Oxford German Network | Research Opportunities

Oxford University

The University of Oxford has over 21,000 students and it is the largest employer in the city and the second largest in Oxfordshire. 41% of its academic staff comes from foreign countries (over 100!). After the USA, the country which provides the largest share of foreign nationality staff is… Germany! Similarly, Germans make up the third largest group of foreign national students at the university – 767 out of over 8100 foreign students. Meanwhile, the German department in Oxford’s Modern Language Faculty is the largest in the UK and admits 90 students to study German every year.

Funding for study and research in Germany

The DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) offers a wide range of funding opportunities for students, researchers, and academics from the UK to go to Germany.

Other funding opportunities can be found in the DAAD's scholarship database.

For further information on study programmes in Germany, conditions of entry, the application process or any questions around applying for a grant to go to Germany you can contact the DAAD London Office or any of the DAAD Lektors across the UK.

Ellen Pilsworth, who graduated from Oxford with a degree in German and English this summer, received a DAAD scholarship to undertake research in Heidelberg. You can read her account of her time in Heidelberg here.

The Wiener Library

The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust & Genocide is one of the world's leading and most extensive archives on the Holocaust and Nazi era. Formed in 1933, the Library's unique collection of over one million items includes published and unpublished works, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimony.

The Library provides a resource to oppose antisemitism and other forms of prejudice and intolerance. The Library's reputation rests on its independence and the scholarly objectivity of its activities and publications. The Wiener Library is open to the public on weekdays free of charge.

For further information, take a look at the Wiener Library's full profile on the OGN website and the Library's website: www.wienerlibrary.co.uk

Research Training Opportunities

PORT stands for Postgraduate Online Research Training. It is a handy on-line resource hosted by the School of Advanced Study in London and is designed specifically for postgraduates in the Modern Languages. Easily accessible and free of charge, it is frequently updated with news, resources and feeds of interest to the Modern Languages, including workshops and seminars. PORT is also a unique source of specialized advice on Czech, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish / Hispanic archives, libraries and research resources, and is continually expanding.

The Sylvia Naish Lectures

Each year, research students registered for higher degrees in the field of Germanic studies at Universities in the United Kingdom are invited to submit proposals for the next public Sylvia Naish Lecture. The theme of the lecture should be related to the student’s topic of research; the lecture itself should appeal to an audience of non-specialists and aim to convey both the excitement and the importance of the research topic. The winning entry carries a prize of £100, plus modest travel and/or accommodation expenses as appropriate. The lecture is published in abridged form in the next issue of the Newsletter, the annual magazine of the Friends of Germanic Studies.
Method of application: An abstract of up to 500 words should be sent to reach Dr Godela Weiss-Sussex by the closing date. Proposals may also be sent by post to Dr Godela Weiss-Sussex, Institute of Modern Languages Research Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Senate House, Malet Steet, London WC1E 7HU so that they are received by the closing date. Applicants can expect to be notified of the outcome of the competition in December.

Latest DAAD Opportunities

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is offering a wide range of grants to students, researchers, and academics from UK universities during the academic year 2013/2014. Here is an overview of their funding programmes with deadlines and hyperlinks to the DAAD website. Most schemes are open to all subject areas.

Funding programmes for UGs
RISE Research Internships in Science and Engineering
Summer Language Courses for Undergraduates (all subjects)

Funding programmes for PGs (Master’s level)
One-Year Grants for Postgraduates (all subjects)

Funding programmes for PhDs/ post-docs / junior scholars
One Year Grant for PhD Students, Postdocs and Junior Academics (all subjects)
1-6 Month Research Grants for PhD Students & Junior Scholars (all subjects)

Funding programmes for senior academics
Study Visits for Senior Academics (all subjects)

Special programmes
Group Study Visits (all subjects)

The DAAD is the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation. Please visit the DAAD website for further information and details on all above funding schemes.

Bursaries at Birkbeck College

Competitive bursaries are available for the MA Comparative Literature for students beginning the French or
German pathway at Birkbeck College, University of London. For more details about the bursaries, click here.

More information about the programme is available here.

Senior Research Fellowships in Wolfenbüttel

Applications are invited for scholarships at the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel - More details here. Note that applications for the period 2014 to 2016 are now closed. Information on the next round of applications will be posted when it becomes available.

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Research Opportunities

Latest DAAD Opportunities

Bursaries at Birkbeck College

Senior Research Fellowships in Wolfenbüttel