Palestinian-German Science Bridge - Call for Thesis Project Requests

The Palestinian-German Science Bridge invites bright science and technology graduates from Palestinian universities to join a research group of Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH for the experimental part of their BSc or MSc thesis or for a PhD thesis in connection with a German university.

The purpose of the programme is to

• provide access for Palestinian students to Jülich’s world-leading scientific infrastructure to experience and conduct frontier research in fundamental and applied sciences
• assist Jülich in recruiting the best and the brightest students from Palestinian universities and prepare Master and PhD theses for further progress of Palestinian science
• transfer knowledge to Palestinian universities in the development of Graduate Programmes as well as Research Programmes
• facilitate the mobility and exchange of students and academics in both directions
• establish solid and long lasting cooperation relations between Jülich and Palestinian research groups
• and in the long run, contribute to the development of a national science and technology infrastructure in the Palestinian territories

Objectives:

The Palestinian-German Science Bridge provides Palestinian Bachelor-, Master- and PhD students with the opportunity to carry out a research project at Forschungszentrum Jülich, and to establish long-term cooperation with researchers in Jülich, including their worldwide network of cooperation partners.

A requirement is that the BSc, MSc or PhD thesis is integrated into a research project to initiate or strengthen a collaboration between the two institutions. Upon completion of their visit in Jülich the students are expected to return to a Palestinian university and establish a research activity there based on the skills and knowledge acquired.

Duration:

The duration of the research visit for Bachelor and Master projects is determined by the curricula of the home university, but limited to a maximum of 3 months for BSc projects and 6 months for MSc projects, respectively. In well-founded exceptional cases they can be extended by an equally long second term. In the case of BSc projects the two terms need to be separated by a return to the Palestinian home university.

The research projects for PhD students are limited to three years in agreement with the Jülich Guideline for Doctoral Fellowships.

Funding guidelines:

BSc Projects within the PGSB programme will be carried out as short term visits and incurred expenses will be reimbursed according to Bundesreisekostengesetz (Federal Travelling Expenses Act). Each individual stay is limited to 3 months.

Visiting students carrying out an MSc Project within the PGSB programme will be reimbursed with a gross lump-sum remuneration of 1.131,79 € per month (as of summer semester 2021).

Fellowships for PhD projects within the PGSB programme will be awarded according to the Jülich Guideline for Doctoral Fellowships. They consist of

• a monthly instalment of 1.468,00 €
• a yearly networking trip from Jülich to their Palestinian home university
  (subject to submission of relevant travel documents and limited to 700 € per year)
• additional payments may be possible under specific conditions (such as family reunification)

Formal prerequisites:

Formal requirements for participation in the PGSB programme are

• for BSc projects: enrolment as student in a BSc. programme at a Palestinian university
  for MSc projects: enrolment as student in a MSc. programme at a Palestinian university
  for PhD projects: recent Master’s degree from a Palestinian university; acceptance as a PhD candidate at a faculty of a German university
• Fluency in English
• Candidates will be chosen based on an excellent academic performance and should envisage an academic career at a Palestinian University
• Only the best applications will be selected subject to the availability of funding

Application procedure:

Application can be submitted any time electronically to PALAST and Forschungszentrum Jülich at the addresses given in the right hand column. They must be endorsed by the Jülich supervisor offering the project and include the following documents and papers:

• PGSB Student application form
• Documentary evidence of previous academic achievements:
  School leaving certificate (Tawjihi or equivalent) and all higher education certificates (BA/BSc, MA/MSc) where applicable, as well as all transcripts, officially authenticated and in English translation
• Proof of English language skills not older than 2 years or statement of Jülich supervisor that English language skills have been tested as adequate
• Tabular curriculum vitae (CV) with (portrait) photo
• Letter of motivation: describing your particular interests and specialization, academic aims and prospective professional career, your expectations with regard to your stay in Jülich and your participation in the PGSB programme
• Letter of recommendation from the Palestinian co-supervisor for the project and at least one further academic teacher signed, dated and in sealed envelopes (please note: letters of recommendation should not be older than six months). The letter from the sending professor (supervisor) should also include his/her faculty profile unless contacts to the Jülich host are already established.
• Letters of recommendation should not be older than six months. Please use the templates provided here.
• Any other documents considered important or useful for the application (e.g. proof of internships, certificates of employment)

Selection procedure:

• PALAST will check fulfilment of formal requirements and academic quality of the application at regular cut-off dates. The next cut-off date will be in spring 2022
• Applicants will be invited for a personal interview/presentation either in the framework of a PGSB Cooperation Workshop or a similarly adequate format to assess the applicant’s academic expertise and further qualifications (e.g. Skype interview conducted under the direction of the Jülich supervisor).
• After final approval by the advisory committee, admitted students will receive a letter of acceptance.
• Grantees and hosting institutes shall then agree upon the exact timing and further details of the research visit.