Unveiling the RISE Germany Internship Program: A Comprehensive Guide

The RISE (Research Internships in Science and Engineering) Germany program, administered by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), presents a remarkable opportunity for undergraduate students from the United States, Canada, the UK, and Ireland to engage in cutting-edge research at top German universities and research institutions. This comprehensive guide delves into the program's details, covering its objectives, eligibility criteria, application process, and benefits.

What is RISE Germany?

RISE stands for Research Internships in Science and Engineering. It is a summer internship program in Germany for undergraduate students from the United States, Canada and the UK in the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences and engineering. The DAAD RISE program offers undergraduates from North America, Great Britain, and Ireland summer research internships at top German universities and research institutions.

The program is funded by the German Federal Foreign Office. RISE offers unique opportunities for Bachelor students from North American, British and Irish universities the opportunity to work with research groups at universities and top research institutions across Germany for a period of 2 to 3 months during the summer.

Program Objectives

The RISE Germany program aims to:

Provide undergraduate students with invaluable research experience in their field of study.
Foster international collaboration and exchange in science and engineering.
Promote Germany as a leading destination for research and innovation.
Encourage students to pursue advanced studies and careers in STEM fields.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for the RISE Germany program, applicants must:

Be currently enrolled at a four-year university in the United States as a full-time student in the field of biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences or engineering (or a closely related field).
Be an undergraduate who will have completed at least 2 years of a degree program by the time of the internship placement.
Be a full-time student in biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, computer science, engineering (or a closely related field).
Applicants must have completed at least two years of a degree program by the start of the RISE Germany internship placement.
Be a student studying: biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, earth sciences or engineering.
Citizen, Non-US Citizen, DACA Recipient

Fields of Study

DAAD RISE applicants must be a student studying: biology, chemistry, computer science, physics, earth sciences or engineering. The program matches students with a host university or institute according to their area of interest (biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, engineering, or a closely related field).

Internship Details

Time Frame: Summer. RISE offers unique opportunities for Bachelor students to work with research groups at universities and top research institutions across Germany for a period of 2 to 3 months during the summer.
Location: Varies (within Germany). Humboldt University of Berlin is one of several top German universities or research institutions that will host University of Rochester undergraduate students taking part in this summer’s DAAD RISE internship program.
Working Language: The working language will generally be English. IMPORTANT: German language skills are NOT required for most positions but would be helpful to manage everyday life outside of the laboratory. German is not required, as the working language will be in English. However, your daily and social life will benefit from knowing some German, and we recommend taking German 1 or higher (if placed) prior to applying.
Mentorship: RISE interns are matched with doctoral students and researchers whom they assist and who serve as their mentors. In their internships, students are carefully matched with doctoral students who serve as their mentors. RISE interns are matched with doctoral students whom they assist and who serve as their mentors.

Financial Support and Accommodation

Award Amount: The monthly DAAD scholarship rate amounts to 934 Euros. The scholarship is meant to cover living expenses such as housing and food. In addition, all scholarship holders are invited to a paid-for three-day meeting in Heidelberg in early July. All participants of the scholarship holder meeting will receive an allowance of 160 Euros for travel. The DAAD provides a monthly stipend for three months to help cover living expenses. Interns will receive a monthly scholarship of 992 Euros.
Insurance: DAAD provides health insurance, accident and personal liability insurance. The award also includes health insurance as well as accident and personal liability insurance, issued directly through the DAAD insurance office.
Housing: Host universities, universities of applied sciences (UAS) and institutes provide housing assistance. Host universities and institutes provide housing assistance and match students with Ph.D. The host institution offers housing assistance and match students with Ph.D. student mentors or researchers. All participants receive stipends from DAAD to help cover living expenses, and the partner universities and research institutions provide housing assistance.
Additional Costs: Successful applicants shoulder the cost of the flight or seek out assistance on campus independently.

Application Process

The application is submitted completely online through the RISE database.

If you are interested in participating, the first step for you is to register and to login to access the internship database, starting October 15, 2025.
Then fill in the online application form and upload all necessary documents.
Please check the list of application documents you must submit at the Application portal.
Note: applicants must request an enrollment confirmation from the University Registrar, which is provided by the National Student Clearninghouse.
You will also need a recommendation from a faculty member in your field at the University of Chicago.

Application and Deadlines

National Deadline: Applications due November 30, 2023; Letters of References due December 15, 2023. The DAAD Rise deadline for Summer 2026 is 11/30/25. The Pitt application deadline is 11/24/25. The internship database is open between October 15 and November 30, 2025. Application materials are due by November 30, 2025, Central European Time. You can’t move forward without completing both applications by their respective deadlines. Reach out to your Pitt GEO Advisor with any questions. Please note that Pitt's application deadline is NOT the same as the DAAD RISE deadline.

Selection Criteria

Each lab or research supervisor may specify their own requirements, with selection typically related to applicant's prior academic and research experiences, as well as reasons for wanting to pursue the research opportunity in question.

German Language Skills

German language skills are not required for most positions but would be helpful to manage everyday life outside of the laboratory. IMPORTANT: German language skills are NOT required for most positions but would be helpful to manage everyday life outside of the laboratory. German is not required, as the working language will be in English. However, your daily and social life will benefit from knowing some German, and we recommend taking German 1 or higher (if placed) prior to applying.

Read also: High Rise 5 Overview

RISE Professional

This program offers summer research internships in Germany to master’s and PhD students from the US, Canada, Great Britain or Ireland, at companies and non-university research institutions with strong relations to industry.

RISE Program Benefits

Research Experience: Gain hands-on research experience in your field of study.
Cultural Immersion: Immerse yourself in German culture and society.
Networking: Build connections with German researchers and students.
Career Advancement: Enhance your resume and increase your career prospects.
Personal Growth: Develop independence, adaptability, and problem-solving skills.

University of Rochester and DAAD RISE

University of Rochester undergraduates regularly number among those selected to participate in the DAAD RISE summer research program in Germany. Learn more about DAAD RISE and other fellowship, scholarship, and award opportunities available to Rochester students. Students interested in applying should still work with ONSA's DAAD-RISE advisor, Catherine Salgado, despite the direct application process.

Recent DAAD RISE Recipients from the University of Rochester:

Marlena Berger ’27 Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Electrical Information, Clausthal-Zellerfeld Area of study: Optical engineering (BS) The Rochester, New York resident will work on a project called "Optimization of an Optical System for Long-Distance Light Focusing Using a Telescope.”
Erhan Ertekin ’26 Technical University of Munich, Chemistry Department, Garching Area of study: Chemistry (BS) Ertekin, from Sütlüce, Cypress, will complete a research project titled "Chromophore Activation by Lewis Acid Coordination - Application of New Arene Chromophores in Photoreactions.”
Leo Liang ’26 Technical University of Dortmund, Dortmund Areas of study: Applied math and computer science (BS) Liang will work on a research project titled “Optimization and learning in AI-powered warehouse automation.”
Lily Matt ’26 University of Hamburg, Institute of Geology, Hamburg Area of study: Environmental science (BS) Matt, from Santa Barbara, California, will work on a project titled "Using microfossils to quantify marine ecosystem collapse during the Permo-Triassic climate crisis".
Katherine Neyland ’26 Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg Institute for Biology, Freiburg Area of study: Biochemistry (BS) Neyland is from Brighton, New York, and will be completing a project titled “Early determinants of heterocyst differentiation in multicellular cyanobacteria.”
Misha Parikh ’27 European Forest Institute, Resilience Program-Biodiversity team, Bonn Area of study: Computational biology (BS) The Clifton, New Jersey, resident will work on a project titled "Rewilding mammals in Europe: Analyzing wildlife camera trap data and collecting data for modelling species distributions."
Ngoc Mai Pham ’27 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering faculty, Karlsruhe Area of study: Data science (BS)
Hanna Wang ’26 University of Duisburg-Essen, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Essen Area of study: Molecular genetics (BS) The Acton, Massachusetts, resident will work on a project focused on preclinical cancer theranostics.

2024 Recipients:

Robert Ghetiu ’26 Clausthal Technical University in Clausthal-Zellerfeld Area of study: Chemistry (BS)
Emerson Jenen ’26 Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön Area of study: Molecular genetics (BS)
Daniel Kesler ’25 Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Karlsruhe Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Priscilla Peters ’25 Westphalian University of Münster in Münster Areas of study: Health, behavior, and society and chemistry (BA)
Jensen Sminchak ’26 Ulm University in Ulm Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)

2023 Recipients:

Adarsh Mavathaveedu ’24 University: Julius Maximilian University in Würzburg Area of study: Neuroscience (BS)
Xijue “Jade” Wu ’23, ’24 (T5) University: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology Areas of study: Chemistry (BS), music (BA)

2021 Recipients:

Note: In 2021, some students offered research positions were unable to participate due to COVID-19 restrictions, while others completed their projects remotely.

Jenna Diamico ’22 University: Forschungszentrum Jülich (Remote) Area of study: Geomechanics (BS) Minor: Sustainability
Befikadu Mekonnen ’22 University: Friedrich-Schiller Universität Jena Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Thien Hung Nguyen ’21, ’22 (T5) University: Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH (remote) Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Hristijan Stojkovic ’23 University: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin Area of study: Optical engineering (BS) (Remote)
Navya Uberoi ’22 University: Technische Universität Dortmund (Remote) Area of study: Physics and astronomy (BS)

2021 Scholars-Elect

Abdelraham Nahar ’22 Area if study: Mechanical engineering (BS) Minor: Japanese
Priscila Passerotti Vaciski Barbos ’22 Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS) Minor: Business and chemical engineering

2020 Recipients

Note: The 2020 program was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and some students worked remotely.

Karim Abdelmaqsoud ’22 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Mauricio Araiza Canizales ’22 University: Sulzbach-Rosenberg Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Andrew Balogh ’21 University: Wilhelmshaven* Area of study: Electrical and computer engineering (BS)
Ognjen Bosic ’22 University: Wolfsburg Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
Anis Idrizovic ’22 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Optical engineering (BS)
Hana Kalco ’22 Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Eli Kosson ’22 University: Braunschweig Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Sufian Mushtaq ’22 University: Kassel Area of study: Computer science (BS)
Thien Hung Nguyen ’21 University: Jülich Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Edmund Sepeku ’22 Area of study: Physics (BA)
Joshua Sobel ’21 University: Saarbrücken Area of study: Computer science (BS) and mathematics (BA)
Navya Uberoi ’22 University: Dortmund Area of study: Physics and astronomy (BS)
Jiayin Zhang ’21 University: Hamburg Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
Sylvia Zhong ’21 University: Würzburg Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)

2019 Recipients

Melissa Chang ’20 University: Paderborn Area of study: Neuroscience (BS) and psychology (BA)
Jack Dalton ’20 University: Neustrelitz Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS) Minor: Computer science
Nivedita Iyer ’21 University: Erlangen Area of study: Biochemistry (BS)
Bartlomiej Jezierski ’21 University: Konstanz Area of study: Computer science (BS)
Kimberly Llajaruna Peralta ’20 University: Karlsruhe Areas of study: Mechanical engineering (BS) and studio arts (BA)
Renee Niles ’19 University: Hannover Area of study: Chemistry (BS)
Patrick Phillips ’21 University: Hamburg Areas of study: Computer science (BS) and engineering science (BA)
Stephen Savchik ’20 University: Potsdam Area of study: Data science (BS) Minors: German, music, and linguistics
Aman Shrestha ’21 University: Saarbücken Area of study: Computer science (BS)
Leonor Teles ’21 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS) Minor: Chemical engineering
Jisoo Woo ’20 University: Ulm Area of study: Chemistry (BS)
Bryce Yahn ’20 University: Berlin Area of study: Brain and cognitive sciences (BS) Minor: Mathematics

2018 Recipients

Diwas Gautam ’20 University: Hannover Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
Collin R. Gwilt ’20 University: Hamburg-Eppendorf Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Muhammad Hadi ’19 University: Hamburg Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
Carley S. Haft ’19 University: Berlin Areas of study: Health, behavior, and society (BA) and biology (BA)
Shemmar F. Jackson ’20 University: Dortmund Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
Megan G. Kice ’20 University: Leipzig Area of study: Microbiology (BS)
Yunke “Claudia” Ren ’20 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Adina Ripin ’20 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Physics (BS)
Erin G. Sumfleth ’20 University: Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen Area of study: Optical engineering (BS)
Lauren C. Testa ’20 University: Tübingen Area of study: Molecular genetics (BS) Minor: Spanish
Aime Laurent Twizerimana ’20 University: Jülich Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Isaac Wong ’19 University: Berlin Areas of study: Computational biology (BS) computer science (BA)
Sifan Ye ’20 University: Saarbrucken Area of study: Computer science (BS)
Victor Z. Zhang ’19 University: Stuttgart Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS) Minor: Clinical psychology
Dingzhe Zheng ’19 University: Giessen Area of study: Optical engineering (BS)

2018 Scholar-Elect

Javon J. Walker ’19 (declined) Area of study: Electrical and computer engineering (BS)

2017 Recipients

Rachel A. Clune ’18 University: Darmstadt Areas of study: Chemistry (BS) and applied math (BA)
Lei Ding ’18 University: Jena Area of study: Optical engineering (BS)
Rui Gao ’18 Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Zunran Guo ’17 University: Göttingen Area of study: Applied math (BS) and physics (BS)
Weidi Liu ’18 University: Hamburg Area of study: Optical engineering (BS)
Stephanie S. Viteri ’18 University: Erlangen Area of study: Cell and developmental biology (BS)

2017 Scholars-Elect

Janson Ho ’18 (declined) Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Sue Zhang ’18 (declined) Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)

2016 Recipients

Austin Bailey ’17 University: Heidelberg Area of study: Chemistry (BS)
Raymond Chin ’18 University: Leipzig Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Eric Holmgren ’17 University: Mainz Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
Haberly Kahn ’18 University: Hamburg-Harburg Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)
John Jacobs ’17 University: Paderborn Area of study: Computer science (BS) Minor: Optics
Natalie Jara ’18 University: Freiburg im Breisgau Areas of study: Electrical and computer engineering (BS) and studio arts (BA)
Marina May ’17 University: Berlin Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
William Porter ’17 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS) Minor: Math
Ge Song ’17 University: Erlangen-Nürnberg Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Clara Wolfe ’18 University: Magdeburg Area of study: Biochemistry (BS)

2015 Recipients

Luke P. Daily ’16 University: Erlangen Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Claire R. W. Kaiser ’17 University: Bonn Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
Tianyi Liu ’16 University: Jülich Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)
Zhaoyu Nie ’17 University: Münster Area of study: Optics (BA)
Nathaniel S. Potrepka ’17 University: Bonn Areas of study: Computer science (BS) and audio and music engineering (BS)
Zhenzhi Xia ’16 University: Erlangen Area of study: Optical engineering (BS)
So Han Florence Yip ’17 University: Jena Area of study: Mechanical engineering (BS)

2014 Recipients

Corey M. Garyn ’15 University: Göttingen Area of study: Cell and developmental biology (BS) and philosophy (BA)
Austin M. Mottola ’15 University: Dresden Area of study: Biochemistry (BS) Minor: Chemistry
Seth L. Schober ’16 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Electrical and computer engineering (BS) Minor: Spanish
Natalie Y. Tjota ’16 University: Münster Areas of study: Biomedical engineering (BS) and East Asian studies (BA)
Steven B. Torrisi ’16 University: Hamburg Areas of study: Physics (BS) and math (BA)

2013 Recipients

Kristin N. Abramo ’15 University: Göttingen Area of study: Molecular genetics (BS)
Kevin C. Allan ’14 University: Langen Area of study: Neuroscience (BS)
Alexandra M. Born ’15 University: Dresden-Rossendorf Areas of study: Microbiology (BS) and chemistry (BA)
Sarah Koniski ’14 University: Jülich Area of study: Chemistry (BS) Minor: Business
Louis J. Papa, III ’14 University: Jena Areas of study: Biochemistry (BS) and chemistry (BS)
Robert A. Rietmeijer ’15 University: Tübingen Areas of study: Biochemistry (BS)
Zhongwu Shi ’15 University: Aachen Area of study: Applied math (BS)
Qianli Sun ’15 University: Kaiserslautern Areas of study: Applied math (BS) and physics (BA)
Jamie M. Strampe ’15 University: Ulm Area of study: Microbiology (BS) Minor: German

2012 Recipients

Katie M. Bredbenner ’13 University: Göttingen Areas of study: Molecular genetics (BS) philosophy (BA)
Amanda Chen ’14 University: Bremen Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS) Minor: Chemical engineering
Maria V. Guano Zapata ’14 University: Jülich Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS)

2012 Scholar-Elect

Justin L. Roncaioli ’13 (declined) Area of study: Molecular genetics (BS) Minors: Psychology and chemistry

2011 Recipients

Ashley M. Haluck-Kangas ’12 University: Greifswald Area of study: Biology (BA) Minors: Psychology and political science
David A. Narrow ’12 University: Berlin Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)

2011 Scholar-Elect

Jonathan Raybin ’12 (declined) Areas of study: Chemistry (BS) and physics (BA)

2010 Recipients

Emily F. Hart ’12 University: Heidelberg Area of study: Chemistry (BS)
Caityln Rose Kennedy ’11 University: Dortmund Area of study: Chemistry (BS)
Mark D. Levin ’12 University: Braunschweig Area of study: Chemistry (BS) Minor: Math
Joseph P. Shapiro ’12 University: Heidelberg Area of study: Biochemistry (BS)

2009 Recipients

Matthew R. Golder ’10 University: Berlin Area of study: Chemistry (BS) Minor: Biology
Alexander G. Hajduczok ’11 University: Halle Area of study: Biochemistry (BS) Minor: Economics
Stephen Keeley ’11 University: Heidelberg Areas of study: Physics (BS) and neuroscience (BS) Minor: Math
Kirsten E. Ross ’11 University: Berlin Area of study: Biomedical engineering (BS)
David Reiner ’10 University: Frankfurt Area of study: Neuroscience (BS) Minor: Psychology

2008 Recipients

Victoria A. Chu ’09 University: Bonn Area of study: Chemistry (BS) Minor: Japanese
Colleen A. Kellenberger ’09 University: Jülich Area of study: Chemistry (BS) and molecular genetics (BS)
Zachary J. Kozick ’08 University: Kaiserslautern Area of study: Physics (BA) Minor: Math
Matthew S. Merriman ’09 University: Düsseldorf Area of study: Chemistry (BS) Minor: Biology
Justin J. Peczkowski ’09 University: Berlin Area of study: Chemical engineering (BS) Minor: Environmental engineering
Kristina V. Siliunas ’10 University: Cologne Areas of study: Psychology (BA) and biology (BA)

Read also: Understanding the Rise Scholarship

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