Global Fellows Program

During the 5-day program, participants will work in interdisciplinary and international groups, assisted by a coach from one of the partner universities. During the programme, participants will enhance:

• Their ability to work collaboratively on research ideas
• Their ability to network and communicate effectively and with impact in interdisciplinary and intercultural teams
• Their intercultural and international competency and awareness
• Their creativity to develop collaborative research ideas
• Their appreciation of research in international institutions
• Gain insights into current research related to "Data for Sustainability"

Although, participants will gain insights into and discuss current research related to "Data for Sustainability", the Global Fellows Program as such focuses on transferable skills and international & intercultural networking. Hence, it is not a subject-specific course and cannot count towards the minimum of 6 semester credit hours (6 SWS) of mandatory subject-specific training. 

Application is open to doctoral candidates from all disciplines and TUM departments/schools. Applicants should have a keen interest in the academic theme and be willing to engage with topics and concerns in this area. However an in-depth background in the area is not required. 

TUM applicants must: 

• Be a current doctoral candidate at TUM (no guest doctorates)
• Be a full member of the TUM Graduate School
• Have already participated in the TUM-GS Kick-off seminar 
• Be fluent in English and comfortable to engage with other participants in English
• Have already secured the support for participation from their respective thesis supervisors
• Be able to travel to Singapore and participate in the entire one week programm (from 19th - 23rd June, 2023)  
• Be willing to share their experiences on the program with the TUM-GS community

Application is now open until Sunday, 08^th January, 2023. 

To apply for the Imperial-TUM-NTU Global Fellows Program 2023, please submit the following documents in one single PDF file via email to Mrs Zizheng Zhang:

• Fully completed Imperial-TUM-NTU Global Fellows 2023 Application Form 
• Short CV - max. 2 pages 
• Motivation letter outlining why you are applying and your interest in the academic theme (including your expectations and goals for the summer school) - max. 1 page
• Summary of your doctoral research project - max. 2 pages

Successful applicants will be notified by end of January 2023.

The TUM Graduate School offers 13 fully funded spots which include the following: 

• Course fee for the entire course week
• Accommodation of ~150 EUR/night for the period Sunday, 18^th June  – Saturday, 24^th June (single occupancy) 
• Breakfast from Monday, 19^th June - Saturday, 24^th June
• Lunch from Monday, 19^th June - Friday, 23^rd June  
• Reimbursement of flight expenses and visa application fees (if applicable) up to 800 EUR (will be reimbursed after successful course participation)

General terms of participation

• TUM Graduate School offers 13 funded spots for the 2023 Global Fellows Program. 
• The course will take place in Singapore on the campus of the Nanyang Technological University. Participants will be required to be present on site for the entire course week starting from Monday, 19^th June, 2023 08:00 a.m. until Friday, 23^rd June, 2023 5 p.m.  
• The Global Fellows Program is an intense 5-day program with long haul travel to and from Singapore either side. Participants must be committed to all 5 days of the program and benefit most when they are able to take leave from their usual workload. We recommend that you discuss the time commitment involved with your thesis supervisor in advance. Supervisors must have agreed to participation in the program.
• Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangement, for obtaining necessary visa (if applicable) and other valid travel documents for their stay in Singapore. Invitation letters and proof of accommodation for visa application will be provided after selection on request.
• TUM Graduate School will arrange and pay for accommodation for the course week from Sunday, 18^th June to Saturday, 24^th June, 2023. 
• TUM Graduate School will reimburse up to 800 euros towards each participants’ flight and visa costs (where applicable). Please note that travel cancellation insurance, travel health insurance and any other kind of insurance cannot be reimbursed by the TUM Graduate School and will be subtracted from the total flight expenses if applicable.  
• Participants are responsible for the costs of local travel from home to the airport and vice versa, as well as for any additional expenses they might have, including travel insurance, dinner and the like.
• TUM Graduate School will not reimburse any daily allowance (Tagegeld) according to the Bavarian Travel Expense Act (if applicable, in case of TUM/MRI employees).

Cancellation policy

• Cancellation of participation is free of charge until 1^st of May, 2023.
• For any cancellations after 1^st of May, 2023, a cancellation fee of 500 euros will apply, in case we cannot find another candidate to fill your spot on short notice.
• If you cancel your participation after 1^st June, 2023 or fail to appear on the day of the course start, we will need to charge you the full course fee of 1,000 euros for the summer school.
• In the event of illness, we will waive the cancellation fee. However, please inform us of this no later than 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, 18^th June, 2023 and provide us with a doctor’s letter within 3 days. Otherwise, you will be charged with the full course fee of 1,000 euros.
• In case of last-minute cancellation due to a Covid-19 infection, please provide us with a PCR-test on the same day of your cancellation. Please note that rapid tests (Schnelltest) are not accepted as a valid proof of your Covid-19 infection. Otherwise, you will be charged with the full course fee of 1,000 euros.
• All participants are requested to take care of visa appointments (if applicable) as soon as possible upon selection for participation. If you have to cancel your participation because of a late visa appointment and hence, were not able to obtain your visa for Singapore on time, we will need to charge you the full course fee of 1,000 euros for the summer school.
• Please note that in case of cancellations (except due to illness/Covid-19 infection), we cannot reimburse you any expenses already occurred in relation to the Global Fellows Program, e.g. plane tickets or visa application fees.

Covid-19 related terms of participation

While we are positive that the Global Fellows Program 2023 can go ahead in person, international opportunities may continue to be impacted by the pandemic. The situation is fast moving and dynamic and may require adjustments at short notice. We will continuously monitor the Covid-19 situation over the coming months and will advise and adapt accordingly. The TUM Graduate School will need to adhere to partner institutions requirements as well as to Singapore international travel restrictions. If we have to cancel the in person program in Singapore, all partner institutions will try to provide a remote alternative. We will keep all participants informed. Should the in person program in Singapore be cancelled, flight expenses and visa application fees already occurred will be reimbursed by the TUM Graduate School.

In order to comply with safety and travel requirements of our partner institutions, as well as adhere to TUM’s Covid-19 policies and recommendation, all participants must be fully vaccinated (incl. booster(s)) at the time of program start and provide related proof upon request.

Before or following the Global Fellows Program (GFP) in June 2023, participating TUM doctoral candidates have the opportunity to do a research stay at Imperial College London or at the Nanyang Technology University Singapore. As a financial supplement for accommodation, travel and living expenses in London/Singapore, the TUM Graduate School offers 5 exclusive grants of 800 EUR* each for TUM participants of the Imperial-TUM-NTU Global Fellows Program 2023.  

In order to apply for the exclusive Research@Global Fellows Grant, please: 

1. Discuss this possibility with your doctoral supervisor and contact a potential host at Imperial/NTU directly.
2. Once you have found a suitable host at Imperial/NTU, please ask him/her for an invitation letter for your intended research stay.  
3. Submit following documents to the TUM-GS Management Office no later than 31^st of March 2023: 

• Research@Global Fellows Grant application form
• description of the intended research activity at Imperial/NTU (one page) 
• invitation letter from your host at Imperial/NTU

For information about the Global Fellows Program, please contact: 

Mrs Zizheng Zhang 
International Engagement & Diversity 
TUM Graduate School
Email: zhang@zv.tum.de 
Phone: +49 89 289 10631