FAQ

The aspirant has to take matters into her/his own hands and find a potential supervisor at KIT who would be interested in inviting the aspirant for the one-month stay. ▶ Here, you can find a list of all KIT institutes for your search. Please note that the KIT applicant and the aspirant have to jointly apply for the Aspirant Grant.

For clarity: There is no possibility to apply without a host, and no service for finding a suitable host for the aspirant.

All documents should be in English. Please merge all documents into one PDF file in the corresponding order (excluding the Excel file and the statement of the KIT applicant regarding the plans for funding the potential doctoral project) and send the files to ▶ aspirant_doc∂khys.kit.edu.

No, those who have already started a doctorate/PhD are not eligible to apply for the Aspirant Grant (Doc). However, if you are in an advanced stage of your doctorate/PhD and interested in doing a postdoc at KIT, the ▶ Aspirant Grant (Postdoc) might be of interest to you.

No, the aspirant should at least be in an advanced stage of his or her Master’s course. They can also have finished their Master’s degree.

KIT Associate Fellows and heads of certified KIT junior research groups can also apply. However, they should hand in a letter of support from the professor who would function as the primary supervisor of the potential doctoral project.

No, this is not possible since it does not correspond to the aim of the program. For both parties, the aspirant’s stay is meant as a basis for reaching a decision regarding a doctorate at KIT. If, for example, the aspirant and the KIT supervisor have already decided to jointly apply for a scholarship for financing a doctorate at KIT, we expect that this decision has a firm basis and does not need to be validated during a stay at KIT. However, if both parties would like to get to know each other during the stay and discuss a possible future scholarship application, this would be fine.

The applicants should state how they plan to get the aspirant involved in the research environment at KIT and at the institute. This could include participation in meetings, consultations about a possible doctorate at KIT, a campus or city tour, team lunches etc.

The brief description should include answers to questions such as the following: How did the contact emerge? Since when have you and the aspirant been in contact? Did you cooperate previously with the aspirant?

Here, the applicant can state aspects such as relevant qualifications, research interests, their impression of the aspirant, recommendations, their intentions for inviting this particular aspirant etc.

The aspirant should state reasons why she/he wishes to come to KIT. This could include recommendations from fellow colleagues or supervisors, research interests, personal interests or a reference to research projects in which the aspirant is interested.

KHYS will ask the International Students Office at KIT to assess all academic certificates and transcripts of the aspirant. If the (future) academic qualifications of the aspirant are equivalent to a German Master’s degree, the aspirant in principle fulfills the mentioned requirements. However, specific regulations may apply for the respective KIT Department.

No, the copies don’t need to be certified. However, the aspirant should make sure to send scans of the certificates in English or German and in the original language.

The legal department of KIT has to execute such a check for every non-EU guest scientist coming to KIT. It involves questions regarding the access to sensible data or the potential military use of the research done at the KIT institute in question. The KIT institute will provide the information needed for the assessment upon request.

This depends on the time of your application:

• For applications from January to August the stay should take place until November 30 in the same year.
• For applications from September to December the stay should take place until November 30 in the following year.

Please also refer to the ▶date published on our website when you apply. You can contact KHYS to discuss the specifics of your individual case.

The aspirant will receive a refund for the costs of the journey to Karlsruhe plus costs for accommodation for the one month stay. For the travel accounting process according to the provisions of the Baden-Württemberg travel expenses law (Landesreisekostengesetz, LRKG), the aspirant needs to provide all original receipts as well as payment confirmations for the following expenses:

• Visa application costs
• Airport/train station transfer costs within Germany
• Tickets (economy class only) for train journey or return flight
• Costs for accommodation that should not exceed EUR 1,200 for the one month. Please send us an email if you are having problems finding accommodation within this price range. 

For clarity, the Grant will NOT cover:

• Daily allowance (Tagegeld) 
• Public transport during the stay (only as part of the arrival and departure refundable) 
• Any other trips/activities during the stay in Germany

For successful applicants, further information will be provided with the funding approval. Please note apart from the above-mentioned expenses additional costs can occur but will not be covered by KHYS.

The process for the payment will be defined for each aspirant individually. As a rule, you will receive the reimbursement once the journey has been completed and the travel accounting process has been concluded. This means that the aspirant will have to pay for the journey in advance. KHYS will directly assign and pay out the grant to the aspirant. In order for KHYS to be able make a payment to the aspirants, KIT needs to conclude a Grant Agreement with the aspirant. This document will be provided to the aspirants after their arrival at KIT. For more information regarding the payment arrangements and possible exceptions, please contact us via aspirant_doc∂khys.kit.edu.

The “buddy” assists the aspirant regarding administrative issues or questions concerning the facilities at KIT or living in Karlsruhe. This will above all consist in helping the aspirant to find suitable accommodation. It can also include showing the aspirant around KIT and Karlsruhe and helping her/him with visa matters.

Yes, this is possible. However, the funding from KHYS will cover a maximum duration of one month. In addition, the aspirant has to make sure that the visa covers the extension (if applicable).

Yes, this is possible. However, please note that the research stay has to be in the focus of the stay abroad. The aspirant also has to make sure that the visa covers the extension (if applicable).

For the Aspirant Grant (Doc) it will be sufficient to apply for a Schengen Visa (Category C) with the purpose of a business visit. Among other things, the aspirant will have to provide a proof of accommodation for the stay in Karlsruhe. The KIT doctoral researcher who serves as the aspirant’s buddy shall help him or her finding accommodation in Karlsruhe. Please also refer to the information on our website. A letter of invitation will be provided by KHYS. Please note that the Category C visa cannot be extended. This means that with this visa the aspirant cannot extend his or her stay at KIT in order to actually start the doctoral project discussed during the stay. He or she will first have to leave Germany and apply for another visa.