Opportunities

Other Opportunities Supporting Disadvantaged Scholars

June 23, 2025

The Max Planck Society (MPG) has established numerous initiatives to support scholars from underrepresented or disadvantaged regions, or those facing challenging circumstances. These programs aim to empower scholars and foster their academic and research careers.

Opportunities within the Max Planck Society

MAXMINDS: Complements a variety of existing programs aimed at supporting scholars in disadvantaged situations.
Max Planck Israel Program: Stabilizes Israel's scientific community by providing doctoral students and postdocs the opportunity to continue their research at Max Planck institutions. It also includes fellowships for researchers from Israel and Palestinian territories.
EIRENE Max Planck Ukraine Cooperation and Mobility Fellowship: Supports young Ukrainian scientists in collaborating with Max Planck Institutes.
CaCTüS Program: Organized by the MPI for Biological Cybernetics and Intelligent Systems and the Tübingen AI Center, this program offers paid internships to students facing personal, financial, regional, or societal constraints.
ARTEMIS Mentorship Program: Connects mentors at MPIs with mentees at African universities to foster career development through mentorship and networking.
Indian Mobility Grant: Provides support for researchers from India.
TALENT+ Training Program: Equips underrepresented talents with advanced research skills.
COMP@SS Program: Organized by the MPI for Solid State Research, this program offers undergraduate students from the Global South the chance to engage in research projects in condensed matter science.
International Max-Planck Research Schools (IMPRS): Most Max Planck Institutes host IMPRS, which offer funding for PhD projects.
Max Planck Society Academic Opportunities: Max Planck Institutes offer PhD and postdoc positions throughout the year not depending on any academic calendar.

Opportunities Outside the Max Planck Society

SAFE by EURAXESS: Funded by the European Commission to support displaced researchers.
DAAD: Focuses on exchange between German students, young academics, and scholars from other countries. Its website lists both DAAD and university-specific scholarships.
Hilde Domin Program: Run by DAAD, this program supports students and doctoral candidates denied educational or other rights in their home countries, enabling them to pursue studies or research in Germany.
IIE Scholarships: More than 200 programs with participants from more than 180 countries.
Scholar Rescue Fund: IEE research fellowship for threatened scholars around the world.
PSSAR Network: Support network for students and scholars at risk.
Scholars at Risk Network: US-originated global network for threatened scholars.
OWSD PhD Fellowships: PhD fellowship programme for women scientists from the Global South to undertake PhD research in STEM.
PARC Fellowships: Fellowships for Palestinian scholars conducting humanities and cocial science field-based research on Palestine.
IMU Breakout Fellowships: International Mathematical Union’s fellowship program for mathematicians from developing countries.
NAWA Ignacy Lukasiewicz Scholarships: Scholarship programme of Polish Government for researchers from specific developing countries.
Science en Exil: Funding for researchers in exile due to an emergency situation in their home country by Quebec Scientific Fund.
Programme Pause: France-based support program for scholars-at-risk.
France Excellence PhD Scholarships: Scholarship program for PhD students from near east by French Institute of the Near East.
Safe Haven Fellowship: Netherlands-based fellowship program for scholar at risk due to the consequences of conflict or war.
Cara’s Fellowship Programme: Fellowship program for academics from any country, who are being forced to flee by the risk of imminent imprisonment, injury or death
ICWA Fellowships: Institute of Current World Affairs offers funding for research, travel, and life during two years of cultural immersion of the displaced academics.
Harvard’s Scholar-at-Risk Programme: Harvard University offers dedicated fellowship opportunities for scholars-at-risk.
HESPAL Scholarships: British Council’s scholarship for Palestinian academics and researchers.
Said Foundation Scholarships: The scholarship program to empower young people through educational opportunities and to encourage the development of the Middle East.