Exchange Programmes

Once a year, journalists from Southern Africa and Germany have the opportunity to work in the respect host country at a medium of their choice and at the same time produce stories for their home editorial office. The programme aims to create publicity for Africa as a continent of opportunity as well as for German-African issues. In addition, the programme would like to be a platform for the many exciting and important stories that are waiting to finally be told.

Exploring the diversity of Latin America and establishing a long-term interest in the region – that is the purpose of the German-Latin American Programme. It is aimed at young, talented journalists between the ages of 25 and 38 who already know Latin America or have a thorough interest in this region of the world.

The Arthur F. Burns Programme was founded in 1988 in order to strengthen German journalists’ understanding of the USA and transatlantic relations. Since 1990, it has been an exchange programme between the two countries. In 2013, the programme was extended to also include Canadian journalists.

The German-Asian Programme was founded in 1995 at the suggestion of the Federal Foreign Office on the occasion of the “Asia-Europe Summit” in Bangkok. For many years, journalists from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the countries of Southeast Asia were supported.

In 2023, due to geopolitical considerations and the new focus of German economic and security policy, a scholarship project exclusively for Japan will be organised for the first time.

Reporting on climate and energy issues is at the heart of the German-Central Eastern European Programme. Founded in 2018, the programme is the first IJP fellowship to focus on climate – one of the biggest global challenges.

The German-Eastern European Programme was founded and named after the publicist Marion Gräfin Dönhoff in 2001. The fellowship gives young journalists from Germany and Eastern Europe the opportunity to gain a personal impression of current political, economic and cultural developments and backgrounds, as well as of everyday life in the host country.

The German-Dutch Fellowship Programme was founded in 1994 and was thus IJP’s second international exchange programme. It has been organised jointly with the Dutch partners at JDN (Journalistenstipendium Duitsland Nederland) for many years.

The German-Northern European Programme sees itself as a forum for dialogue between the five Nordic and three Baltic states and Germany. The programme thrives on the fact that Germans’ interest in the political systems and social developments in Northern Europe remains high. At the same time, Northern Europeans and Balts are increasingly interested in Germany – as a major trading partner, but also as a cultural and political driving force.

The German-Polish Fellowship Programme has a strong focus on reporting about climate and energy topics. Fellows of this programme receive detailed insights into the topic area and thus have the opportunity to specialize in their career.

A total of ten journalists from Germany and Poland are given the opportunity each year to participate in the fellowship programme. They are invited to pursue a cross-national research project related to climate or energy issues during their fellowship period.

Through the German-South Eastern European Fellowship Programme, up to ten journalists from Germany, Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia have the opportunity each year to spend up to eight weeks reporting on climate and energy issues from their host country. During that time, they will get to know the host country better, establish contacts with local journalists and expand their professional network.

The German-Turkish Fellowship Programme was founded in 2006 in close cooperation with the Mercator Foundation. Up to ten journalists in total from Turkey and Germany can participate in this two-month exchange. Due to the security situation, German fellows have not been sent to Turkey for several years. Instead, they have the opportunity to work in tandem with their Turkish colleagues on a joint journalistic project.

Every year, the IJP George Weidenfeld Fellowship gives British and German journalists the opportunity to gain work experience in the respective host country. By taking part in the day-to-day of a newsroom, the participants get valuable insights into the way the media works differently in Germany and the UK.

Brexit has intensified the significance of this programme since its inception in 1995, making a journalistic exchange between the two countries even more important.

The Ernst Cramer & Teddy Kollek Programme was launched in 2004 after a series of popular alumni research tours to Israel and Lebanon. Within the framework of this project, IJP wants to contribute to a dialogue between media partners in a region particularly affected by conflict, while inviting journalists from the Middle East to exchange ideas with their German colleagues.

Within the framework of the Middle East Programme, which was founded in 2005, IJP fosters a dialogue between media partners in this region, which has been particularly affected by conflict. Journalists from Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Palestine are invited to exchange experiences and ideas with their German colleagues.