جامعة النجاح الوطنية
An-Najah National University

The Palestinian-German Science Bridge invites the most brilliant 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 Palestine

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. Please refer to the list of cooperation ‎project offers available at http://www.fz-juelich.de/ue/pgsb_ProjectOffers. 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 ‎home university in Palestine.‎

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 need to be enrolled as ‎guest student at a German university (e.g. RWTH Aachen University) for the duration of their visit and ‎will be reimbursed with a gross lump-sum remuneration of 1.008,10 € per month.‎

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 1.333 €‎
  • one return travel from Palestine to Jülich per year
  • ‎(subject to submission of relevant travel documents and limited to 700 € per year)‎
  • additional payments may be possible under specific conditions such as:‎
  • ‎child care allowance: 400 Euro for the first child, 100 Euro for each further child
  • ‎health insurance allowance up to the amount of 50% of the monthly insurance contribution (max. 100 Euro);‎ additional insurance contribution possible for accompanying family ‎members

Formal prerequisites:‎

Formal requirements for participation in the PGSB programme are:

  • for BSc projects: enrolment as student in a corresponding programme at a Palestinian ‎university
  • for MSc projects: enrolment as student in a corresponding programme at a Palestinian ‎university as well as enrolment as guest student at a German university (e.g. RWTH Aachen University) for the duration of the visit
  • for PhD projects: recent Master’s degree from a Palestinian university; enrolment at a German ‎university for the duration of the PhD project
  • 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 for funding

Application procedure:‎

Application and related documents should be submitted electronically to PALAST in English before31 March 2017. Each application must 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 (at least TOEFL iBT 80 / PBT 550 or‎ IELTS 6.5).‎
  • 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 sending professor (supervisor) at a Palestinian university ‎and at least one further academic teacher signed, dated and in sealed envelopes. The letter ‎from the sending professor (supervisor) should also include his/her faculty profile unless ‎contacts to the Jülich host are already established. Please use the templates provided at ‎http://www.fz-juelich.de/ue/pgsb_call2017. Letters of recommendation should not be older than six ‎months.‎
  • An institutional recommendation by the sending Palestinian university, as activities of the ‎Palestinian-German Science Bridge are intended to support the long term development of ‎research infrastructure at Palestinian institutions.‎
  • 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
  • Applications approved at this stage will be submitted to the relevant host institute(s) who ‎will decide upon the adequacy of the applicant on the basis of his/her academic expertise ‎and further qualifications.
  • 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.‎

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