In addition to regular DAAD scholarship programmes a number of special scholarships and research grants are being offerd to applicants from India, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka. These scholarships are funded by the German Foreign Office. Their aim is to contribute to the international efforts to help the regions affected by the Tsunami of December 2004 in the long run. Graduates, PhD-candidates and researchers in fields like geology, disaster prevention, regional planning, ecology and in various other subjects can apply for short-term research grants, a doctorate in the home country with a "sandwich“ component in Germany or a full doctorate or Master´s degree in Germany.