Scholarship Opportunities in Germany

Adnan Ul-Hasan, DAAD PhD Scholarship Holder since 2010

Outline ● My introduction and a little bit about my research field

● Why choose Germany for higher studies?

● How to look for scholarship opportunities in Germany?

● DAAD scholarships - how to apply for them?

● Other scholarships at German universities

● How to contact German Professors?

● Q&A

I will finish my presentation first and will then take your questions. Please be patient, I’ll try to finish my presentation as quickly as possible without omitting necessary details, In sha Allah!

We have around 2 hours.

PROTOCOLS

About Me● Education:

○ B. Sc. in Electrical Engg. from UET Taxila (1998-2002)

○ M. Sc. in Systems Engg. from PIEAS (2002-2004) -- PAEC fellowship

○ PhD (2011-2015 (expected)) from TU Kaiserslautern, Germany -- DAAD scholarship

● Research interests:○ Urdu OCR, Human reading

psychology, Muslim parenting● Contact Info:

○ Email: adnan.ulhasan@gmail.com○ Phone: 0049-176-5642 5292○ G+: my gmail address ○ Facebook: Sorry, no profile!

Kaiserslautern

My research -- Document Image Analysis

● Conversion from Paper documents to digital documents

● Applications:○ Digital libraries○ Digitization of historical archives○ Maps digitization○ Google book project○ Understanding text in images

My research -- Document Image Analysis

● Research Opportunities○ Geometrical Analysis

■ Layout analysis - Prepare document for OCR■ Text recognition - My research field - Urdu OCR

○ Logical Analysis■ Semantic labeling■ Form analyses

○ Cursive texts, handwriting recognition, historical document processing, camera-captured documents

My research -- Document Image Analysis

● Underlying technologies○ Image Processing and Image Understanding○ Pattern analysis and recognition○ Machine learning○ Multimedia Information Retrieval○ Computer vision○ Statistics

Why choose Germany for Higher Studies?

● Low academic expenses (~200 Euros per semester)

● High quality education, esp. Mathematics, Physics, Engineering, Computer Science

● Job availability is higher as compared to some other European countries

● Part-time work is easy to find● Good incentives for highly-skilled persons

Some Caveats

● German language requirements● Strict rules ● High quality work expected● Submission of around 8,000 Euros before

getting visa in German bank (for private Masters students)

Some useful Resources to Find Scholarships

Social Media:● https://www.facebook.com/groups/scholarships.pk/● SAATFASE -- Yahoo groups● Pakistanischegemeinde -- Yahoo groups● Local Pakistani Student Associations (PSAs)

Internet:● www.google.com (Seriously, Google it!!!)● www.daad.de● http://www.research-in-germany.de/dachportal/en.html● https://www.study-in.de/en/● http://www.internationale-studierende.de/en/home/

Some tips to Seek Help

● Prerequisites○ Don’t be naive!○ Do your homework first○ Prepare your documents with your own brain

(nobody can spoonfeed you)● Ask questions AFTER fulfilling prerequisites,

not BEFORE that

What is DAAD?

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

“The DAAD is one of the world's largest and most respected intermediary organisations in its field.”

(Ref. http://ic.daad.de/islamabad/en/)

DAAD Scholarships for Pakistani students

● Attractive scholarships

● Competition is a bit less, but seats are also

limited (10-12)

How to apply for DAAD Scholarships

● Prepare your application as per instructions

● Give interview if short-listed

● Get your German Visa

● Pursue your education in Germany

How to apply for DAAD Scholarships

● Prepare your application as per instructions○ Fill the form*○ Write your research proposal *○ Contact potential supervisor and get LETTER OF

ACCEPTANCE○ Give IELTS/TOEFL○ Get your recommendation letters from your teachers

*Needed for first submission of application package

How to apply for DAAD Scholarships

● Prepare your application as per instructions● Give interview if short-listed

○ Prepare well for the interview. Professors from your field will be interviewing you

○ Don’t write stuff in your CV about which you can’t answer properly

○ Be patient and keep calm

How to apply for DAAD Scholarships

● Prepare your application as per instructions● Give interview if short-listed● Get your German Visa

○ Apply for German visa as soon as you get the final approval

● Pursue your education in Germany○ Welcome to Germany and pursue your academic

career with lots of zeal and enthusiasm

What else does Germany offer besides DAAD?

● Erasmus Mundus EU Programme● DFG (German Research Foundation) funded

projects● University’s own scholarship programmes● Industrial scholarship programmes● Project fundings in a particular Professor’s

group● University’s employee to conduct research

How to contact German Professors?

● Extremely busy people in Germany! ● Contact through their secretaries● Short and concise email● No grammatical mistakes or typos● Attach only one page or at maximum 2 page

CV and give links to your publications (if any)

● Do homework before sending emails (look at their websites, ongoing projects, etc.)

Q & A

Thanks for listening, now it’s your turn!