More than one seventh of the DAAD’s programme funds are assigned to promoting German language, literature and area studies abroad. The range of programmes extends from the one-month university summer courses and schools in Germany via structured semester scholarships for foreign Germanists and standard one-year and doctoral scholarships right through to funding for institutional German studies partnerships with universities in Eastern Europe and establishing degree courses instructed in German in these countries.

In addition, the DAAD uses funds from the Federal Foreign Office to support "Centres for German and European Studies" at outstanding universities around the world with up to 250,000 euros per year. The financial support is based on the principle of cost-sharing with the respective partner institutions.

In terms of cultural and financial policy, the placement of Lektors takes pride of place among the DAAD’s German studies programmes. In 2003, the DAAD funded 569 Lektors in 87 countries, placing them in 457 Lektorships). The number of funded Lektors is higher than the number of Lektorships because each academic year sees outgoing Lektors replaced by incoming ones in around a quarter of all posts. Unfortunately, the tight financial situation meant that it was not possible to keep the number of appointed Lektorships at the level of earlier years (minus 4).

Distribution of DAAD Lektors at foreign universities in 2003, by region

Depending on the host university and region in question, the tasks and responsibilities performed by Lektors cover the following areas. Teaching German as a foreign language, organising events and courses on German studies and recent German and European history, offering courses and lectures on literary studies and linguistics, providing instruction on the didactics and methodology of foreign language teaching, examining students, contributing to the planning of degree programmes and the training of translators and interpreters, maintaining contacts with German organisations (DAAD, DFG, Goethe Institute, and others) and with Germany’s higher education institutions, advising on study opportunities in Germany and on possible sources of financial support, and (contributing to) organising cultural events, inside and outside their university.

As the internationalisation of Germany’s universities as well as their marketing activities have increased, advice on study opportunities and scholarships, programme work and cultural mediation activities have taken on a much more important role. This is why so-called DAAD Information Centres (ICs) have been established wherever demand is particularly great. Ideally, these centres are located at local Goethe Institutes, a model which has opened up additional forms of cooperation. There were 39 such Information Centres in the year under report.

Information and Advice Network 2003

The DAAD also provides subject support and specialist continuing training for Lektors not placed by the DAAD (so-called "local Lektors"). The "local Lektors" programme meanwhile addresses some 600 Lektors around the world.

The Lektor programme is complemented by the Language Assistants scholarship programme. This enables young graduates who studied German studies or German as a foreign language to work together with Lektors and so gain practical teaching experience and intercultural skills.

The DAAD President awarded the Jacob- und Wilhelm-Grimm Preis for the ninth time in the year under report. The 2003 award went to the Japanese Germanist and Goethe researcher, Professor Dr. Naoji Kimura, who has been outstanding in building cultural bridges between East Asia and Germany.

The prizewinner is co-editor of the Jahrbuch für internationale Germanistik, Vice-President of the Japanese Goethe Society and corresponding member of the Deutsche Akademie für Sprache und Dichtung.