DAAD Research Internships in Science and Engineering (RISE)

DAAD RISE: At a Glance

Eligibility:

• Second and third-year students
• Majors: biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, earth sciences and engineering

Selection Criteria:

• Academic achievement
• Academic and research experience in field
• Research potential
• Project alignment with academic interests

Candidates for DAAD RISE can affirm the following: 

• I possess research experience that is relevant to the projects to which I am applying
• I have a strong GPA
• I can explain how my academic interests align with my potential mentors’ research projects and agendas

Extensive Description

RISE is a summer internship program for second- and third-year undergraduates who are currently enrolled at a university in the US, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. It is designed for students in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences and engineering, and related fields. It offers unique opportunities for undergraduate students to work with research groups at universities and top research institutions across Germany for a period of 2 to 3 months during the summer. RISE interns are matched with doctoral students whom they assist and who serve as their mentors. The working language will be English. All scholarship holders receive stipends from the DAAD to help cover living expenses, while partner universities and research institutes provide housing assistance.

Interns will receive a monthly scholarship of 992 Euros. DAAD provides health insurance, accident and personal liability insurance. All interns are invited to the three-day RISE Germany meeting in Heidelberg at the beginning of July and will receive an allowance of 160 Euros for travel to the meeting.

The scholarship also provides an international travel subsidy.

Eligibility Requirements

To apply for a internship placement for summer 2025 you must:

• be currently enrolled at a university/college in the United States, Canada, the UK or Ireland as a full-time student in the field of biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, earth sciences or engineering (or a closely related field)
• be an undergraduate who will have completed at least 2 years of a degree program by the time of the internship placement, i.e. a second- or third-year student
• prove that you will maintain undergraduate status after the internship has taken place

German language skills are not required for most positions but would be helpful to manage everyday life outside of the laboratory. The working language will generally be English.

Application Process

The application is submitted completely online through the RISE database. If you are interested in participating, the first step for you is to register and to login to access the internship database, starting October 15, 2024. Then fill in the online application form and upload all necessary documents. Please check the list of application documents you must submit at the Application portal. Note: applicants must request an enrollment confirmation from the University Registrar, which is provided by the National Student Clearninghouse. You will also need a recommendation from a faculty member in your field at the University of Chicago. The internship database opens between October 15 and November 30, 2024.

CCRF is offering an information session as well as cover letter writing workshops for applicants.