Deadline: 28-Nov-2025
The National Science Foundation is seeking applications for its Project Based Personnel Exchange Programme to strengthen the collaboration between Sri Lankan and German research groups, which are working jointly on a particular scientific research project with any other source of funds.
Sri Lankan applicants must reach an agreement with a local industrial partner before applying. The industry partner must commit to providing a total of Euro 6,000 for two years and submit a written statement explaining how this investment benefits their R&D and industrial needs.
Funding support from Sri Lanka covers exchange visits to partner institutions, including expenses related to travel, accommodation, meals, and domestic travel during the project collaboration. Scientists may stay up to 30 days per visit per year, while doctoral students may stay up to 50 days per visit per year. A maximum of four visits by Sri Lankan participants can be funded, limited to one visit per researcher per year.
Projects already funded under other Sri Lankan-German cooperation programmes involving personnel exchange, pure skill enhancement projects, multilateral collaborations, language courses, individual scholarships, and expenses such as computing time, materials, or conference participation will not be funded.
The funds are strictly for project participants listed in the official project statement. The DAAD supports the German participants’ international travel and stay through lump-sum payments. Costs exceeding the funding scope, such as equipment, consumables, documentation, and personnel costs, must be borne by the respective institutions.
The programme requires a concrete and precise scientific research project proposal of high quality, jointly developed by academics and researchers from both countries. Each research group should include a project leader and up to two doctoral or post-doctoral researchers, with a maximum of three participants from each side. Basic project funding must already be secured through own or third-party sources.
Applications are considered only when parallel submissions are made by both Sri Lankan and German partners to their respective funding bodies, NSF and DAAD. The proposal must clearly define the tasks undertaken by each side and the scientific content must be common. Each project runs for a maximum of two years, and no follow-up applications are permitted.
The programme is open to scientists, researchers, university academics, post-doctoral fellows, doctoral students, and industrial researchers. Eligible applicants include university academics, scientists, and post-doctoral researchers from German and Sri Lankan universities, as well as individuals in permanent positions within privately funded research industries.
A key requirement is the inclusion of young “early career researchers,” defined as PhD students enrolled at participating institutions, researchers who obtained their PhD or Research Master’s degree within the past five years, or those who earned their degree earlier but, due to career breaks such as caregiving responsibilities, have less than five cumulative years of research experience. Proposals that do not include early career researchers from both sides will not be considered.
The proposed research should align with Sri Lanka’s national high-priority concerns mentioned in policy documents such as the Public Investment Programme, National Development Policy Framework, R&D Policy Framework, and Integrated Rural Development Framework.
Projects will be evaluated jointly by NSF and DAAD based on alignment with national priorities and industrial needs, qualifications and experience of research teams, project plan, originality and innovation, social and developmental value, collaborative purpose, exploitation and dissemination of results, and contribution to fostering early career researchers.
Applicants must attach the full research proposal, approved budget, timeline, funding agreement, detailed project statement, and an industrial partner’s letter of consent with the application. After each visit, researchers are required to submit a report to NSF and the Sri Lankan funder within one month, detailing activities carried out, complementarity with the German collaborators, and the practical implementation of acquired knowledge and skills in industry and research.
The closing date for applications is 28th November, 2025.
For more information, visit NSF.
