Fully Funded Abel Visiting Scholar Program in Germany 2024

The Fully Funded Abel Visiting Scholar Program in Germany is intended for mathematicians professionally based in developing countries to visit an international research collaborator for one month. For visits over one month, applicants must provide evidence of financial support from the host institution to cover the living expenses beyond the first month.

The program is designed for post-doctoral mathematicians in the early stages of their professional careers. It is designed to offer the opportunity for a ‘research sabbatical,’ a necessary complement to teaching and other academic duties for mathematicians desiring also to sustain a viable research program.

It is fully funded by the Abel Prize in Mathematics and is administered by the Commission for Developing Countries of the International Mathematical Union.

The benefits of the Fully Funded Abel Visiting Scholar Program in Germany are:

1. Travel costs

a) From the place of work of the applicant to that of the host to the extent of economy class airfare. During the pandemic, grantees are asked to book the flights independently. The flight costs can be transferred before booking or reimbursed after as long as invoices are provided.

b) (Public) transport (surface transport by rail or bus between the nearest city where the airport is located and the headquarters of the candidate or the city/town where the host institution is located, if necessary). Maximum four (4) Taxi fares (on submission of receipts) may be allowed to travel between the home and the airport/railway station (upon arrival and departure).

c) If the applicant has to stay in a hotel before departure or upon arrival, this needs to be mentioned in the budget details. Maximum one (1) night (both arrival and departure) can be paid from the grant.

2. Visa fees

3. Travel insurance charges 

4. Basic living cost for the first month (daily allowance based on the living cost of the visiting country/city. This amount includes the cost of public transport and all other living costs). For a list, please go here. If the accommodation includes breakfast or any other meals, the daily amount will be reduced.

5. Accommodation cost in the host country (hotel is allowed if the host states that no guesthouse or rented flat is available and max. four weeks. If you stay longer than four weeks, you must rent a suitable apartment or guesthouse). Receipts for cash payments for accommodation costs can not be accepted! You have to pay via a trackable transfer method.

All invoices for travel costs, visa, insurance, accommodation, and up to four taxi receipts, and all boarding tickets have to be kept by the grantee and be sent (original) to the CDC/ IMU Secretariat by regular mail.

If you travel during public holidays in the host country and while the host institution is closed for public holidays (e.g. during Christmas time), you cannot receive basic living costs during the period the institution is closed, but your accommodation cost can be paid. 

Please note that the grant does not cover travel, accommodation, and living costs for requests for additional trips (e.g., to participate in conferences/ workshops) during this time. Those costs have to be covered by the grantee or his/her host institution. The living and accommodation costs only cover the research period. In case the grantees stays abroad for private or other purposes not related to the research visit, neither living or accommodation cost can be covered by the grant.

The grant is paid in two installments:

First payment for accommodation in the host country, travel insurance, visa, transport to the airport, and 50% of the living cost before departure.

Second payment for the remaining living costs after the visit. 

To receive the second payment, the report, pictures, and all invoices must be sent to the IMU Secretariat before the second payment can be initiated.

The eligibility criteria for the Fully Funded Abel Visiting Scholar Program in Germany are stated below:

1. Hold at the time of application a Ph.D. in Mathematics,

2. Be based in a developing country at the time of application (As defined by IMU)

3. Hold a position in a university/ research institution

4. Be in the early stages of their professional careers, more precisely: the applicants  should

5. Not yet be of full professorial rank but have a working contract in a university/ college

5. Be under 35 years of age on the day of the application deadline.

Application Requirements