Dr.-Ing. Willy Höfler Foundation

Dr.-Ing. Willy Höfler scholarships for Bachelor's and Master's theses abroad

The Dr.-Ing. Willy-Höfler Foundation awards scholarships as a grant for the completion of Bachelor's and Master's theses at educational institutions abroad that have a level of education comparable to KIT. The grants to cover travel and accommodation costs depend on the location and type of thesis. A maximum of € 3,500 (Europe) or € 7,000 (world) can be paid out from foundation funds.

Requirements for the granting of a scholarship
  • Enrolled student at the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
  • Supervision of the thesis by a chair of the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
  • Choice of the host educational institution in consultation with a faculty member of the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
  • Collective supervision of the thesis by the faculty of the KIT Faculty and a colleague from the host educational institution
  • Minimum stay of 10 weeks at the host educational institution
Application and decision on the awarding of the scholarship
  • Applications for a Dr.-Ing. Willy Höfler Scholarship can be submitted at any time throughout the year, enclosing the above-mentioned documents, and should be sent to
    Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)
    Faculty of Mechanical Engineering - Dean's Office
    Board of the Dr.-Ing. Willy Höfler Foundation
    Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe
  • The applications received are submitted to the Executive Board for decision during the year. The Board decides on the final selection and the amount of the scholarships. The applicants will be informed of the decision made. There is no legal entitlement to the granting of foundation funds.
  • If the decision is positive, the scholarship is generally paid out in two installments to a domestic account. In addition the applicant will receive an allocation letter specifying the amount of the scholarship awarded, the payment options and the reporting obligations. The scholarship holder must ensure that they have adequate health insurance abroad.
Organizational aspects of scholarship processing
  • The scholarship is transferred in two halves to a German bank account in the name of the scholarship holder. The first transfer will be made at the request of the scholarship holder, stating the bank details, if possible four weeks before the start of the trip.
  • A report of approximately one DIN A4 page is expected no later than twelve weeks after the start of the thesis. The second transfer will be made once this short report has been submitted and checked.
  • One month after completion of the thesis, which must contain the note "funded by the Dr.-Ing. Willy Höfler Foundation" on the inside title page, the Foundation expects a report of approximately two DIN A4 pages on the stay abroad.
  • After submission and grading of the thesis, a specimen copy in either digital or printed form must be provided to the faculty and the grade achieved must be communicated in writing.
  • A breach of the requirements and non-compliance with the obligation can lead to the scholarship being reclaimed.
Training institutions with a comparable level of training (selection)
  • Australian Center for Field Robotics, Australia
  • CSRIO in Brisbane, Australia
  • Global Advanced Manufacturing Institute (Gami), Suzhou, China
  • Politecnico di Milano, Italy
  • Univerità di Firenze, Italy
  • Queen's University Kingston, Canada
  • Fraunhofer Project Center in London, Ontario, Canada
  • University of Waterloo, Ontario Canada
  • University of Western Ontario, Canada
  • KTH Stockholm, Sweden
  • École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
  • ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • Caltech, Pasadena, California, USA
  • Stanford University, USA
Contact person and information sheet
  • If you have any questions, please contact
    Anna Frey
    Dean's Office of the KIT Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
    E-Mail: anna frey ∂does-not-exist.kit edu
    Phone + 49 721 608 43228
  • Leaflet