Following the launch of the Global Minds Initiative (see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, April 2025, September 2025), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) has announced the selection of 20 higher education institutions for funding under its “Academic Horizons – Attracting Global Minds” programme. The initiative will run from May 2026 to December 2029 and is supported with approximately EUR 15 million in federal funding. 

The programme aims to strengthen Germany’s position as a destination for international master's students and PhD candidates, with a focus on early recruitment and long-term integration into the German research and labour market. Participating institutions will implement measures to recruit, support and train international young talent, particularly in fields aligned with national strategic priorities. 

Funded projects are closely linked to key areas of the German government’s high-tech agenda, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and climate-neutral mobility. Among the selected institutions, the University of Münster will expand its work in battery research, the Technical University of Berlin will strengthen its focus on biotechnology, and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich will further develop artificial intelligence applications in health sciences. 

The “Academic Horizons” programme forms a central component of the broader Global Minds Initiative, led by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space. It reflects ongoing efforts to enhance internationalisation in German higher education and to attract highly skilled talent in strategically important research areas. 

By supporting institutional strategies for recruitment and integration, the initiative is expected to contribute to long-term capacity building, while reinforcing Germany’s role in global academic cooperation. 

Read more here.