The Department of Foreign and International Social Law offers scholars a limited number of guest workplaces to engage in research projects on subjects relating to comparative social law and social policy, as well as international and European social security law.

Visiting scholars with external funding (scholarships from other research institutions, political foundations, etc.) are expressly welcome at the Institute. As far as capacity allows, the Institute will provide them with a PC workstation with internet access and a telephone connection. Interested parties are requested to apply informally for a guest workstatio, ideally three to six months in advance. The application should include the following documents:

• Cover letter explaining the reasons for the research stay
• Curriculum vitae in tabular form
• List of publications
• Outline of the research project

Please address your cover letter to Prof. Dr. Becker and send the complete documents to guests (at) mpisoc.mpg.de.

On a limited scale, research grants funded by the Max Planck Society (MPS) are available; these are usually awarded for stays of between two and four months. Shorter or longer stays are possible. Preference is given to the research projects of outstanding junior scholars, i.e. younger university graduates prior to or after attainment of their doctorate degrees, as well as university lecturers whose field of study lies within the scope of the research interests of the Institute. The grant amount is dependent on attained academic qualifications and previous research experience. Please note that the scholarship of the MPS cannot be combined with another one. If guest researchers already receive a scholarship, grant or salary during their stay at our Institute, they cannot apply for the MPS fellowship programme.

Applications for grants must be submitted to Prof. Dr. Ulrich Becker in writing. The informal application should include the following particulars: academic training and activity, current position, important publications, subject of the envisaged research project, language skills, desired duration of stay, as well as two letters of recommendation.

Knowledge of the German (also the English or French) language is desirable in order to facilitate scientific exchange and integration into the Institute.

Guests are invited to participate in the meetings and lectures of the Institute. Invitations will be sent by email. If a research stay exceeds one month, the guest will be asked to deliver a short lecture on his or her work.

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