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A Common Future in a Just World

For 65 years, KAAD has been supporting students and young professionals from the Global South with scholarships, educational and networking activities so that they can take on leadership roles in the social and cultural development of their countries.

The central task of the KAAD is stated in the association's statutes (latest version June 2022):

"to promote young professionals from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe through academic studies, in particular postgraduate studies and research stays, via the sponsoring organization it supports, so that they can take on leadership roles in the social and cultural development of their country out of social responsibility and church commitment" (§ 2 of the statutes)

The KAAD's scholarship programs are an expression of the Catholic Church in Germany's dialogical, global church and development policy orientation:

By supporting lay people committed to the Church or non-Christian students and academics, the KAAD aims to contribute to the cooperation between the German Church and the churches of the Global South and Eastern Europe as partners, as well as to the dialog between world religions in general. At the same time, the scholarship holders, as future multipliers in the academic-scientific field and beyond, should help in the development process of their countries, whereby development is understood in an integral sense that encompasses all dimensions of human life.

Scholarship program 1

In Scholarship Program 1 (country programs), the KAAD cooperates with partner committees made up of representatives of the respective home church and universities. It is aimed at postgraduates with proven professional experience who are usually invited to Germany for postgraduate studies or research stays and who are often also studying at Master's level in their home country or third countries.

More about the scholarship program 1

Scholarship program 2

Scholarship program 2 supports students from countries of the Global South who are already studying for a doctorate or Master's degree in Germany. The Catholic university communities have the right of nomination here.

More about the scholarship program 2

Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe Program

The Eastern Europe Program supports - in cooperation with the partner committees - doctoral and master's programs as well as shorter study and research stays in Germany.

More about the Eastern Europe Program

In addition, the KAAD is the clearing office of the German Bishops' Conference for international students in general.

The KAAD is organized as an association whose general assembly is made up of representatives from ten (world) church organizations and the dioceses. The organization is headed by a president.

The KAAD comprises the Academic Committee (selection committee) and the office headed by the Secretary General with five regional departments.

The KAAD "project" goes back to the Fulda Catholic Congress in 1954; the "name" KAAD was coined in 1955, and in 1958 it took on institutional form with the founding of the association. A look back in history shows how, at a very early stage in the work of the global church after the war, the KAAD was established as an independent scholarship organization for lay people (from developing countries and Eastern Europe) that is unique in the Catholic world in its scope and strategic orientation.

The effectiveness of this support is ultimately demonstrated by the reintegration, multiplier activities and networking of our scholarship holders.

Focal points of scientific networking

The topics that have moved KAAD in recent years and will continue to do so - whether in the projects funded by our scholarship holders or in the topics of our events in Germany and abroad - revolve around