Full Scholarships Valued at Closed to S$250,000 (€168,000) to be Awarded by TUM Asia and DAAD to Nurture ASEAN Talents in STEM-Related Fields

05 March 2024

Tuesday, 5 March 2024 – To elevate ASEAN’s workforce capabilities in fields related to Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and boost greater participation in higher education and careers to serve the regional labour needs, TUM Asia, the overseas campus of the Technical University of Munich (TUM), partners with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the world’s largest funding organisation for the international exchange of students and researchers, to offer full scholarships dedicated for graduates from ASEAN countries and Timor-Leste who are enrolled in selected Master of Science (MSc) programmes taught at TUM Asia. Valued close to S$250,000 (€168,000), these scholarships are free of bonds and can be used to cover up to 100 per cent of the tuition fees of its postgraduate programmes. Eligible student candidates are welcome to apply for the scholarship by enrolling in their desired MSc programme at TUM Asia beginning this academic year 2024/2025 onwards.

The launch of the scholarship comes on the heels of a growing need to advance human development and narrow the development gap in the ASEAN region by boosting its talent capacity and harmonising the higher education systems to deliver the region’s development agenda as mapped out in the ASEAN Socio-cultural Community Blueprint 2025[1].

Providing an effective ecosystem in ASEAN for capability development in STEM

Encompassing Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, ASEAN witnessed a combined Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of S$4.8trillion (USD3.6 trillion) in 2022[2] and is poised to become the fourth-largest economy by 2030[3]. Despite its immense growth potential, its individual economies currently stand at distinctively different ends of the spectrum of development, with a standard deviation in average incomes among the countries being more than seven times that of EU member states[4]. While higher education is getting more accessible to more students in the region, the disproportionate percentage of the target population reached by the education system due to socioeconomic status and rural-urban location remains high. Statistics from UNESCO’s World Inequality Database on Education reflect significant gaps in higher education participation and tertiary completion rates across some Southeast Asian countries based on location and socioeconomic status.

Recognising the education disparity in the member countries and moving in line with the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint 2025, the newly launched TUM Asia-DAAD MSc Scholarship will contribute to addressing the development gaps and education disparity in the ASEAN region by improving access to higher education in STEM-related fields.

The full scholarships will encourage inspiring postgraduate students in the ASEAN region to pursue higher education in STEM-related fields regardless of their socioeconomic status by supporting their postgraduate studies in selected full-time MSc programmes at TUM Asia. These recipients will serve as role models for aspiring students to pursue a career in STEM-related fields and encourage more qualified postgraduate students from ASEAN countries.

Scholarship recipients enrolled in selected TUM Asia’s Master of Science programmes can receive up to S$2,000 (€1,400) per month towards their studies during their first year. Recipients will also be given the opportunity to receive the same scholarship of equivalent value in the second year of their postgraduate study.

“Since establishing the first overseas campus in Singapore in 2002, TUM and TUM Asia have been cultivating STEM leaders in Asia by leveraging the academic excellence and scientific research our university has accumulated over the decades to accelerate the technological progress of the region. Our long-term partnership with DAAD will ensure a sustainable talent pipeline to steer the development of science, technology and innovation in one of the fastest-growing economies in the world,” said Dr. Markus Wächter, Managing Director of TUM Asia.

Eligibility criteria

Interested applicants who have a bachelor’s degree in disciplines relevant to the MSc programmes they are applying for must meet the following criteria:

• From any of the ASEAN member countries or Timor-Leste
• Have a strong interest and passion in STEM-related fields
• Outstanding academic achievements and leadership qualities
• Successfully enrolled in any of the following TUM Asia’s MSc programmes:
• MSc in Aerospace Engineering,
• MSc in Rail, Transport and Logistics,
• MSc in Industrial Chemistry,
• MSc in Green Electronics and
• MSc in Integrated Circuit Design

Application process

Applicants who are interested in applying for the TUM Asia-DAAD MSc Scholarship can do so by enrolling in TUM Asia’s MSc programmes eligible under the TUM Asia-DAAD MSc Scholarship scheme. Successful applicants will be requested to submit the relevant documentation and motivation letter. Shortlisted candidates will be notified and invited for an interview and will be evaluated by a 10-member Scholarship Committee.

Terms and conditions

The TUM Asia-DAAD MSc Scholarship is subject to change without notice and cannot be combined with any other waiver, scholarship or sponsorship support.

[1] https://asean.org/our-communities/asean-socio-cultural-community/

[2]https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/mi/research-analysis/asean-economic-outlook-in-2024-jan24.html#:~:text=For%20calendar%202023%2C%20GDP%20growth,after%20the%20COVID%2D19%20pandemic.

[3] https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/01/asean-is-poised-for-post-pandemic-inclusive-growth-and-prosperity-heres-why/ 

[4] https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/industries/public%20sector/our%20insights/understanding%20asean%20seven%20things%20you%20need%20to%20know/understanding%20asean%20seven%20things%20you%20need%20to%20know.pdf