FAQs for guest researchers

GESIS offers two programs for research visits: the Senior Research Program and the Junior Research Program. These research visits are organized and sponsored by a GESIS department for collaboration with GESIS staff. GESIS also welcomes applications for self-funded research visits. Furthermore, research visits can be organized and sponsored by a GESIS department for collaboration with GESIS staff. 

The Senior Research Program targets established researchers, thus professors and experienced postdocs while with the Junior Research Program we invite Ph.D. students and early career postdocs to do research at GESIS. 

GESIS visiting researchers work either at our location in Cologne or at our location in Mannheim depending on the location of the respective department and collaborator(s) you will be working with: if you collaborate with a colleague from Mannheim, you will be based in Mannheim; alternatively, if you collaborate with a colleague from Cologne, you will be based in Cologne. 

In general, you are free to work whenever you want. However, access to GESIS facilities is only guaranteed during our opening hours (8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday). Researchers financially supported by GESIS are expected to work on site daily. 

Researchers financially supported by GESIS (Junior Research Program, Senior Research Program) are expected to use the funding to carry out their research at GESIS locations and can therefore not participate in external activities. In justified cases, exceptions may be made. 

Research stays by national scientists are also possible and common at GESIS. However, our programs focus on international visiting researchers. We distinguish between "national/international" depending on the country of residence of the sending institution.   
 

GESIS is a bilingual research institute using German and English as working languages. As a visiting researcher, you don’t need to speak any German. 

GESIS will provide you with desk space and a computer (if desired) as well as access to printers, library, electronic journals, statistical software (Stata, SPSS, R; others upon request), and GESIS data sets (please see below for details). During your stay, you will have the opportunity to present and discuss your research topic and to network with GESIS experts. Subject to availability, you may also participate in GESIS Training events.

Yes, you are welcome to bring and use your own laptop. Upon request, we can provide you with an external monitor, keyboard, and mouse for your laptop. Please note that you will not have access to any GESIS network resources (e.g., statistical software) or printers from your private laptop. 

All visiting researchers can be provided with access to Stata, SPSS, and R. Other statistical software such as Mplus can be made available upon request. Please let us know your needs in advance. 

You can find an overview of some of the most popular data sets available at GESIS in our GESIS Services. 

During your research visit, you can freely access all data in categories 0 and A. If you want to access restricted or disclosive data (categories B and C), you must apply for permission beforehand. To this end, please contact the GESIS Data Service. For on-site access to disclosive data via the Secure Data Center, we strongly recommend you apply at least three months in advance of your planned research visit as slots are limited and often fully booked. 

If you would like to work with restricted-access data (categories B and C) while at GESIS, you need to apply for access beforehand with the GESIS Data Service. For on-site access to disclosive data via the Secure Data Center, we strongly recommend you apply at least three months in advance of your planned research visit as slots are limited and often fully booked. 

In case your research visit is funded by GESIS (Senior Research Program, Junior Research Program), GESIS covers travel costs for economy-class public transport tickets (trains, buses, planes, and local public transport). Your travel expenses will be reimbursed after your stay at GESIS, but only upon the presentation of the original receipts and stamped tickets. 

No, all visiting researchers are expected to arrange their travel themselves.  

No, all visiting researchers are expected to organize their accommodation themselves. 

No, GESIS can only reimburse travel costs directly to you and based on invoices made out to you personally. GESIS cannot reimburse any invoices made out to, e.g., your university; neither can GESIS settle any invoices made out to GESIS directly by, e.g., a travel agency or any other third-party contractor. 

Yes, you are welcome to bring your baby/toddler for your research visit. Please contact your collaborator at GESIS for more information regarding the specifics and logistics. 

This depends. Visa requirements for entering Germany vary from country to country, so please check with your national authorities and/or the German embassy whether you need a visa to travel to Germany. 

No, GESIS does not cover any visa-related costs. 

No, GESIS cannot sponsor a work visa for visiting researchers. 

Yes, we can provide an invitation letter for your visa application. Please get in touch with your collaborator at GESIS if you require a corresponding invitation letter. The visa process in embassies and consulates often takes time, so we recommend you start this process well ahead of the scheduled visit. 

Yes, we can provide an invitation letter if your research proposal has been accepted by GESIS. 

Yes, you need valid health insurance for entering Germany and visiting GESIS. Short-term stays are sometimes covered by your national health insurance (e.g., if you are an EU citizen), while longer stays typically require separate policies with specialized providers. Please get in touch with your insurance provider to check what exactly is covered. In particular, we recommend you ensure your policy covers repatriation costs in case of severe illness. 

We recommend you take out travel cancelation insurance for your trip (at your own expense). GESIS cannot cover any costs in case of cancellation. 

We invite Ph.D. students and early career postdocs to come to GESIS. Visiting researchers of the Junior Research Program are involved in our research to publish with GESIS staff, and to develop research ideas and joint projects. In addition, visiting researchers can also be integrated into our services to build up specific expertise and get to know GESIS services and our data.

Applicants to a Junior Research Program stay must plan to work together with a GESIS staff member to initiate a joint research project, paper, or infrastructure project.  

No.

Yes, as long as you are a doctoral student or a postdoc up to four years after completing your doctoral studies, you can apply for a Junior Research Program stay even if you currently have no institutional affiliation. 

Yes, the Junior Research Program is open to researchers based anywhere in the world including Germany. 

Junior Research Program visits are designed for research visits between five working days and six weeks. 

The call remains open throughout the year; the specific application deadlines are published with the call on the GESIS website. 

Please submit your application through our online application form (link published in call for applications) by filling in the application form and uploading a CV, cover letter, and information on your preferred GESIS cooperation partner. Your collaborator´s scientific department leader reviews the applications. The criteria for the assessment of the applications will be compatibility with GESIS’ mission, the expected output, and the quality of the application. 

Please upload your CV (incl. the details of two referees), cover letter (title of project and description of project / purpose of your visit and expected output, max. 600-800 words), and information on your preferred GESIS cooperation partner and department. As the Junior Research Program is highly competitive, we recommend that you identify and contact at least one preferred GESIS cooperation partner prior to your application. 

No, we do not accept applications via email. Please use our online application form (link published in call for applications). Should you experience technical problems with the online application, we kindly ask you to try and upload your application materials again after a few days. 

The online application platform, at times, can experience technical difficulties. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Should you experience technical problems with the online application, we kindly ask you to try and upload your application materials again after a few days. Should you still experience technical problems by then or in case it is the last day of the application period, you may send in your application materials via email to guest-researcher(at)gesis(dot)org.  

The review process for Junior Research Program stays usually takes about four to six weeks and we will notify you via email as soon as it has been completed. 

Yes, we would prefer if you presented the research you are conducting during your stay. This does not mean that your research project must be completed – you are more than welcome to present work in progress. 

It is up to you where you publish the outcome of your research visit. GESIS encourages publication in open-access journals. GESIS also publishes a number of open-access and other journals and you are more than welcome to submit a paper or report to one of these. Regardless of where you publish your outcomes, we kindly ask you to acknowledge the support received from GESIS in any publications based on work you did during your research visit. 

Who can apply?

• You want to set a special data quality focus in your research project
• You are a social scientist focusing on survey data, digital behavior data or linkages between these two data types or with other data (e.g., geodata).

If you can answer these two questions affirmatively, then congratulations you are eligible to apply for a guest stay as part of our “KODAQS junior call extension”.  

The Competence Center for Data Quality in the Social Sciences (KODAQS)  funded by BMBF and EU Next Generation Fund, invites applications for guest researchers to actively participate in our mission of advancing data quality in social science research.

It does not matter whether you want to answer a substantive research question during your research stay and you want to address aspects of data quality here or whether you want to answer a methodological question that focuses on data quality.

Why join KODAQS as a Guest Researcher?

• Collaborate with KODAQS experts from GESIS, the LMU and the University of Mannheim to explore your research questions with a focus on data quality
• Immerse yourself in a supportive environment that fosters innovation and learning
• Contribute to the development of data quality indicators alongside national and international experts
• Benefit from collaborative projects and gain insights into cutting-edge methodologies

What we offer:

• Research collaboration: Work closely with KODAQS employees at GESIS, the LMU and the University of Mannheim on your research questions, ensuring a comprehensive examination with a focus on data quality
• Access to Recourses: Utilize our Data Quality Toolbox, offering analysis codes for calculating key quality indicators, along with learning and consulting opportunities
• Networking: Engage with a vibrant community of researchers and experts in the field

With whom will I work during my stay?

During your stay you work closely with KODAQS employees at GESIS, the LMU and the University of Mannheim on your research questions, ensuring a comprehensive examination with a focus on data quality.

One difference to our “normal”  junior guest researcher program is that you don't have to explicitly name the person you want to work with in your application. Our KODAQS team consists of 12 super motivated people (Find a list of all employees here.), all focused on data quality of different data types. Depending on your research interests, we will match you a perfect fit.

How to apply?

Please send your application via the GESIS Junior program application procedure and tick the button for  “KODAQS application”  in  the end  of the  application form.

Do you have further questions on KODAQS?

Please contact our team members via E-Mail: kodaqs(at)gesis(dot)org

Self-funded research visits are open to researchers of all career stages and from all over the world (including Germany). Individual researchers or groups of researchers interested in a self-funded research visit at GESIS can apply directly to their selected collaboration partners. Research visits are accepted subject to availability and based on the quality and thematic fit of the research proposal. 

The duration of self-funded research visits is flexible. We recommend a minimum duration of five working days. Please contact us if you plan to stay in Germany for more than one month. There are several things to consider when temporarily moving to Germany (e.g., visa issues, health insurance, apartment rental). 

Applications for self-funded research visits are accepted all year-round. 

Please submit your application to your selected collaboration partner and upload a cover letter, CV, research proposal, and list of publications (if applicable and not included in CV). GESIS staff will review your application and get back to you as soon as possible. 

We do not require any certificates. When applying for a self-funded research stay, please upload the following documents: cover letter, CV, research proposal, and list of publications (if applicable and not included in CV). 

Yes, we accept applications for self-funded research stays via email to your selected collaboration partner.   

Nothing! GESIS hosts visitors and provides desk space and other support free of charge. You will, however, have to cover all your travel, visa, accommodation, and subsistence costs. 

Yes, you are welcome to bring your family with you during your stay. Please contact us in advance if you plan to bring family with you for your research visit. 

Yes, GESIS is a member of the Erasmus+ program and can host staff. The ERASMUS+ Programme of the European Commission is open to many seeking funding for higher education. Eligibility varies from one action to another and from one country to another. Please inquire at your home institution whether you are eligible for one of the funding options. 

Several European and national institutions offer research grants supporting research stays of international scholars in Germany, for example, DAAD, Marie Curie, and the Humboldt-Foundation. Please inquire about and apply for these programs independently. An overview of funding opportunities can be found here. In addition, your home institution or national agencies may offer several funding opportunities as well. 

Yes, we can provide an invitation letter if your research proposal has been accepted by GESIS.

It is up to you where you publish the outcome of your research visit. GESIS encourages publication in open-access journals. GESIS also publishes a number of open-access and other journals and you are more than welcome to submit a paper or report to one of these. Regardless of where you publish your outcomes, we kindly ask you to acknowledge the support received from GESIS in any publications based on work you did during your research visit.