Going Abroad – Information for doctoral candidates

Doctoral candidates who wish to spend time abroad during their doctoral studies should plan their stay as soon as possible. First of all, you should determine the purpose and duration of your stay.

• international conference or workshop
• laboratory or archive visit of short duration
• teaching abroad
• summer or winter academy
• extended research visit

Conferences and short-term research visits

• The Graduate Academy provides a  travel allowance for participating in conferences or congresses. In addition, a travel allowance may be granted for short-term research visits (maximum duration: four weeks).

• The DAAD offers two funding lines that foster the mobility of doctoral candidates who wish to participate in conferences and congresses.
  • Congress trip programme
  • Lecture tour programme

Teaching mobility:

• If you will be giving a guest lecture or a seminar at an Erasmus+ partner university in Europe, you are eligible to apply for funding within the scope of the Erasmus+ teaching staff mobility programme (STA).  

University courses and language courses:

• The PROMOS programme provides funding for participation in specific university courses and language courses in Russia and Asia.

Funding opportunities at Leibniz University Hannover:

• The Graduate Academy awards research mobility grants (“Auslands-Stipendium”). The maximum funding period is 6 months.

Other funding opportunities:

• The DAAD provides two forms of grants to support research visits abroad:
  • Short-term grants (from 1 to 6 months)
  • Long-term grants (from 7 to 12 months)

  • Information on subject-specific funding opportunities can be found in the DAAD database.     

• Doctoral candidates may conduct research at one of our partner universities for a maximum of 2 semesters within the scope of the Erasmus+ programme.

In addition, there are various funding opportunities for specific countries. For further information, please contact the regional coordinators at the International Office.

Depending on your destination, you should check the visa requirements in good time.

• Which entry and residence requirements apply in the target country?
• Which visa should I apply for?
• Which documents are required for the visa application?
• Where and when do I apply?
• Can I use my current visa to enter another country or to conduct research there?
• How much is the visa application fee?

Doctoral candidates who will be spending time abroad can sublet their apartment or room in Hannover to international students via the accommodation service of the International Office.

Please contact the Admissions Office if you intend to take leave of absence for spending time abroad.

Members of research staff employed at an institute should contact human resources.

Please remember to sort out issues such as health care, insurances, etc.

Please contact the regional coordinators at the International Office with any queries.

Further information and advice regarding individual countries can be found on the website of  the Federal Foreign Office.