The E.ON Ruhrgas scholarships are awarded to Norwegian and German master’s students, doctoral students and researchers in the areas of economics, law and political science. The large number of applications received this year by the February deadline indicates that interest in the programme is on the rise in both countries. Half of the applicants to the February call are seeking grants in economics, while the other half is evenly distributed between law and political science.
“Among those applying for law grants, there is a marked increase in the number who want to pursue an additional year of Master’s-level studies focusing on German and EU law,” reports the programm coordinator Kristin Eikeland Johansen.
The E.ON Ruhrgas scholarship programme was established to support research and education through academic exchange between Norwegian and German universities. The Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft has administered the E.ON Ruhrgas scholarships granted to Norwegian students and researchers since the programme was launched in 1983. German applicants have subsequently also become eligible for funding. Norway, via the Research Council, is responsible for deciding which subject areas will be encompassed by the programme. In 2000, the field of political science replaced history, which in earlier years was highly relevant for German-Norwegian cooperation, not least due to the German occupation of Norway in War World II and the need for Norwegian historians to adopt a stronger European orientation.
