STEM & Enterprise LAUNCH

In 2025, the STEM LAUNCH program spans up to 14 days and includes visits to Berlin and the city of Rostock. Both cities boast a variety of research and career opportunities while allowing for a complementary experience in Germany’s capital and one of its dynamic regional centers. During the study tour, participants visit leading research institutions, start-ups, SMEs, corporations, and universities. Additionally, they interact with decision makers at the federal, state, and municipal levels to gain exclusive insights into how German politics and society are shaped. Cultural immersion experiences round off the program and allow for insights into everyday life in Germany.

The program also aims to strengthen the existing sister city relationships between Rostock and Raleigh, NC as well as Berlin and Los Angeles, CA. As such, students and faculty at HBCUs in both Raleigh, GA and Los Angeles, CA are especially encouraged to apply to the program and strengthen ties between their respective sister cities.

• Student applicants must be enrolled at an HBCU in the United States at the time of application (undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral students are accepted)
• Fields eligible to participate include sciences, technical fields, engineering, mathematics, architecture, and various business fields (international business, marketing, finance, etc.).
• Student applicants must indicate how program participation could benefit their future personal and professional goals
• Student applicants must indicate how they envision their future roles to further positively impact German-U.S. relations
• Student applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0
• No prior German language knowledge is required

• Faculty applicants must be instructors, assistant professors, or full professors at an HBCU at the time of application and must actively be teaching in one of the following areas: sciences, technical fields, engineering, mathematics, architecture, and various business fields (international business, marketing, finance, etc.).
• Faculty applicants must indicate how program participation may benefit their future personal and professional goals
• Faculty applicants must indicate how they envision their participation will help to increase international mobility, preferably to Germany, for students at HBCUs in the future
• No prior German language knowledge is required

The fee to participate in the STEM LAUNCH program is $2,500. 

The program fee covers flights from a central departure point in the U.S., accommodations in Germany, all transportation within Germany, meetings with STEM, business, and political contacts in Germany, cultural immersion and historical excursions, and meals during the program. The majority of program costs are covered by a generous grant by the Transatlantic Program of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs & Climate Action.

Cultural Vistas developed an earlier version of the STEM LAUNCH program, which has been administered since 2013. Between 2013 and 2023, the program was partially funded by The Halle Foundation.