International Research Training Groups
International Research Training Groups provide opportunities for joint doctoral training programmes between German universities and universities abroad. The research and study programmes are jointly developed and supervised. Doctoral students in the programme complete a six-month research stay at the respective partner institution.
35 International Research Training Groups

Stand 11/2021
Information on Doctoral Training Programmes
The DFG has concluded agreements with a number of partner organisations to support cooperation and the submission of proposals. Information on doctoral training programmes offered in specific countries is available below.
- Link to pdf Brazil - Federal State of São Paulo (FAPESP) (PDF | 367 KB)
- Link to pdf Canada (NSERC) (PDF | 464 KB)
- Link to pdf Finland (AF) (PDF | 38 KB)
- Link to pdf Hungary (OTKA) (PDF | 43 KB)
- Link to pdf India (DBT) (PDF | 586 KB)
- Link to pdf India (DST) (PDF | 1,2 MB)
- Link to pdf India (UGC) (PDF | 372 KB)
- Link to pdf Japan (JSPS) (PDF | 210 KB)
- Link to pdf Mexico (CONACYT) (PDF | 136 KB)
- Link to pdf Russia (RFBR) (PDF | 535 KB)
- Link to pdf Republic of Korea (NRF) (PDF | 1,3 MB)
- Link to pdf South Africa (NRF) (PDF | 88 KB)
- Link to pdf Taiwan (NSC) (PDF | 231 KB)
- Link to pdf USA (NSF) (PDF | 410 KB)
Evaluation of International Research Training Groups
Established in 1997, International Research Training Groups (IRTGs) are programme variations on the Research Training Group offering research and training in association with a partner group in another country. In 2014, the Technopolis Forschungs- und Beratungsgesellschaft completed an evaluation of this programme variation. The study looks at the impact of IRTGs on internationalisation processes from three different perspectives: from the point of view of doctoral researchers, participating researchers in the German group and its international counterpart as well as the university that submitted the proposal.