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Research Fellowships for International Postdoctoral Researchers in Artificial Intelligence. The Heilbronn AI Fellowship attracts outstanding international postdoctoral researchers to Heilbronn's rapidly growing AI ecosystem. The programme supports cutting-edge AI research at institutions on the Bildungscampus Heilbronn and across the broader innovation network.
Fellows benefit from a unique environment that combines academic excellence, industry collaboration, advanced digital infrastructure, and entrepreneurial opportunities. Beyond research, the programme encourages technology transfer, real-world applications, and engagement with innovation and startup ecosystems.

By connecting global talent with leading research, industry, and innovation partners, the fellowship strengthens Heilbronn's position as a leading European hub for AI research, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

International PhD candidates or postdoctoral researchers who obtained a PhD/doctorate no more than five years ago. PhD candidates should be in the final year before their dissertation defense. Applicants should have a strong academic background in Artificial Intelligence or a related field, be affiliated with a university or non-university research institution, and plan to undertake a research project at an eligible host institution in Bildungscampus Heilbronn.

The programme provides funding for a research stay in Artificial Intelligence or related fields at eligible host institutions in Heilbronn. Fellows become part of a dynamic AI ecosystem that combines world-class research, industry collabora-tion, advanced digital infrastructure, and opportunities for innovation, technol-ogy transfer, and entrepreneurship. The programme enables researchers to advance scientific knowledge while contributing to the development of AI-driven solutions with real-world impact.

The research stay can be carried out at any of the following universities or re-search institutions located on the Bildungscampus Heilbronn:

• DHBW Center for Advanced Studies
• DHBW Heilbronn (Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University)
• Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institute
• Fraunhofer HNFIZ
• Heilbronn University of Applied Sciences (HHN) – HHN
• Technical University of Munich (TUM) Campus Heilbronn.

Funding is provided for research stays from 1 to 12 months.
Funding for the fellowship programme is available until the end of the pro-gramme's funding period.
The Fellowship cannot be extended. Special circumstances may be considered on an individual basis.

The fellowship includes the following financial benefits:

• a monthly fellowship instalment of 2,800 Euros
• payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover
• a lump sum towards international travel costs

Under certain circumstances, fellowship holders may receive the following additional benefits:

• Additional costs arising from a disability or chronic illness may be eligible for support. Requests for such support will be assessed individually, further information.
• For fellows applying to a funding period exceeding six months, family benefits may be granted subject to eligibility. Eligibility and the level of support will be determined on an individual basis in accordance with the applicable fellowship conditions.
• All requests relating to special circumstances will be assessed individually on a case-by-case basis.

Selection is conducted through a single-stage evaluation based on the submitted application documents.
Applications are jointly prepared by the applicant and the host institution and are evaluated by independent experts in the relevant research fields. The experts are appointed by DAAD, while partner institutions may propose candidates. To ensure fairness and impartiality, experts with a conflict of interest or a supervisory relationship with an applicant are excluded from the evaluation process.
Applications are assessed on the basis of academic excellence, the quality of the proposed research project, and the applicant’s suitability for the programme and its objectives. Funding is awarded only following a positive evaluation by the appointed experts.

The selection criteria are:
Academic qualification

• Academic performance (general grade point average, grade development, dissertation grade)
• Course of studies and doctorate
• Academic achievements after graduation, (e.g. publications, lectures, conference papers)

Quality of the research project

• Quality of research proposal and preparation (originality, topicality and relevance of the project, choice of host institution and first contacts, relevance for application and transfer.)
• Feasibility and consistency of research plan and schedule
• Suitability of the applicant’s profile and the research project to the objectives of the program (potential for personal and professional development, integration of the project into longer-term cooperation plans, regarding longer-term research stays of the applicant in Germany)

In addition, the selection process will give due consideration to aspects of equal opportunities, on which you can provide information in the application form. For further information on the selection procedure, please refer to the Important Scholarship Information / Section E.

• The application procedure occurs online through the DAAD portal.
• An application is only valid if all required documents have been submit-ted via the DAAD portal by the application time. If any required docu-ments are not available at the time of submission, applicants must clearly explain the reasons for their absence and indicate when the documents will be provided.
• Only one application per applicant can be considered at any given time. Simultaneous applications cannot be processed.

Data protection: The application documents remain with the DAAD. Your personal data is saved by the DAAD in accordance with the Federal Data Protection Act and with the EU Data Protection Regulation insofar as this data is needed to process the application.