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 scholarship duration is between 1 and a maximum of 3 months.
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.
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.
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.
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.