The DAAD: change by Exchange
Change by exchange is the motto of the DAAD
(Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst or German Academic Exchange Service). Exchange promotes understanding between countries and individuals and helps secure peace. New scientific findings enable us 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. We are an experienced intermediary between university systems and a worldwide network of external partners. We are also a German institution in Europe, which contributes to shaping the European Higher Education Area and the European Research Area and promotes European interests throughout the world. Furthermore, the DAAD is a professional organization which 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 its 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.
Our goals are 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, we aim 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, we want 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 could receive funding in 2016. Furthermore, there are currently 41 partnerships between German and Philippine universities, facilitating academic exchange between the two countries. Our 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.
The DAAD has also been supporting the University of the Philippines–Diliman for many years with a Lecturer position in the German Section of the Department of European Languages, the only Filipino Department offering a Bachelor of European Languages with a major in German.
The tasks of the DAAD-Lecturer also include representing German universities at higher education Fairs, organising alumni-events and offering free counselling sessions and advice on scholarships and studying in Germany in general.
For inquiries regarding the work of the DAAD, email the DAAD-Lecturer for the Philippines Katharina McGrath at daad.manila@gmail.com.