The DAAD: Change by exchange
“Change by exchange” is the motto of the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). Exchange promotes understanding between countries and individuals and helps secure the peace. New scientific findings enable it to meet global challenges. Cooperation contributes to political and social progress.
The DAAD is the independent organization of German higher education institutions and their student bodies, devoted to internationalizing the academic system. It is an experienced intermediary between university systems and a worldwide network of external partners and a German institution in Europe. The DAAD contributes to shaping the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area and promotes European interests throughout the world. Furthermore, as a professional organization the DAAD fully supports and relies on its employees, whose competence and international expertise are vital to its operation.
The DAAD’s objective is to promote academic exchange through our key strategic areas, which are Scholarships for the Best, Structures for Internationalization, and Expertise for Academic Collaborations.
Scholarships for the Best stands for supporting students and researchers in Germany and abroad who have demonstrated outstanding academic merit and wish to assume responsibility. Within the strategic area of Structures for Internationalization, the aim is to create university structures, which promote international qualification, mobility and dialogue, and thereby improve the quality of research and instruction. Providing Expertise for Academic Collaborations includes making our expertise in educational cultures and academic systems available in order to facilitate collaboration between academics and institutions, therefore furthering academic exchange between countries and universities.
The DAAD seeks to educate future leaders, who are connected internationally and act in a globally responsible manner, as well as to provide access to the best study and research opportunities available, thereby strengthening the quality and competitiveness of the universities. Furthermore, it aims to meet the challenges of the future through the vibrant exchange between academic systems and help developing countries establish effective university systems which, in turn, promote social, economic and political development. Additionally, it wants to assist in bridging divides and lines of conflict and encourage open dialogue between cultures, while at the same time stimulate interest in Germany, its culture and language and preserve language diversity in research and academia.
Through DAAD-supported projects and scholarships, 124 Filipinos and Filipinas have received funding in 2017. Furthermore, there are currently 41 partnerships between German and Filipino universities, facilitating academic exchange between the two countries. DAAD alumni are well taken care of, with regular alumni events being organized in cooperation with other German partners and the possibility of research support after returning to the Philippines.