Whether a faculty member of a Thai university, a scientist at a Thai research institute or a future Ph.D. student makes the decision to come to Germany for research work - if he or she is highly qualified, Germany will turn out to be a good choice. To hold a Ph.D. from Germany, to spend some time there as a guest researcher, to publish in internationally highly recognized scholarly journals or even to get a permanent faculty position at a German university counts all over the world.

Foreign researchers will experience a warm welcome in Germany?s scientific community. Thanks to an open-minded atmosphere they will get integrated in the institutes, research groups and seminars very quickly.

In literally every field of science there are equivalent German counterparts or high standard supervisors, from A (like astrophysics) to Z (like zoogeography). If one chooses the "right place" there might even be an opportunity to work in the same laboratory as a future Nobel Prize winner. In physics for example scientists originating from Germany won the Nobel Prizes consecutively during four years. In 2001 the 43 year old German citizen Wolfgang Ketterle was awarded jointly with the two US-Americans Eric A. Cornell and Carl E. Wieman. Six years before, they created the first samples of the so-called Bose-Einstein condensate, a long sought after and strange state of matter. Only 15 years before, Ketterle obtained his Ph.D. from the Physics Department of the University of Munich in Bavaria/Germany. After his post-doctoral stay in the laboratories of the prestigious Max-Planck Society in Garching and at the well known Heidelberg University he became Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He serves as an example that the promotion slogan of the DAAD 'International careers made in Germany' can become reality at the highest level.

Wolfgang Ketterle is only one representative of the many Nobel Prize laureates originating from Germany. In fact Germans are, after the US-Americans, the most successful people in winning the internationally most recognized science award. Therefore, it is not surprising that publications from Germany have had for many years a top position in the citation index, which states the frequency, a scientific paper is cited by other authors. The quality and relevance of research work "Made in Germany" is obviously highly rated by the international science community. The German approach to science in which quality comes before quantity pays off in the long term.

An example for "International Careers made in Germany" of a completely different kind is that of the managing director Norio Ohga of the Sony company, who decided to locate Sony's European headquarters in Germany's capital Berlin. One of the reasons for his decision was to express his reverence to his host town where he laid the foundation of his career as an opera singer (after graduating from the music college of Berlin and before joining Sony).

When mentioning Sony one should stress that Germany offers rich research opportunities in all disciplines of applied sciences, making Germany one of the frontrunners in advanced technologies and engineering in general along with USA and Japan. A symbiosis of academic research and practical output that works: All important engineering disciplines find their direct practical application in corresponding companies which often belong to the world leaders in their field of activity, e. g. automotive engineering (Mercedes Benz, BMW), chemical engineering and chemistry (Bayer, BASF), electrical and communication engineering (Siemens, ABB) and in particular numerous SME`s in the field of mechanical engineering.

But by spending some time in the country a foreign scholar, post doc or future Ph.D. student will discover that Germany has much more to offer than fully equipped laboratories and workshops, data banks, computer facilities etc. A first impression of Germany beyond science and technology may be obtained by visiting the German Cultural Institute (Goethe Institute) in Bangkok (also the location of the DAAD-Study Information Centre!). The high standard of Germany in the humanities, arts, music, fine arts etc. is reflected here by a well assorted library covering all the non-technical aspects. The rich cultural environment typical for Germany (of which the Cultural Institute can only give a first impression) makes a big difference from many other countries, which are important in science and technology. To work in a high tech laboratory during daytime and to listen to one of the world's finest orchestras at night is an experience foreign scholars dream about even after they have returned to their home countries for many years. Or you may spend your day studying sources at university libraries where philosophers as Heidegger, Adorno and Habermas once worked and develop new ideas at night, together with department colleagues and supported by excellent German white wine. Such informal gathering often results in long term scientific co-operations - and lifelong friendships.