The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is the largest funding organisation in the world supporting the international exchange of students and scholars. It is a registered association and its members are German institutions of higher education and student bodies. Its activities go far beyond awarding scholarships. The DAAD supports the internationalisation of German universities, promotes German studies and the German language abroad, assists developing countries in establishing effective universities and advises decision makers on matters of cultural, education and development policy.

Its budget is derived mainly from the federal funding for various ministries, but also from the European Union and a number of enterprises, organisations and foreign governments. Its head office is in Bonn but it maintains contact with and provides advice to its main partner countries on every continent via a network of 14 regional offices and 49 information centres.

The DAAD runs over 200 programmes. They range from semesters abroad for undergraduates to doctoral programmes, from internships to visiting lectureships, and from information-gathering visits to assisting with the establishment of new universities abroad. It supports the international activities of German institutions of higher education through marketing services, publications, the staging of events and training courses.

Further information is available under www.daad.de.