The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is expanding scientific cooperation between Germany, France and Poland. With the new programme “Weimar Triangle Future Network: Science for Europe”, the DAAD is creating, for the first time, a trilateral platform for research and exchange within the Weimar Triangle region. The programme aims to strengthen cooperation between the three countries in key future-oriented fields and provide impetus for the further development of the European Research Area. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) is funding the programme with around 4.5 million euros until 2029. Applications are now being accepted.

“The diverse links between Germany, France and Poland within the Weimar Triangle are a central linchpin for cooperation within the European Union,” said DAAD President Joybrato Mukherjee. “With the Future Network, we are systematically expanding this cooperation and adding an additional scientific component. In doing so, we are also helping to strengthen the European Research Area in the face of geopolitical upheavals.”

A boost for expanding cooperation in the scientific field

With this programme, the DAAD is, for the first time, supplementing the Weimar Triangle’s political initiative – which has been in place since 1991 – with a structured platform for scientific cooperation. Funding is available for early-career researchers from Germany, France and Poland who are conducting joint research on future-oriented topics – including climate-neutral energy, artificial intelligence, digitalisation and the resilience of research systems. The programme is aimed at doctoral candidates | PhD students and postdocs in the early stages of their careers from Germany, France and Poland. Applications are now open. 

Two funding streams for mobility and networking

The new programme consists of two parts: the first comprises grants for early-career researchers conducting research on topics related to the High-Tech Agenda for Germany (HTAD). Funding is available for research stays at higher education institutions and non-university research institutions in Poland or France (from Germany) or in Germany (from France and Poland) lasting three to twelve months for doctoral candidates and seven to 24 months for postdocs. A total of around 120 grants are planned.

In the second part of the programme, the DAAD supports the establishment of a future-oriented scientific network within the Weimar Triangle. Researchers work together in working groups to develop interdisciplinary projects, thereby establishing or expanding long-term collaborations. In addition to DAAD grant holders in the new programme, grant holders from related programmes and DAAD alumni can also become part of the network. Networking takes place both in person and digitally via the DAAD-Humboldt Community. To strengthen and further develop the network, three international research forums are planned for the coming years: in Warsaw in 2027, in Paris in 2028 and in Germany in 2029. The DAAD offices in Warsaw and Paris support the programme.

Background

The Weimar Triangle

The Weimar Triangle (French: Triangle de Weimar, Polish: Trójkąt Weimarski) is a foreign policy consultation forum between Germany, France and Poland, founded in 1991. It dates back to a meeting in Weimar between the foreign ministers Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Roland Dumas and Krzysztof Skubiszewski and has since served to facilitate close coordination and cooperation between the three countries on European issues.
To mark the 35th anniversary of the agreement, the three partner countries signed a joint declaration of intent on 11 March in Genshagen regarding trilateral and European cooperation in research and innovation, with a view to deepening collaboration between Poland, France and Germany in the fields of scientific research and technological development.