender Studies
- Comparative Legal Methodology
- European Contract Law, especially Sale of Goods Law
- Electronic commerce and digital market
- Comparative Succession Law (Europe and other continents)
- Partnership Law
- Close corporations
- Company Valuation Law
- Middle European Private Law
- Family and Succession Law in Turkey (International Private Law and comparative law)
- Family and Succession Law in Islamic countries
- Procedural Law in Islamic countries
- Comparative and International Private Law in Islamic countries
- Chinese Civil Code and Chinese civil procedure law
- Japanese Company Law, Capital Markets Law and procedural law
- Role of Comparative Law in Japan
- Korean Family Law
Applications are also possible for projects that are thematically related to any of the other focal points of institute research.
Please note that the research areas Intellectual Property, Procedural Law, Social Law and Public International Law are investigated primarily at other Max Planck Institutes. If your research topic entails references to one of these research areas, please provide a separate explanatory statement of why you think that our Institute is the appropriate institution for your research.