Studying and researching internationally

As a student at the Abbe School of Photonics, you will have several opportunities to plan a semester abroad while staying perfectly in line with your study plan.

Impressions of the EMIMEO Summer School 2024 in Jena.

Image: Canan Gallitschke

The Abbe School of Photonics has developed numerous international academic partnerships and benefits from a dense network of contacts to leaders and decision-makers in photonics all over the world. As a student at the Abbe School of Photonics, you will have several opportunities to plan a research traineeship or even a semester abroad while staying perfectly in line with your study plan; i.e. without losing time in the study program. Immersing oneself in the everyday life of a foreign country and a foreign-language university greatly widens one's horizon and can present completely new career opportunities. There are currently two main options for our Master's students: A) Erasmus+ program and B) Phortify traineeships:

A) EU-wide Erasmus+ program: prerequisites and deadlines for scholarships (annual deadline 15 January)

The European ERASMUS+ programExternal link enables our best students to study or to perform an internship abroad and receive a living-costs-supporting ERASMUS+ scholarship.

Participating in the ERASMUS+ program requires the student to apply for this kind of scholarship well in advance. Participation is open to all students enrolled at our Faculty (BSc and MSc; Physics, Photonics, Quantum Science & Technology). Thus, the application procedure as announced by the Faculty of Physics and Astronomy must be followed in detail.

If you are a student in the M.Sc. Photonics course in Jena, it is an important prerequisite that you show very good study performance during your 1st and 2nd semesters. Please also note this important deadline: you need to submit your application until January 15th to get a study slot abroad in the same year, although there is sometimes some flexibility in individual cases. For more information, please contact Prof. Malte Kaluza as the responsible Erasmus coordinator at our Faculty. Currently, our Faculty offers ERASMUS+ study opportunities at the following partners:

Czech Republic: Brno University of TechnologyExternal link
Finland: University of Eastern FinlandExternal link
France: Université Grenoble AlpesExternal link, Université de RennesExternal link— At the Campus de Lannion, this includes the ENSSAT environment and its photonics activities like the Photonics Bretagne Innovation Hub,External link Université de BordeauxExternal link— including the Photonics Cluster of Excellence LAPHIA.External link, Université Paris-SaclayExternal link— including study opportunities associated with the Institut d'Optique.
Greece: Aristotle University of ThessalonikiExternal link
Ireland: Munster Technological University, CorkExternal link
Italy: University of Rome Tor VergataExternal link, University of PaduaExternal link, Politecnico di MilanoExternal link, University of CagliariExternal link
Netherlands: Delft University of TechnologyExternal link
Poland: Jagiellonian University in KrakówExternal link, Nicolaus Copernicus University in ToruńExternal link
Portugal: Universidade de LisboaExternal link, Universidade de CoimbraExternal link
Spain: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech (UPC)External link
Sweden: Umeå UniversityExternal link
Switzerland: University of GenevaExternal link

B) Phortify Trainee Fellowships

Phortify Logo.

Image: Vrije Universiteit Brussel

The Phortify Trainee Fellowships are exclusively reserved for our local Master's degree students at ASP/FSU via our EU-funded Phortify project. They are easily accessible and provide a lump-sum contribution of up to €1,500 toward travel and living expenses. The traineeships are particularly suited for research stays or internships lasting from several weeks to a few months and can be used, for example, to work with a research group at one of the Phortify partner institutions as part of the student's Master's studies.

Interested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at the respective partner institution. A simple agreement between the supervisors in Jena and at the host institution is required. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, please contact Dr. Tobias Gäbler at tobias.bernd.gaebler@uni-jena.de.

Eligible nationalities for Phortify Trainee Fellowships (EU regulations)

Applicants must be nationals of one of the following eligible countries: Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Korea (South Korea), Kosovo, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Moldova (Republic of), Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United States (US). (last update: February 2026). The availability, number, and eligibility criteria of Phortify Trainee Fellowships are determined by the regulations of the respective funding bodies and may change in accordance with their current funding guidelines.

Campus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Image: Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)

Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) – Phortify Trainee Fellowship

Master students in Physics, Photonics, or Quantum Science & Technology can apply for financial support for a research stay or internship at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) (www.vub.be/en)External link through Phortify.External link Interested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at VUB. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, see the general advice above. Our Phortify contact person at VUB is Prof. Heidi Ottevaere.

Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) and CNR Istituto die Fotonica e Nanotecnologie (IFN) at Milano – Phortify Trainee Fellowship

Master students in Physics, Photonics, or Quantum Science & Technology can apply for financial support for a research stay or internship at Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) (www.polimi.it/en)External link or the CNR-IFNExternal link through Phortify.External link

At POLIMI, the Phortify-funded trainee stay can also be combined with an Erasmus+ scholarship, allowing the mobility period to be extended to a full semester. Interested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at POLIMI. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, see the general advice above. Our Phortify contact persons are at POLIMI is Prof. Daniela ComelliExternal link at POLIMI and Dr. Christian Manzoni at CNR-IFN.

University of Eastern Finland (UEF), Joensuu – Phortify Trainee Fellowship

Master students in Physics, Photonics, or Quantum Science & Technology can apply for financial support for a research stay or internship at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) in Joensuu (www.uef.fi/en/etusivu)External link through Phortify.External link

At UEF specifically, the Phortify-funded trainee stay can also be combined with an Erasmus+ scholarship, allowing the mobility period to be extended to a full semester. Interested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at UEF. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, see the general advice above. Our Phortify contact person at Joensuu is Prof. Pasi Vahimaa.External link

Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) – Phortify Trainee Fellowship

Master students in Physics, Photonics, or Quantum Science & Technology can apply for financial support for a research stay or internship at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) (www.tue.nl/en)External link through Phortify.External link Interested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at TU/e. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, see the general advice above. Our Phortify contact person at TU/e is Prof. Aart-Jan Hoeven.External link

University of Ghent
Image: University of Ghent

Ghent University (UGent) – Phortify Trainee Fellowship

Master students in Physics, Photonics, or Quantum Science & Technology can apply for financial support for a research stay or internship at Ghent University (UGent) (www.ugent.be/en)External link through Phortify.External link Interested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at UGent. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, see the general advice above. Our Phortify contact person at UGent is Prof. Bert Coryn.External link

Main Building of the Warsaw University of Technology.
Image: Warsaw University of Technology

Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) – Phortify Trainee Fellowship

Master students in Physics, Photonics, or Quantum Science & Technology can apply for financial support for a research stay or internship at Warsaw University of Technology (WUT) (www.pw.edu.pl/engpw)External link through Phortify.External linkInterested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at WUT. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, see the general advice above. Our Phortify contact persons at WUT are Prof. Małgorzata KujawińskaExternal link and Prof. Mikael Jozwik.External link

ICFO Castelldefels/Barcelona
Image: ICFO Castelldefels/Barcelona

ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Castelldefels/Barcelona – Phortify Trainee Fellowship

Master students in Physics, Photonics, or Quantum Science & Technology can apply for financial support for a research stay or internship at ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences (www.icfo.eu)External link through Phortify.External link Interested students should first identify a suitable host or supervisor at ICFO. For information on eligibility and the application procedure, see the general advice above. Our Phortify contact person at ICFO is Prof. Veronika Ahufinger.External link

C) Hosting students from the V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, Ukraine

V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University in the Ukraine.
Image: Smapse Education

The Kharkiv National University VN Karazin is a state University located in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine. It is one of the oldest Universities in Eastern Europe with a long lisit of traditions and achievements. In 2024, ASP set up a partnership with the Faculty of Radio Physics, Biomedical Electronics and Computer SystemsExternal link within the European Joint Master Degree Program EMIMEP. Students from Karazin have special slots to do parts of their studies and research in Jena and at our European partner universities.

There are currently no outgoing scholarships for Kharkiv; however, any further information on our partnership is available through Dr. Christian Helgert.

D) Study and research stays for Master's degree students in Florida, USA

Main campus building at the University of Florida.
Image: facts.net

We are currently setting up bilateral agreements with the University of Florida and the University of Central Florida enabling Master student exchanges from 2027 onwards. Stay tuned!