In the Federal Republic of Germany, in order to cultivate high-level technology talents, promote scientific and technological development, both the Government and society have invested a lot of financial and material resources in the scientific research. Its Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, meaning the Germany Research Union), Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD, meaning the Germany Scientific Exchange Center) and Alexander von Humboldt-stifurg (AVH, meaning the Humboldt Foundation) are well-known organizations aimed at cultivating talents, promoting exchanges, and facilitating scientific and technological development. Relevant information and some noteworthy practices of those three organizations are briefly introduced as follows:

l. Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) is a national independent research management organization with its affiliated members including 53 universities, 5 academies of sciences, 13 specialized research institutes (centers) and 3 academic associations. The DFG serves scientific and artistic fields in Germany by funding research projects in all disciplines (focusing on basic research), supporting and coordinating research projects. It provides funding services for key research projects, special research fields, and individual optional research projects according to the scholars’ application.

The DFG’s funding comes half from the federal government, and the other half from the state governments and donation from the German Science Foundation Council. In 1990, the total amount of its funding was 1.5 billion marks, with an annual growth rate of 5%.

The DFG, putting much emphasis on cultivating new forces in scientific research, established a series of scholarships to particularly subsidize young German scholars who has obtained the doctorate degree.

(1) Training Scholarship: It provides funding for young doctors to engage themselves in a period time of research work under the guidance of the experts and professors in order to familiarize themselves with special research process, and acquire that special skill in other companies and institutions other than their graduated institutions. They can also participate in a 2-year practical training in foreign universities or research institutions with the funding.

(2) Research Scholarship: Its funding is particularly used for some certain research projects. For some doctor graduates without research vacancies but hoping to complete the research projects which already started when writing doctor dissertation, they can also apply for this scholarship. Supported doctor graduates may complete projects independently or under the guidance of senior college professors.

(3) Habilitation Scholarship: Its funding is used in basic research fields in the hope of cultivating a new generation of young professors by helping young post-doctors get well prepared for obtaining habilitation on their dissertation. Foreign scholars can also apply for this funding, but the applicants must have long-term contracts with universities in Germany.

In addition to the aforesaid individual funded projects, the DFG had gradually established five special funding projects in 14 years from l977 to 1988 to fund young scientists who have already acquired professor qualifications or made prominent research achievements.

(1) Heisenberg Project: Its funding is mainly provided for young scholars with outstanding research achievements or professor qualifications, or unemployed young scholars who have obtained equivalent qualifications. The project, implemented since 1977, aims to ensure that young scientists and scholars are able to concentrate on scientific research and carry out the selected research work successfully by improving their working conditions.

(2) Gerhard Hess Project: Implemented since 1987, the project, with the founding amount of 0.2 million marks per project, is provided for young scientists and scholars (younger than 33 years old) with outstanding research achievements. They can employ the funding flexibly on the moderate-funded basis to establish their own research groups for projects research in universities or other research institutions.

(3) Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Project: It provides 5-year funding for research projects, with the funding up to 3 million marks, known as the German Scientists Progress Award. Implemented since 1986, it’s aimed at improving the working conditions of scientists with outstanding research achievements, expanding their studying area while reinforcing their abilities to employ young assistants with higher level of scientific research, and ultimately making the conditions for scientific research in Germany more internationally competitive. The prize winners have a flexible charge over the use of project funds.

(4) Postdoctoral Project: Established by the DFG in l985, it’s dedicated to young post-doctors having great doctoral dissertation. Its objective is to provide safeguarding for post-doctors’ continuous basic research after they obtain doctorate degree, so as to further improve their scientific research abilities.

The number of post-doctors obtaining funding of the DFG directly from the Postdoctoral Project is relatively fewer, only 255 people in 1990, there are actually quite a few post-doctors (2,000 or so) that have obtained the funding directly or indirectly, as many of them are employed to participate in research projects applied for by German professors.

(5) Graduate Colleges Project: The DFG has established graduate schools (equivalent to mobile post-doctoral stations in China) in some universities since 1990. Its basic approach is that one or some departments in universities submit a project application of establishing graduate colleges concerning a particular research area to the DFG. Each graduate school may take 12 doctoral students and hire two post-doctors. Post-doctors have to complete research projects and train doctoral students. The long-term objective of the graduate colleges is to shorten the time of completing doctorate degree from 5 years to 3 years. The funding includes scholarships, materials fee, academics invitation fee and travelling expenditure, with an average amount of 0.37 million marks per year. 200 people had been funded by the end of 1992.

All the scholarships and projects established by the DFG are only available to German, but overseas students or scholars studying or working in Germany can apply for the participation in postdoctoral projects of graduate colleges in universities of Germany. In the meanwhile, German professors can employ overseas scholars in their research work after professors successfully obtain research projects. At present, there are many overseas scholars working in German graduate colleges and research projects funded by the DFG.

2. Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD)

Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst (DAAD), a non-official authority established by various universities in Germany, is aimed at enhancing outward liaison of universities in Germany and facilitating academic exchange and cooperation between Germany and the whole world. The main tasks of the DAAD are as follows:

(1) to provide scholarship for German and overseas students, trainees, young scholars and professors in the hope of promoting international exchanges in education and facilitating educational and scientific development;

(2) to recruit, arrange for, support young teachers teaching all subjects (including the German language and literature) in Germany to engage in short-term or long-term teaching work in foreign universities;

(3) to provide information about learning and research opportunities by distributing leaflets and brochures at home and abroad; to give oral or written reply to consultations put forward by individuals or institutions; to support scientific expeditions of scholars and student groups from Germany or foreign countries.

(4) to keep track of awarded overseas students through holding seminars, academic conferences and publishing publications.

Funding of the DAAD mainly comes from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, with an annual donation of 340 million marks and up to 5,000 people are funded each year.

Main projects of the DAAD are divided into two categories; one is projects for foreign people, the other being projects for Germany.

(1) Projects for Foreign People

a. Scholarship for students and young scholars

The DAAD provides the scholarship for overseas students and young scholars (younger than 32 years old) who meet certain conditions. The scholarship allows them to study or do research in universities of Germany, with initial term of one year and its amount depending on the researchers’ identities. If research projects the scholarship recipients engaged in needs to be extended for a longer time, then the scholarship may be extended, too.

Applications for the scholarship should be proposed to the DAAD by relevant organizations of the applicants’ own countries. The DAAD will announce the number of scholarship vacancies provided for every country and relevant application issues through German embassies/consulates and overseas offices of the DAAD. At present, the DAAD provides 40 vacancies for China and this is implemented by the State Education Commission. Besides, the DAAD conducted 3-year joint training projects with China before.

b. Funding that accessible to foreign scholars studying in Germany

The DAAD provides foreign scholars with expenditure for 3-month short visits for scientific research in Germany. There are about 15 to 20 Chinese scholars taking advantage of this funding to conduct collaborative research in Germany annually.

c. The DAAD provides foreign scholars with expenditure for their short visits in Germany for activities including gathering information for doctoral dissertation, attending summer courses or learning German language in the Goethe-Institut. It also provides funding to foreign academics or student groups for their visits in Germany in the hope of enhancing their understanding of Germany and knowing more about professional information they are interested in.

(2) Projects for the German

a. Scholarship for German students and young scholars

The DAAD grants German students and young scholars with short-term or one-year scholarship as their initial expenditure for studying in any countries in the world. Students or young scholars who are participating in special language and professional courses organized by some other European countries can also apply for this funding.

b. Overseas Joint Training (IAS)

Based on the negotiation with overseas universities, the IAS provides German students with expenditure for 1 to 2 semesters’ studying within some regulated fields in foreign counties. After students’ coming back, the courses they studied in foreign countries can become a part of degree courses in Germany which are fully recognized by their own schools.

c. Delegating young teachers

The DAAD delegates young German teachers to teach German language and literature in overseas universities.

d. International academic visits of German student groups

Staff of the DAAD will arrange German student groups to do academic visits abroad, which is a special service of cultural and academic exchanges.

3. Alexander von Humboldt-stifurg (AVH)

Established in 1860, the Alexander von Humboldt-stifurg (AVH) was suspended twice due to economy and war. It is aimed at providing research scholarships and research bonuses for academically outstanding foreign scientists, regardless of gender, race, religion and worldview, allowing them to engage in research projects and establish resulting academic links in Germany.

The AVH has annual amount of 87.5 million marks, of which 67% comes from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 20% from the Research and Technology Division, 5% from the Ministry of Education and Science, 3% from the Minister of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and 5% from donation from communities.

The main target of the AVH is foreign scholars, with the following five categories of funded projects.

(1) Research Scholarship for Foreign Scholars

Currently, the AVH annually provides scholarship for about 600 young foreign scholars who have doctorate degrees, academically excellent and younger than 40 years old, allowing them to do 1-year (they may re-apply for a year for good reasons) research work in Germany. So far, the AVH has provided funding for nearly 12,400 foreign scholars from more than 100 countries.

These scholarship applicants can submit application materials to the DAAD at any time and feel free to choose visiting research institutions and co-professors in Germany. Applicants can apply directly to the DAAD for research scholarships after the two sides reach an agreement and formulate a research plan. The Central Selection Committee, composed of 100 famous German scientists of various disciplines, will evaluate and select applicants three times per year, regardless of majors and countries, with the only criteria of scientific research and academic level based on published papers and publications. Scholars of natural sciences and engineering sciences as well as doctors shall have a good command of English at least; a good knowledge of German is required for scholars of the humanities.

The funding amount provided by the DAAD varies according to scholars’ ages and academic levels, with the monthly scholarship amount between 3,000 to 3,800 marks (tax-free). In addition, the DAAD is also responsible for the scholars’ international travelling expenditure, spouses and children's allowances as well as subsidies for attending academic conferences.

(2) Research Fellowship for Foreign Scientists

The DAAD annually grants research fellowship for relevant projects to 200 renowned foreign scientists who are internationally recognized, and invite them to conduct 4 to 12 months’ optional subjects’ research in German universities or research institutions, with prize amount of between 20,000 to 120,000 marks. Scholarship winners must be nominated by famous German scientists.

(3) Max Planck Award

The DAAD and the Max Planck Society together award 20 Marx Planck Cooperative Research Awards annually to 20 foreign or German scientists, with the funded research term of 3 years and the bonus up to 200,000 marks.

(4) German Scholars Research Scholarship (Feodor Runo Scholarship)

The DAAD’s Feodor Runo Scholarship provides funding for 200 German scholars having a doctorate degree and younger than 30 years old annually, allowing them to do 1 to 4 years’ scientific research work at foreign universities or research institutes, with amount of 2200 marks (tax-free) per month and international travelling and other expenses additionally funded.

(5) Other scholarships programs

The DAAD also manages other scholarships, such as the Federal Chancellor Scholarship, a special project that only 10 people awarded each year. It’s specifically granted to American scholars working in Germany in the long run, as these people may become leaders of scientific and technological circles, the economic circles, political circles and all sectors of the society in the U.S. in the future.

Given the structure of German organizations, it’s obvious to figure out that political circles, scientific and technological circles and business circles in Germany put much emphasis, concern and support on the cultivation of outstanding talents, as well as exchange and cooperation between German science and technology and the whole world. The aforesaid German organizations, especially the DAAD, boast distinguished practices in promoting international exchanges and cooperation in science and technology, which are worth learning from.