Global Fellows Program
The next trilateral Global Fellows Program (GFP), jointly organized by the Imperial College London, Nanyang Technological University Singapore, and the TUM, will take place from 28 July- 1 August 2025. The GFP 2025, under the academic theme “Multidisciplinary Solutions for Climate-responsive Societies," will be hosted by the TUM Graduate School in Munich. Application for the Global Fellows Program 2025 will open in March 2025.
From 28 July – 1 August 2025, TUM will hold the 5th trilateral Global Fellows Programme in partnership with the Imperial College London (Imperial) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU Singapore).
In the current scientific environment, international and interdisciplinary collaborations and networking are fundamental to developing successful projects. In a competitive research environment, funding bodies increasingly look for interdisciplinary, collaborative research with partners worldwide. The modern researcher requires both excellence in research and strong professional collaborative competencies. Over one week, approximately 40 doctoral researchers from TUM, NTU, and Imperial will develop collaborative interdisciplinary competencies and intercultural awareness required to establish and continue successful collaborations. Participants will also engage in intercultural and interdisciplinary discussions under the program theme “Multidisciplinary solutions for climate-responsive societies” and will develop creative innovations to address global challenges under the program theme.
Climate change demands urgent action, with rising temperatures and extreme weather affecting the health, economies, and infrastructure of societies worldwide. Many cities grapple with worsening heatwaves and flooding, while more and more rural areas face declining crop yields, droughts, and ecosystem degradation. Climate responsivity creates societies that are resilient, flexible, adaptive, and sustainable in a changing climate. Climate-responsive societies protect people and ecosystems while maintaining social and economic stability. Developing climate-responsive societies requires technological innovations and calls for the convergence of diverse fields, including social and political sciences, health sciences, life and environmental sciences, economics, engineering, and urban planning. This convergence of scientific perspectives opens exciting opportunities to develop innovative, interdisciplinary solutions to immediate and long-term climate challenges. During the Global Fellows Programme participants will enhance their interdisciplinary and collaborative skills and competencies while creating holistic and inclusive strategies to boost adaptation and climate responsivity in urban and rural societies while ensuring that solutions are equitable and applicable to global and local contexts.
Guest speakers from Imperial, TUM, and NTU will provide participants with insights into current research (but not limited to) within the topics of the program to inspire the development of creative solutions.
A background on the subject is not essential, doctoral candidates from any discipline are invited to apply for this 5-day professional development course.
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 groups
- Their intercultural and international competency and awareness
- Their creativity to develop collaborative research ideas
- Their appreciation of research in international institutions
Although, participants will gain insights into and discuss current research related to “Multidisciplinary solutions for climate-responsive societies,” 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 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 at the time of application
- Be fluent in English and comfortable to engage with other participants in English
- Have already secured support for participation from their respective thesis supervisors
- Be able to participate in the entire one-week program (from 28 July - 01 August 2025) in Munich
- Be willing to share their experiences on the program with the TUM-GS community
The TUM Graduate School offers 13 fully funded spots, which include the following:
- Course fee for the entire course week
- Accommodation during the course week for TUM participants from TUM Campus Heilbronn and TUM Straubing
- Lunch during the course week
Before or following the Global Fellows Program (GFP) in July/August 2025, 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 1,000 EUR* each for TUM participants of the Imperial-TUM-NTU Global Fellows Program 2025.
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. Contact Mrs Zizheng Zhang from the TUM-GS Management Office for application information.
*It is possible to combine the Research@Global Fellows Grant with other TUM-GS funding options.
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
Impressions from the Global Fellows Program 2023
Mehr Informationen