Visiting Scholar Research Stays (Self-Financed or Third-Party Financed) at Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL), Heidelberg, Germany (Rolling Applications)

The Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (MPIL) in Heidelberg, an Institute of the Max Planck Society, hosts visiting scholars from around the world. Scholars who are not applying for an Institute Grant, but 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 of the Institute.

During their stays, visiting scholars have a workspace in the Institute library and are invited to take part in the scholarly life of the Institute, including lectures and discussion groups.

Scholars at the Institute pursue research on basic issues and current developments in public international law, European Union law, and the constitutional and administrative law of individual states. The research project of a visiting researcher should align with the research fields of the Institute and its ongoing projects.

• Junior academics and doctoral students
• Post-docs and other scholars at an advanced stage of training
• Professors and senior scholars

The Institute states that numerous visiting scholars come from around the world; no nationality restriction is stated, so Indian scholars may apply. All documents must be uploaded in German or English as PDF files.

These stays are not funded by the Institute: they are self-financed (out of private savings) or financed by a third party, such as a mobility grant. No application fee is stated. Visiting scholars are not insured by the Institute and need health insurance conforming to German standards for the stay. Accommodation in Heidelberg must be arranged by the scholar; on request the Institute can send a list of guest houses in the area.

The Institute separately awards its own Institute Grants to foreign scholars for stays of up to six months; those grants are awarded in the summer for the following year and are a different programme from this one.

• A cover letter or motivation letter with information about the home institution and the planned research period at the 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 (name of the funding body and nature of the financing, for example a mobility grant), including any requirement of supervision at the host institute if that is a condition of funding
• A curriculum vitae in tabular form (personal information including language skills, highest academic degree and date of obtaining it, private address, home university and business address)
• A brief list of selected publications (1-2 pages)
• A short sketch of the proposed project (topic and title, project description and research plan, max. 4 pages)
• Junior academics (PhD candidates, doctoral students, etc.) must also submit two references, hand-signed and printed on headed paper, containing significant details about the applicant and the project (this does not apply to junior academics working at or assigned to other Max Planck Institutes)

All documents must be uploaded in German or English as PDF files. Only complete application packs, including reference letters where required, are accepted.

Applications are made only through the Institute's online application platform (Research Stay, self- or third-party financed). Documents sent separately by e-mail are not considered. This application route is only for a research stay at MPIL Heidelberg; applications for other Max Planck Institutes are not accepted through it.

There is no fixed closing date: requests may be made at any time. However, applications for a self-financed stay, or a third-party-funded stay with no supervision required, must reach the International Office at least six weeks, ideally eight weeks, before the planned research stay.

Where the formal invitation is needed as confirmation of research facilities for an application to a funding body (supervision required), the application must reach the International Office at least six weeks, ideally eight weeks, before the deadline set by the funding organisation.