Scholarship Open Call
Travel grant and German language course

Application Deadline: 6th January 2024
Scholarship Dates: Flexible from 1st March – 1st December 2024
Location: Berlin, Bonn, Bremen, Dresden, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Freiburg, Göttingen, Hamburg, Mannheim, München, Schwäbisch Hall (upon availability)

In India, if you know the name ‘Max Mueller’, chances are likely that you relate it to Max Mueller Bhavan, globally known as Goethe-Institut. But who was Friedrich Max Mueller? What was his connection to the Subcontinent? Why are the Goethe-Institut’s in India named after him?

The German Indologist and Sanskrit scholar Max Mueller, in his spiritual, romantic, and philosophical quest, traced the common roots of Indo-European civilizations to the ancient Vedic culture of India. Please listen to our new podcast series to learn more about him and his role in Indo-European relations here.

Happy Birthday Max!
We are celebrating the 200th birthday of Max Mueller and are offering a birthday present to YOU! We believe in the importance of professional and creative exchange between India and Germany with its power to open new horizons, create professional networks, inspire ideas, and even projects. Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan is therefore offering you a ticket to a German language course and the cultural scene in Germany.

Right after the language course, you can dive into the local cultural scene. Depending on your interest, we are happy to support you with networking with the cultural scene, related to your interest. You can go to festivals and cultural events, meet experts and fellow colleagues, research and present ideas, and even work on individual or cooperative projects.

What we cover

• Language course in Germany
• Travel costs
• Accommodation and food
• A lump sum for tickets to events
• Medical insurance

If this sounds interesting, read the application guidelines!
 

Please submit your application in English. Any application in other languages cannot be considered.

• Participate in a German language course between March and December 2024, according to your language level, in one of the cities mentioned. You can also start with a course for beginners
• Dive into the local cultural scene
• Present your work, do research, attend festivals or conferences and network, etc.
• Or something else that will contribute to your professional advancement in the cultural field

Art and cultural practitioners that:

• Are between 18 and 35 years old
• Legal residents in India who are eligible to travel
• Have resided in India for the last 5 years
• Have a biometric passport
• Art and cultural practitioners, including:

1. Art managers, curators, cultural operators, experts, researchers, and entrepreneurs in the fields of music, theatre, dance, film, design, fashion, visual arts and photography, audiovisual arts, crafts, art market, museums, galleries, libraries, publishing and literature, festivals, creative hubs, cultural heritage, archives, restoration and conservation, etc.
2. Artists and creative professionals working in the fields of music, theatre, dance, film, and other performing arts, visual arts and photography, audiovisual arts, crafts, sculpture, media art, conceptual art, and literature, etc.

Anytime between 01st of March and 01st of December 2024, depending on the language course you have chosen. The trip can last between two weeks or up to 28 days.

• We will cover the travel expenses (including return flight ticket to and from Germany in economy class, local travel in Germany - public transport only, insurance)
• two or three week language course at one of the Goethe-Instituts in Germany
• A lump sum for food during the language course
• Accommodation during the language course
• You will receive a lump sum of 300 EUR for travel within Germany and for entry tickets to events, festivals, etc.
• We strongly encourage people with disabilities to apply. If you are unsure if your disability can be accommodated, please contact us. We will work with our colleagues in Germany and try to make it possible.

Your application will go through two stages of assessment. It will first be reviewed technically to confirm that it includes answers to all questions in the application. The second stage is expert evaluation, where if your application has passed the technical review, the Programme department of the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan will evaluate it according to the selection criteria.

Motivation

• What is the personal and professional motivation of the applicant?
• How clear and realistic are the purpose and expected results?

Professional relevance

• How is the language course and travel related to the applicant’s professional activity?
• How relevant is the language course and travel for the professional development of the applicant?
• Do the language course and the travel correspond to the applicant’s professional experience?
• Plan
• Is the individual plan clearly defined and realistic?

Long-term results

• Does the applicant plan to share new experience with his/her cultural sector in India?
• Does the applicant have a post travel action plan?

Affinity with Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan goals: What we stand for - Sprache. Kultur. Deutschland. - Goethe-Institut

• Does the plan correspond to the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan tasks and goals: to encourage professional and creative exchange between art and cultural practitioners from India and Germany?
• Special weightage will be given to projects that tackle our key areas of interest in the field of culture:

1. Ecological sustainability 
2. Inclusive cultural practice  
3. Exploration of feminist and queer practices
4. Questions of decoloniality
5. Digital innovation
6. Memory cultures

• Your application will be assessed, and the grantee will be announced on 1st February 2024.
• You will receive the results of the assessment via return email.
• If your application is successful, we will contact you with a request to provide the necessary documents/information for the preparation of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
• Have a safe and inspiring trip!

Unfortunately, not all applicants will be successful. This scholarship will be granted to one recipient. However, if you are unsuccessful, we regularly update our website with information about open calls and welcome you to apply for other programmes that may be of interest.

You will have to provide a narrative report about your residency within 30 days after the end of the programme. Please amplify the report using links to publications, photos, and other materials created during the residency.