Avicenna-Studienwerk

What Avicenna-Studienwerk does

Avicenna-Studienwerk e.V. is a non-profit registered association (eingetragener Verein) founded in 2013 and headquartered in Osnabrück, Germany. It is the youngest of the 13 Begabtenförderungswerke recognized by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), and the only one explicitly designated to support academically gifted Muslim students and doctoral candidates across all disciplines at German universities. Its core offerings are three interlocking programmes: Studienförderung (monthly stipend up to €855 plus €300 study allowance for students), Promotionsförderung (€1,650 monthly stipend plus €100 research allowance for doctoral candidates), and an Ideelles Förderprogramm delivered through three thematic clusters covering academic excellence, faith engagement, and societal responsibility, supplemented by 15 regional groups, an annual Avicenna-Akademie, the Calamus magazine, an international stipend programme, a Graduate College in cooperation with three German universities, and the annual Avicenna-Preis.

The underlying technology is intentionally modest: a WordPress-based website hosted by IONOS SE, a Mailchimp newsletter, an online Bewerbungsportal with semi-annual application cycles (1 April and 1 October), and social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and X. There are no proprietary AI/ML systems, APIs, or SDKs; the platform serves as a basic scholarship administration and community-engagement layer rather than a technology product.

The business model is non-commercial. Avicenna-Studienwerk receives the majority of its funding from the BMBF (channeled through the standard Begabtenförderungswerke framework) and supplements this with private donations and project-specific grants from foundations such as Stiftung Mercator. It operates a separate Stiftung arm to accept donations. The go-to-market is community-led: recruitment depends on word-of-mouth, regional groups, events such as the Sommerakademie der Begabtenförderungswerke (~200 participants), and endorsements from Federal Presidents Steinmeier and Gauck. Governance is by an elected board chaired by Prof. Dr. Dr. Rauf Ceylan, with Prof. Dr. Hacı-Halil Uslucan as deputy.

Name

Avicenna-Studienwerk

Legal name

Avicenna-Studienwerk e.V.

Website

https://avicenna-studienwerk.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Avicenna-Studienwerk e.V. is a German non-profit scholarship foundation, founded 2013 in Osnabrück and recognized by the BMBF, that provides financial and ideological support to academically gifted Muslim students and doctoral candidates as the youngest of Germany's 13 Begabtenförderungswerke.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scholarship Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (8132)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Foundation/NGO & Philanthropic Scholarships (EDAIAOAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Degree-Level Scholarships (Undergrad/Masters/PhD/Postdoc) (EDAIAOAE), Research Grants, Fellowships & Stipends (International) (EDAIAOAJ), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• Scholarship programs
• Talent development
• Academic funding
• Doctoral fellowships
• Student sponsorship

Headquarters

HQ city

Osnabrück

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. BMBF Funding: Primary funding from the Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (Federal Ministry of Education and Research), which supports all 13 GermanBegabtenförderungswerke (talent support organizations).
2. Private Donations: Additional funding from private donors and supporters. The organization has a foundation (Stiftung) arm that accepts donations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Avicenna-Studienwerk operates as a scholarship foundation providing financial and non-material support to academically talented Muslim students and doctoral candidates at German universities. Core offerings include monthly stipends (up to €855 basic + €300 study allowance for students; €1,650 basic + €100 research allowance for doctoral candidates) along with non-material support programs across three thematic clusters (academic excellence, faith engagement, societal responsibility) delivered through advising, academies, seminars, and a network of 15 regional groups across Germany.

Product overview

Avicenna-Studienwerk e.V. operates as a scholarship foundation (Studienwerk) for academically talented Muslim students and doctoral candidates in Germany. The core offering consists of three interconnected support programmes: the Studienförderung for undergraduate/graduate students (providing up to €855 basic stipend plus €300 study allowance), Promotionsförderung for doctoral candidates (€1,650 basic stipend), and the Ideelles Förderprogramm providing non-material support through advising, seminars, academies, and networking across three thematic clusters. Supplementary services include 15 regional groups, the Avicenna-Akademie annual intensive programme, the interdisciplinary Calamus magazine, the annual Avicenna-Preis award, the Karriereförderprogramm for women in partnership with Cusanuswerk, and a cooperative Graduiertenkolleg with three German universities. An online Bewerbungsportal manages applications with semi-annual deadlines.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Studienförderung (Study Support Programme)

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly stipend up to 1,452 EUR for students (855 basic + 300 study costs + health insurance + family allowances)
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Universität OsnabrückmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Three-university consortium partnership for the Graduiertenkolleg (Graduate College) 'Themenfelder der Praktischen Theologie des Islam' (PTI). Joint doctoral program with six PhD positions over three years.
• Muslimische Akademie Heidelberg e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Cooperation partner for the Sommerakademie seminar 'Grüner Islam? Zum Verhältnis von Religion und Umwelt' (Green Islam? On the Relationship of Religion and Environment).
• Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich StudienwerkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Jewish scholarship organization. Co-organized the event 'Antimuslimischer Rassismus und Antisemitismus – Verflechtungen, Konkurrenzen, Solidaritäten' with Jüdisches Museum Berlin.
• Jüdisches Museum BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partner in the joint event on anti-Muslim racism and antisemitism, providing venue and expertise.
• CusanuswerkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCatholic scholarship organization that runs the Karriereförderprogramm für Frauen (Career Development Program for Women) of the Begabtenförderungswerke. Avicenna participates with its scholarship holders.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung: Left-affiliated political foundation with a scholarship programme for German and international students. Comparable scholarship delivery model, federal co-funding arrangements, and ideological education components.
• Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung: Bavarian conservative foundation with a substantial scholarship programme for German students. Comparable in operating as a multi-purpose foundation with an embedded student scholarship arm, and in being a recognized BMBF-supported talent organization.
• Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung: Social-democratic political foundation with an extensive scholarship programme for German and international students. Comparable scholarship infrastructure and public-benefit mission, though with a political rather than religious alignment.
• Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung: Green-affiliated political foundation operating a large scholarship programme for German and international students. Directly comparable in funding sources (public + private), scholarship model, and ideological support programming.
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung: Conservative-affiliated political foundation that runs a major student scholarship programme comparable in structure to the Begabtenförderungswerke. Much larger endowment and broader mandate but overlapping scholarship delivery and ideological support model.
• Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes: The largest and oldest of the 13 Begabtenförderungswerke, providing merit-based scholarships to top students regardless of faith or politics. Comparable in operating model and federal recognition but operates at vastly greater scale and serves a much broader constituency.

Others

• Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD): Germany's national agency for international academic exchange and the largest scholarship organization in the country. Comparable in administering scholarships for German and international students, but operates at vastly greater scale with a primarily international focus rather than faith-specific domestic scholarships.
• Stiftung Mercator: Major German private foundation that has directly funded Avicenna programmes (Avicenna-Akademie 2022, Doctoral Colloquium). Comparable as a private grantmaking organization supporting education, but functions as a funder/partner rather than a peer scholarship organization.

Direct peers

• Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk (ELES): Jewish scholarship organization and one of the 13 Begabtenförderungswerke in Germany. Most directly comparable to Avicenna as a faith-based talent support foundation serving a specific religious community, with a near-identical funding model and programmatic structure.
• Cusanuswerk: Catholic-affiliated scholarship organization and a fellow Begabtenförderungswerk. Directly comparable in terms of federal recognition, scholarship structure, and ideological support programming — Avicenna already collaborates with Cusanuswerk on the Karriereförderprogramm für Frauen.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AvicennaDE
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/avicennastudienwerk
• Facebookfacebook.com/AvicennaStudienwerk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/avicenna-studienwerk
• Instagraminstagram.com/avicennastudienwerk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Avicenna-Studienwerk