Frequently asked questions

All answers regarding a research stay at the Europa-Institut or the partner faculties

Since we unfortunately no longer receive funding for the SEE | EU Cluster of Excellence Scholarships from the DAAD as of 01.01.2022, but our network continues to exist, the scholarship modalities have changed. You can find more information in the FAQs or you can also write to us.

Information about the Scholarship

You have the opportunity to come to the Europa-Insitut with the help of the Leonhard-Euler Scholarship of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) funded by the German Foreign Office. The Leonhard-Euler-Program is addressed to doctoral students only. You have the opportunity to receive up to 1,300 euros funding for a period of 4 weeks. We issue a Call for Applications every year at the end of the year (November/December). 

Research Students for Master´s thesis or doctoral students as well as professors can also apply via the Erasmus+ program. In addition, there is funding from the DAAD specifically for visiting professors.  

The scholarship holders’ research proposals and topics for the research stay must be within the European and International Law area.

Research stays for Ph.D. candidates are foreseen for one month whereas research stays for professors are foreseen for 15 days.

No. No additional funds are available which could support longer research stays than the ones foreseen. Scholarship holders may extend their research stays on their own expenses if the capacity of the incoming institution allows it.

General Information on the Research Stay at the Europa-Institut of Saarland University

The library of the Europa-Institut, as a special library for literature in European and International Law, as well as the faculty library and the university library are equipped not only with German literature but also with a big collection of English books as well as with literature on many other foreign languages. We have access to the main databases and we participate in the inter-library loan so that we are able to get all necessary publications. The library of the Europa-Institut serves also as an official EDC (European Documentation Center) of the European Union. It contains over 60.000 printed resources and it is an up to date and a user friendly library. The literature is freely accessible and sorted systematically according to subject area in the Systematic Catalogue. The available books are listed in the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) of Saarland University and State Library. In addition to classic information sources, you will have access to the main legal online databases, e-books, library catalogues and master’ theses. Thus, even for the ones not speaking German a research stay at the Europa-Institut would be very valuable.

Furthermore, both the academic and administrative staff of the Europa-Institut is fluent in English. Therefore, there will be no communication obstacles.

At the beginning of your stay at the Europa-Institut you will be offered an introduction on the research facilities and research possibilities at the Europa-Institut and the Saarland University. Furthermore, you will be offered a campus-tour to find out places to drink coffee and eat. 

During your research stay a working place at the Europa-Institut will be secured for you either in one of the reading rooms or at one of the PCs in the library of the Europa-Institut. You will have access to the materials offered by the other libraries of the Saarland University as well, in case you would be interested in any of their materials.

At the very beginning of your stay, you will be introduced to the academic staff of the Institut so as to be enabled to exchange academically and personally during your research stay in Saarbrücken.

Furthermore, you may attend the lectures of the LL.M. programme offered at the Europa-Institut during your research stay if you are interested. Academic staff of the Institut encompasses very well renowned professors and practitioners from all over the world. The updated schedule of lectures is available under http://www.europainstitut.de/index.php?id=269&L=1

The library of the Europa-Institut as well as the libraries of the Faculty of Law and the State and University Library have facilities for both copying and scanning materials. Upon your arrival in Saarbrücken you will obtain a rechargeable card for the copying purposes. Scanning is free of charge at all the libraries.

Upon your arrival at the Europa-Institut you will obtain an identification enabling your own devices to connect to the campus internet provider. Furthermore, the library of the Europa-Institut has a computer area where you may use one of the available computers for your research.

Research stays at the Europa-Institut may be conducted throughout the year from 2nd/3rd week of January until 2nd/3rd week of December each year, depending on the capacities of the Institut. It is recommended to come for a research stay during the semester in order to benefit from the lectures of the LL.M. programme and the academic exchange among the staff and professors.

As already mentioned, all the available books you may use during your research stay are listed in the Online Public Access Catalogue (OPAC) of Saarland University and State Library. It is highly recommended, if you need a specific book for your research to check in advance in the OPAC catalogue (http://www.sulb.uni-saarland.de/en/suchen/opac-svk/) whether it is available at the Saarland University.

If the book you need is not available in OPAC, feel free to inform the project coordinators which book it is. That way the book could be pre-ordered through inter-library loan system from another German library and could be at your disposal at the beginning of your research stay already.

Organizational Issues Connected to my Research Stay at the Europa-Institut

Upon your arrival in Saarbrücken you will obtain the amount of your scholarship in cash. For EU-citizens also a bank transfer is possible.

Project coordinators of the Europa-Institut will assist you in finding accommodation in Saarbrücken and may as well help you while organizing your trip.

The coordinators of the Europa-Institut will try to help you arranging accommodation in university guest houses located around the city, as the most suitable and affordable option. For more info on accommodation in Univerisity’s guest houses click here: Info Sheet on University Guest Hauses

As further options consider following, however you would have to organize you accommodation there on your own, as we as a university cannot :

www.airbnb.com private accommodation offers

www.djh-info.de Europa-Jugendherberge (hostel)

www.ibis.com Ibis Budget Hotel

www.couchsurfing.org (private persons offering a couch to sleep over)

www.weller-hotel.de Private accommodation Weller

www.hotel-schlosskrug.de Hotel Schlosskrug

For sharing an apartment try:

www.wg-gesucht.de

www.studenten-wg.de

www.easywg.de

www.zwischenmiete.de

www.immonet.de

www.studenten-wohnung.de

www.studentenwohnungsmarkt.de

Europa-Institut is located at the campus of the Saarland University. The campus is situated in the forest and is a small “city” itself with coffee shops, supermarket, bookstore, fast food, bank, hairdresser etc.

In order to reach the university and the Europa-Institut you will have to use public transport.

Several tickets are available which enable you to use public transport within Saarbrücken: one-way ticket (Einzelfahrkarte – 2,60€), daily ticket for one person (Tageskarte – 5,70€), week ticket-valid from Monday to Monday 12h next week (Wochenkarte – 19,00€); month ticket-valid from 1st in the month until 1st next month (MOnatskarte – 61,20€). More about the tickets available in German and French under http://www.saarvv.de/tickets-und-preise.html?L=bqncdcsdzqouog.

If you have a student card from your home university, bring it with you as it will give you a discount.

Tickets for public transport may be purchased at the machines on each tram station or during the week at the office of the public transport service in Nassauer Strasse 2-4 https://www.google.de/maps/place/Saarbahn+Service+Center/@49.2355603,6.9938838,18z/data=!4m13!1m7!3m6!1s0x4795b6a7fdf4facb:0x991e5733fa4f03c5!2sDudweilerstra%C3%9Fe+7,+66111+Saarbr%C3%BCcken!3b1!8m2!3d49.2352941!4d6.9953524!3m4!1s0x4795b6a800ce81cd:0x9c9b885e532e5650!8m2!3d49.235205!4d6.9976613

In case you want to purchase any of the tickets at a machine, please follow the described procedure: first press the button choosing the type of the ticket you wish (weekly, month etc), afterwards fill in 111 as “Wabe” (it is the area of the validity of you ticket), afterwards put in the money

The campus has its own mensa with several different meals offered each day (also for vegetarians). Furthermore, there is a fast food, a coffee shop offering sandwiches and salads, as well as Ausländer Caffee, Juristen Caffee and Philo Caffee all offering warm meals on daily basis.