At the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, scholars pursue research relating to basic issues and current developments in the areas of public international law, European Union law, and the constitutional and administrative law of individual states, together with numerous visiting scholars from all over the world. In its fields, our library is the largest in Europe and one of the most comprehensive in the world.
Research Stay (self- or third-party financed)
Scholars who wish to spend time at the Institute at their own expense or on the basis of third-party financing, may at any time request permission to do so from one of the Directors. The research project of a visiting researcher should align to the research fields of the Institute and its ongoing projects.
Who can apply for a Research stay?
- Junior academics and doctoral students
- Post-docs and other scholars at an advanced stage of training
- professors and senior scholars
Application
A complete application must include the following documents:
- a cover letter/motivation letter indicating, inter alia, information about the home institution and the planned research period at the Max Planck Institute (concrete dates of arrival and departure DD-MM-YYYY)
- information about the form of funding (self-financed out of private savings or financed by a third party providing the name of funding body and the nature of the financing - e.g. mobility grant - including the requirement of supervision at the host institute, if this is a condition of funding)
- a curriculum vitae in tabular form (with personal information incl. language skills, highest academic degree and date of obtaining this degree, private [residential] address, home university and business address)
- a brief list of selected publications (1-2 pages)
- a short sketch of the proposed project (topic and project title, project description and research plan, max. 4 pages)
- additionally, junior academics (PhD candidates, doctoral students, etc.) must submit two references hand-signed and printed on headed paper containing significant details about the applicant and the project. This regulation does not apply to junior academics working at or assigned to other Max Planck Institutes.
It is mandatory to upload the documents in German or English language as pdf files in the online-application. Please note that only complete application packs including reference letters (applies to junior academics only) will be accepted. To guarantee equal opportunities, documents sent by e-mail separately cannot be taken into consideration.
For your information: With this online-application you can only apply for a research stay at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law.
Applications to visit other Max Planck institutes cannot be accepted here!
Deadlines
- Applications for a self-financed research stay or for a research visit with third-party funding (no supervision required) must be received by the International Office at least six weeks, ideally eight weeks, before the planned research stay.
- Applications for a third-party-funded research stay (supervision required), where the formal invitation also serves as confirmation of research facilities when applying with the funding party, must be received by the International Office at least six weeks, ideally eight weeks, before the deadline set by the funding organization.
Language knowledge
The required level of German language proficiency depends above all on the planned research. In any case, a sufficient knowledge of German or English to allow for integration into the Institute community is assumed.
Accommodation
Please arrange for accommodation in a timely manner before your arrival. Housing in Heidelberg is in short supply and also rather expensive. It can be difficult to find a furnished room even for just a few months. If desired, we will send you a list of guest houses in the area. We kindly ask that you book accommodations yourself.
Further Questions?
For additional information about the research stay, please contact Christa Stadler (internationalofficer@mpil.de).