Avicenna Studienwerk is the youngest of the 13 scholarship granting institutions recognised by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in Germany. It supports talented and socially engaged Muslim students and doctoral candidates from all fields by awarding merit-based scholarships. The goal of the program is to comprehensively support high-achieving and socially engaged students.

History

Avicenna Studienwerk is a joint initiative by Beschir Hussain and Matthias Meyer. Both were recipients of full scholarships being awarded to the top 1% of students in Germany. They recognised the need for supporting gifted Muslim students and doctoral candidates and developed the idea of establishing a foundation that awards highly gifted Muslim students in Germany. Together with Prof. Dr. Bülent Uçar, they set up the profile and structure of the foundation.

The Mercator Foundation provided institutional support during the establishment and consolidation phases. With the admission of the first scholars, the original vision of the founders was realised. Simultaneously, a new chapter was opened: The future history of the Avicenna Scholarship Program is being written by the scholars themselves.

Avicenna is the Latinised name of the Muslim polymath Ibn Sīnā, whose contributions are synonymous with academic excellence, liberal philosophy, pluralism, and taking responsibility for one’s fellow human beings. The foundation of his success lay in his curiosity and his ability to integrate knowledge from different languages and cultures. Ibn Sina’s outstanding work, “The Canon of Medicine,” is a foundational text in the field of medicine and had a lasting impact in Europe until the 18th century. Ibn Sina is considered one of the most significant figures responsible for the transmission of ancient and Arabic knowledge to Europe.

For more information, please visit the website: www.avicenna-studienwerk.de