Franco-German Day 2022: two webinars on the added value of a French-German profile and the mechanisms for funding bilateral cooperation in higher education and research

To celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the Elysée Treaty, the University of Bayreuth’s Gateway Office organised two webinars to promote French-German training and cooperation.

1/ What is the added value of a French-German experience for career development and how can it be valorised?

These are the questions that our speakers, Prof. Doevenspeck, Odile Pellier and Pamela Stenzel, shed light on on Monday 24 January during the first zoom session, introduced by Mrs. Zeigler, German Consul General in Bordeaux.

Zoom session, 24th of January 2022

It is interesting to note that all of them have a broad experience in a French-German context: learning French in French-speaking Africa, starting a career in a French environment but with German as a differentiating asset, developing consultancy activities in Africa on the basis of French-German expertise.

Joining a French-German double degree programme or experiencing a French-German mobility allows you to develop skills that 'non-mobile' candidates do not have. It is these skills and behaviours that are particularly sought after on the job market. Among those mentioned by the speakers: flexibility, organisational skills, academic curiosity, ability to adapt and work in a team, a very strong motivation, greater maturity, etc.

They all stressed that this experience was much more than simply strengthening their language skills. It is also the ability to look at issues and interpersonal relationships in a different way, which can be used in any context.

In the end, there are few differences in the way an interview is conducted in France and in Germany. What is important is to be able to give concrete illustrations of what you have experienced and it is on the basis of these elements that the recruiter will be able to evaluate the candidate's potential.

To conclude, French-German profiles are real assets for organisations, whatever the context in which they operate, because they have the ability to act as a bridge between different national or sectoral cultures.

2/ Funding schemes for French-German mobility and research projects

To encourage project leaders to develop cooperation and promote student or doctoral mobility, we invited three structures that finance French-German projects:

• Axel Honsdorf, Director of BayFrance

• Eva-Maria Hengsbach, deputy head of the department "Integrated courses and doctoral training" at the French-German University

• Dr. Julie Sissia, in charge of the French-German ANR-DFH call for projects for Humanities and Social Sciences at the French Research Funding Agency ANR

Zoom session, 26th of January 2022

BayFrance

• Individual grant for a stay in France or in Bavaria, for students and doctoral students of all levels

• Amount: 500€ in one go, plus up to 450€ for travel expenses

• Possibility to follow language courses before the mobility, via the online programme of the LMU

• Application deadlines: 15 April and 15 November

French-German University

1. Cotutelles de thèse

   • 4.000€ (paid in two instalments) and 1.000€ for the defence costs

   • Permanent call
     
     

2. French-German Doctoral Colleges

   • Application deadline: 31.10

   • Duration of funding: 4 years (with possible extension)

   • Amount: 12.000€ (operating costs), 5.000€ (development of a disciplinary network), mobility grants (600€/month for max. 18 months per PhD student)

3. PhD Track (Master + PhD)

   • Possibility to integrate a third country

   • Application deadline: 31.10

   • Duration of funding: 5 years

   • Amount: 20.000€ (running costs), 10.000€ (communication expenses), mobility grants (300€/month for Master students, 600€/month for PhD students)
     
     

4. Scientific events

   • Workshops, summer schools…

   • Application deadlines: 15.03, 15.06, 15.10

   • Open call + 2 thematic calls (rare disciplines, planetary health)

   • Amount: max. 15.000€

   • Event duration: 2 days - 4 weeks

ANR-DFG Call for Humanities and Social Sciences

(The anniversary conference will take place in Paris on 15 June 2022)

• Call open to all disciplines in the Humanities and Social Sciences, the research subject does not have to be French-German

• All researchers, including postdocs, can submit a project

• Collaborative project between a French and a German team, French-German added value for the project

• Application deadline: 17.03.2022 (joint submission on ANR for the French team and DFG for the German team)

The session was recorded and is available on the Gateway Office Youtube channel.