New programme supports PhD and postdoctoral mobility and networking between Germany, France and Poland.

DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst – German Academic Exchange Service) has launched the new funding programme Future Network Weimar Triangle (Zukunftsnetzwerk Weimarer Dreieck) to strengthen scientific collaboration between Germany, France and Poland. The initiative aims to establish a sustainable trilateral platform for research cooperation and knowledge exchange, while contributing to the further development and resilience of the European Research Area.

The programme focuses on a range of future-oriented research themes, including technologies for climate-neutral energy generation and mobility, climate protection, artificial intelligence, digitalisation and microelectronics, security in Europe and the resilience of the research system, biotechnology and future medicine, and the societal challenges and impacts of new technologies. Funding supports research stays at universities and non-university research institutions in France or Poland for researchers based in Germany, and in Germany for researchers based in France or Poland.

A central element of the scheme is the creation of a future-oriented academic network. Participants collaborate in interdisciplinary working groups to develop joint projects and build or expand long-term research partnerships. Postdoctoral researchers funded through the programme will have the opportunity to develop and coordinate an interdisciplinary working group, thus strengthening their leadership experience.

Applications are open to PhD students and exceptionally qualified postdoctoral researchers from Germany, France and Poland, regardless of nationality. PhD candidates must have started their doctorate no more than three years prior to application, while postdoctoral researchers must have completed their PhD with excellent results within the last four years. Research stays may last 3-12 months for PhD students and 7-24 months for postdoctoral researchers, with monthly stipends of €1,400 and €2,000 respectively, alongside travel, insurance and optional research and conference allowances.

The programme was created in the context of the 35th anniversary of the Weimar Triangle, a foreign policy consultation forum established in 1991 by Germany, France and Poland which has served to facilitate close coordination and cooperation between the three countries on European issues. The new funding scheme is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), with a total budget of €4.5 million. It will run until 2029 and the intension is to offer up to 120 grants in total.