The IGCS awards scholarships for graduate students and researchers at German universities who developed an idea for a research project in India and have the supervision by a German supervisor and a supervisor from IIT Madras confirmed. The duration of the scholarship varies between one to six months, depending on the academic degree.
Our Profile: The Indo-German Centre for Sustainability is a joint project between RWTH Aachen University as a representative of a group of German universities (TU9 and Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel) and the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) in Chennai, which is hosting the centre.
The IGCS’ vision and mission is to evolve to an internationally acknowledged source of inspiration and skills, conceptual models and standards, as well as best practice examples for proactive sustainability transformation, enabled through collaborative research and teaching. Through various forms of support, the IGCS flexibly combine scholars and competences of all German and Indian partner universities. It is part of the DAAD initiative “A New Passage to India” and receives funding from the German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Ongoing research projects are financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology (DST), India.
The centre comprises four research areas of sustainability: water management, waste management, land use and energy. Overarching research topics are the protection of coastal cities from the effects of climate change including coastal protection, climate change-related hazards, flood hazards, salt water intrusion and the societal and challenges that derive from climate change. Furthermore, smart mobility, eco-friendly production and pollution are topics the IGCS reacts to.
Profile of candidates: Successful applicants must be enrolled at a German university (Master students) or affiliated to a German higher education or research institution (PhD and established researchers). An excellent academic record, very good English skills and intercultural communication skills are further requirements. Work abroad experience and knowledge of the region is of advantage. We must not fund Indian citizens for a research project in India. The selection is based on merit. The IGCS advocates for equal opportunity and diversity. Preference is given to students and researchers from TU9 universities and Kiel University.
Specific requirements from applicants according to the academic degree:
Profile PhD students: The applicant must be a PhD student at one of the above mentioned universities in the field of Engineering and / or Environmental Sciences or in a field of study with relevance to sustainability. She / he is currently supervised by a professor, who is interested in scientific cooperation with Indian scientists at IIT Madras.
Profile Post-Docs and established researchers: The applicant must have a PhD degree in the field of Engineering and / or Environmental Sciences. Proven research track record adds value to the application.
Your Responsibility: The candidate develops a specific research topic and research plan together with her/his advisor and an Indian professor at IIT Madras. She/he can also be part of a joint research project at IIT Madras. The research projects should address the IGCS overarching research topics and concentrate in at least one of the aforementioned four research areas. If required, IGCS provides support with regard to arrange supervision at IIT Madras.
What We Offer: The scholarship provides travel and living expenses according to DAAD funding rates, as a rule. The scholarship is available from March on. Applicants are expected to stay in India for at least one month. Preference will be given to candidates who plan to stay for the maximum duration of stay. Attention should be paid to the condition that your stay in Germany should be finished by January 2020. Successful candidates will be part of the IGCS projects and the “A New Passage to India” DAAD initiative.
How to apply: Please prepare the following documents
- Curriculum Vitae
- Motivation including the description of the research project and a timetable (including the planned starting date)
- Supervision confirmation by a German and IITM professor
- Master students: enrolment certificate and a current transcript of records (not older than six months)
- PhD and established researchers: summary of your academic career incl. a list of publications and copy of your certificates
Submit your application in a single PDF-file to the matching German Area Coordinator and the German Project Coordinator Malin Praktiknjo.
German Project Coordinator
Mrs. Malin Praktiknjo
RWTH Aachen University
International Office Division 2.3 – Mobility,
Turmstr. 46 (Room 308)
52062 Aachen, Germany
Phone +49 241 80-90676
Fax +49 241 80-92661
Email malin.praktiknjo@zhv.rwth-aachen.de