DAAD Partnerships with Eastern Europe

The program has its origins in the Federal Republic of Germany’s Ostpolitik. In 1973, it was agreed to expand academic relations with the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc countries.

The DAAD administers the program on behalf of the German federal government. Political developments led to a rapid increase in applications for funding—from 9 applications in 1974 to 108 applications in 1989. In 1992, the program reached a peak: 888 applications; the total funding approved rose to 4.4 million DM.

In the years that followed, the program was consolidated. German universities are offered a grant for a period of three years. This gives them greater autonomy and planning certainty. At the same time, the DAAD has been able to gradually reduce the total amount of its funding because German universities are also using their own funds and third-party funding for their partnership activities.

The three-year funding period is intended to provide universities with autonomy and planning certainty and to encourage them to set priorities for their partnership activities and develop a partnership strategy. In the third year of the project period, universities can submit a new application for the following funding period.

The goal of the Eastern Partnership Program is to promote partnerships between German universities and universities in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in the CIS countries.

This is intended to contribute to:

• to strengthen existing partnerships and initiate new, lasting partnerships with universities in the target region,
• to broad-based cooperation in teaching and research,
• to the exchange of researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates within the framework of these partnerships,
• to the sustainable, structural improvement of teaching and research conditions in the partner countries,
• to the internationalization of German and foreign universities.

is a formal university cooperation agreement signed by the Rectors or presidents of the respective partner universities.

Exchange of German and foreign university teachers, academics, students and graduates.

• The DAAD funds travel expenses for German participants.

• For foreign participants, the DAAD funds accommodation costs.

• Personnel and material costs cannot be funded.