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Technical University of Munich
A visiting professor and TUM researchers discuss new findings.
The TUM Global Visiting Professor Program serves to attract new, innovative approaches to cutting-edge research at TUM as well as to internationalize our curriculum. Photo: Andreas Heddergott / TUM

TUM Global Visiting Professor Program

The TUM Global Visiting Professor Program offers the opportunity to recruit excellent professors from international universities for temporary teaching and research collaborations, thus further promoting the internationalization of TUM.

Eligibility requirements

  • Visiting Professors (other accepted titles: "Associate Professor" or "Lecturer") must be affiliated with an international higher education institution. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis due to scientific relevance.
  • The visiting professor must have found a TUM host for the duration of his or her stay. All TUM professors and all TUM Junior Fellows are eligible as TUM hosts.
  • Maximum available budget: 10.000,00 € per project.
  • The TUM Global Visiting Professor Program allows stays from one week to three months (can also be cumulative - more than one trip).
  • Stays are possible at the earliest three months after the respective application deadline.

Selection criteria

  • Added value for TUM's research and teaching agenda
  • Added value for TUM students and young scientists
  • Reputation and complementary expertise of the nominated visiting professor
  • Emphasis on the contribution to TUM's internationalization goals
  • Innovation and interdisciplinarity of research/teaching, if applicable
  • Sustainability of proposed activities (intended next steps; e.g. joint publications; joint proposal for third party funding; joint application for a TUM-IAS Fellowship; exchange of students and early career scientists)
  • Relevance to societal challenges

Successful nominations will be selected by the TUM Board of Management in consultation with a panel of members of TUM central service units.

TUM Sustainability Strategy

With the TUM Sustainable Futures Strategy 2030, our university commits to holistic sustainable action and to the shared responsibility of developing TUM into a more sustainable institution. If you have a strongly sustainability-oriented project, please describe it in the application form. Applications will be reviewed by the TUM Sustainaibiliy Team as part of the scoring process.

Eligible activities

  • Joint research projects (new and ongoing)
  • Preparation of research proposals for third party funding
  • Activities to develop/foster research collaboration
  • Research-orientated teaching in English. The program is not supposed to fund any fundamental teaching courses or courses substituting already existing ones at TUM.
  • Exploring the possibility of a more long-term collaboration in the framework of a TUM-IAS Fellowship (Anna Boyksen, Hans Fischer (Senior) or Rudolf Diesel Industry Fellowship)

Funding for accompanying doctoral candidates from Sub-Saharan African universities

Participants of the Global Visiting Professor Program can now apply for funding for accompanying doctoral candidates enrolled in Sub-Saharan African universities. Image: TUM Global

It is now possible to apply for funding for accompanying doctoral candidates who come to TUM together with a professor funded through the Global Visiting Professor Program. You can find details about this funding opportunity in the program’s regular application form.

The doctoral candidates must be enrolled at a university in Sub-Saharan Africa. The stay is intended to support collaboration with the TUM doctoral candidate at the host professor’s chair. 

Research stays may last between one week and one month, with a maximum funding amount of €2,900 available per stay.

Financial support

  • Travel expenses to/from TUM (daily use of public transport in Munich cannot be reimbursed - weekly or monthly travelcard, except for justified business trips)
  • Accommodation expenses (daily allowances / lunch allowances / entertainment expenses are not reimbursable)
  • Honorarium for keynote speech or public lecture
  • Development costs for virtual cooperation/teaching formats

Please note that we can only cover costs for the visiting professor, costs for family members cannot be covered by this program. 

Application process

  • Visiting professors must first find a host at TUM (TUM Professor or TUM Junior Fellow). You can search for the right contact person via this link. Personalized pairing is sadly not possible.
  • As a next step, visiting professors can apply directly, provided that the host TUM Professor or TUM Junior Fellow knows and is willing to take responsibility for the project.
  • Applications for funding through the TUM Global Visiting Professor Program are to be submitted via our online application portal.
  • To do this, you must first register on the portal.
  • After the login, please use the form Application - TUM Global Visiting Professor Program.

Required documents

  • CV of visiting professor
  • List of at least five publications of the candidate, most relevant to the proposed activities
  • Host Statement from the TUM Professor or TUM Junior Fellow (see Downloads below)

For doctoral candidates enrolled at a university in Sub-Saharan Africa

  • Application form
  • Statement from the TUM Professor
  • Statement from TUM Doctoral Candidate
  • CV of the accompanying doctoral candidate
  • Proof of enrolment or registration as a doctoral candidate at the home institution

Further information

You can find more information in our FAQ for TUM Global Visiting Professors.

Downloads

Program guidelines

Application documents

Application documents - for doctoral candidates enrolled at a university in Sub-Saharan Africa

Welcome Services for international researchers

Teaser image for the video TUM Welcome Services: First Steps for International Researchers

The Welcome Services team of the TUM Global & Alumni Office assists international postdocs and guest professors with all formalities related to relocating to Munich.

Learn more about our offer.

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