Deadline: Applications may be submitted at any time
Open to: Medical students studying in Germany not older than 24 years
Fellowship: A monthly stipend of 900 – 1200 euros
Description
The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds awards MD fellowships to outstanding medical students who are prepared to interrupt their studies for at least 10 months and change institution and city to conduct an experimental MD thesis in basic biomedical research.
The purpose of this fellowship is to provide gifted young medics with the opportunity of pursuing ambitious research projects in internationally renowned laboratories.
Fellowship
- MD fellowships are granted for 10–12 months, an extension of up to 3 months is possible.
- The monthly stipend amounts to 900 – 1200 euros. In most countries, fellows are paid an additional flat-rate of 150 euros per month for project-related costs (please refer to conditions for further details).
- In addition, MD fellowship holders may receive travel allowances to participate in scientific meetings.
Eligibility
The Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds awards MD fellowships to medical students studying in Germany who wish to pursue an experimentally demanding and hypothesis-driven MD thesis project in basic biomedical research in a leading laboratory. Applicants should not be older than 24 years and are eligible if they gained good marks (2.0 or better) in the first section of the medical examination (“Erster Abschnitt der Ärztlichen Prüfung”) and during their subsequent studies. Applicants must interrupt their studies and change their working place (institution and city) for the entire duration of the MD fellowship, i.e. for a period of at least 10 months.
They do not support:
- clinical studies;
- applied research, such as biotechnological and pharmaceutical (e.g. drug, diagnostic) development and studies on the course of diseases or the treatment of symptoms;
- botanical and prokaryotic investigations unless they are of general biological importance;
- the MD fellowships cannot be used to supplement inadequate funding from other institutions or earned incomes, to bridge temporary financial difficulties or to complete investigations already sponsored by other sources or institutions.
Application
Applications may be submitted at any time, but must reach the foundation at least three to four months prior to the proposed commencement of the MD fellowship. The entire application – including the project proposal – must be written in English and by the applicants themselves. Read more under application and selection.
Contact
Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds
Foundation for Basic Research in Medicine
Schlossmühle
Grabenstraße 46
55262 Heidesheim
Germany
tel. +49 (0)6132 8985 0
fax: +49 (0)6132 8985 11
secretariat(at)bifonds.de
There may be some obstacles to this apporach, but it appears to be more feasible than some alternatives that have been bandied before. If anything, this demonstrates an increasingly sophisticated understanding of the patent system by NGOs (or at least this particular, rather brainy NGO).I’d say that pharma companies should seriously consider this proposal, because the alternative may well be a wave of compulsory licences.