The Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs annually sponsors 25 German-speaking young professionals and university graduates from all disciplines who are committed to improving the world of tomorrow. Fellows receive a monthly grant; foreign trips, conferences and language courses may also be funded. Mercator Fellows are part of a network of more than 400 alumni, the Netzwerk für internationale Aufgaben (nefia e.V.).

If you have any question about the Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs, please contact  Teresa Spancken, Stiftung Mercator, and Katharina Seibel, German Academic Scholarship Foundation.

Working in International Organizations

During the 12-month programme, Fellows work in two or three international organizations that are active worldwide – non-governmental or non-profit organizations, or business enterprises. The Fellows’ own practical questions serve as their project proposals and determine their workstations anywhere in the world. Seminars are also held on current issues in foreign policy and international cooperation, and to develop their leadership skills and key competencies.

An International Career Start for Young Professionals

The Mercator Fellowship on International Affairs is a project jointly run by the German Academic Scholarship Foundation and the Stiftung Mercator, in cooperation with the Federal Foreign Office as well as the Swiss Study Foundation and the Mercator Foundation Switzerland in cooperation with the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Fellowship’s dean is Dr. Klaus Scharioth, former State Secretary in the German Federal Foreign Office and ambassador to the United States in Washington, DC.

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