ESF Plus PhD Scholarship Program

Eligible are:

• all prospective doctoral candidates at TU Dresden, provided that the doctoral thesis topic meets the above criteria.
• Doctoral students of the TU Dresden, if the funding serves the continuation of the scientific research after a family-related interruption (at least six months)

Not eligible are:

• Individuals, who have already been employed for at least three years as junior researchers in a junior researcher, junior research group or REACT research group funded by the ESF/ESF Plus. This does not include SHK/WHK activities in one of the above-mentioned research groups.
• Individuals, who have already received other doctoral funding before submitting their application (doctoral scholarships from organisations for the promotion of the gifted, foundations, state funding programmes, DAAD, etc.). This does not include those who fulfil the conditions for projects to reconcile family and academic career.
• for Federal innovation doctorates: Individuals, who already started the PhD project (Please note: The acceptance as a doctoral candidate at the respective faculty is considered as the official start of the PhD. At the time of application, no acceptance at the faculty may have taken place.)

Highly eligible are PhD projects:

• are practice-oriented or interdisciplinary research,
• involve the development of competencies in the field of the European Green Deal,
• include the development of competences in the field of digitisation
• are realised by women in the MINT or KI fields or
• are based in the cultural field.

If the planned projects inclusiv special measures contribute to the implementation of the ESF Plus-Grundsatzes Nachhaltige Entwicklung , these will also be considered in the evaluation. (further informationen  Hinweise zur Erstellung der Vorhabenbeschreibung

The application documents can only be submitted in German or with a sworn translation in German (exceptions: the letter of recommendation and the last university certificate).

• SAB cover sheet*
  Submission of the SAB application cover sheet digitally with all other application documents via e-mail AND additionally in original (paper format!) to the Graduate Academy
• Curriculum vitae incl. publication list, previous teaching activities and scientific career
• Copy of the last university certificate and, if applicable, a current transcript of grades (in case of a certificate in a foreign language, a certified English translation must be attached)
• Outline of the research project incl. work plan and time schedule
• Annex 1*: Statement of reasons for the specific eligibility and relevance of the research project
• Letter of Recommendation* to be submitted by the potential supervising professor or young investigator at TU Dresden with whom the supervision agreement was/will be signed.
• Annex 2* for Federal innovation doctorates & Doctorates improving the reconcilability of family and scientific career: Justification by the potential supervising professor or young investigator at TU Dresden regarding the special interest of the Free State of Saxony in the research topic and the expected effects on the Saxon labour market.

• Annex 3* for Industry-sponsored doctorates: Letter of intent of co-financing by the involved third party (at least 850 EUR/month) together with confirmation of the requirement for the cooperation agreement that may follow at a later date

• In the case of plans to reconcile family and academic career: Proof of family-related interruption (birth certificate, parental allowance certificate)
• If appliciable: statements on the family situation
  • Copy of the children's birth certificate
  • Copy of the child benefit statement or certificate from the residents' registration office that the child(ren) live(s) in the same household as the applicant.
  • Proof of special additional workload (e.g. due to family members requiring care)

* These documents are available as downloads on the program website.

All documents which have to be handed in with the application are listed also on the respective call. Thus, we kindly ask you to carefully read through the Program description. 

When completing the SAB cover sheet, there are some peculiarities to which we would like to refer:

• The "type of doctorate" is compulsory to choose (Federal innovation doctorates, cooperative doctorate procedure, Doctorates improving the reconcilability of scientific career and family, Industry-sponsored doctorates).
• The topic of the doctoral thesis must be written in German, even if you are doing a PhD in English. As a general rule, the entire application for an ESF scholarship must be submitted in German. There are two exceptions: the last university certificate may be in English as well as the letter of recommendation.
• The "deadline/Stichtag" to be entered is not the application deadline of the Graduate Academy, but the date on which the applications have to be submitted to the SAB. Please use the appropriate "Stichtag" according to the call for applications on this website. 
• "Dauer des Vorhabens"/Duration of the project: This means the funding period you are applying for your PhD project. Please mind the respective earliest start of funding in accordance with the call for applications (usually the 1st of July of the following year). A maximum of three years can be applied for (48 months) - the time and work schedule must be set in the exposé according to this funding period. The grant ends with the submission of the dissertation, not with the defense. As a general rule, funding always starts on the first day of the month (not at the middle or end of the month) and expires at the end of a month, e.g., for a 48-months grant: 01.07.2023 - 30.06.2027.
• Requested grant: Please enter here the total amount of EUR resulting from the monthly grant  (EUR 1,700 or EUR 850 for industry doctorares) multiplied with the requested funding period, e.g. 48 months x EUR 1,700 EUR = EUR 81,600.
• Further PhD funding: If you have received funding for your doctoral project before applying (e.g., a scholarship or employment contract during the doctoral period), you are no longer eligible to apply for the ESF program. An exception here is solely the form "doctorates improving the reconcilability of scientific career and family", where it is allowed to start the PhD project before a family-related interruption. For all other forms a previous start of the doctorate in the ESF program is not permitted or not fundable within the program!
• Signatures:
  • Applicants must sign twice the cover page (1st page and on the 2nd page). The cover sheet must be stamped next to the signature of the supervising professor (e.g., institute stamp)
  • For cooperative doctorate procedure and industry-sponsored doctorates signatures and stamps of the other persons or companies in charge are required as well on page 2.
• In the case of the form "doctorates improving the reconcilability of scientific career and family", details of the family-related interruption must be entered completely on page 2.
• Appendix/Anlage on page 2: Please note that all additional documents, which are listed in the respective call for applications on this website, have to be submitted to the Graduate Academy together with the cover sheet in due time.

Important: In addition to the electronic submission, the SAB cover sheet must also be submitted in original to the Graduate Academy in time, with all original, handwritten signatures and the stamp of the supervisor.

You can start already with your PhD project the day the SAB received your application. But the applicant is responsible for the risk that his:her application is rejected. We recommend to wait for the response of the EPC if your application could be forwarded to the SAB or if your application could not be considered.

The eligibility of doctoral scholarships reconciling scientific work and family requires the resumption of the scientific work “directly” after the end of the parental leave. Taking up paid work to secure the livelihood between the actual end of the parental leave and the actual start of the scholarship is permissible. However it is not permitted to resume working on the doctoral thesis in this transitional period (between the end of parental leave and the start of ESF funding). Any infringement will harm the grant. The supervising professor has to confirm that the work on the doctoral thesis has not been resumed after the completion of the parental leave.

Considering the funding conditions of the directive (point II. A. 4.) there is initially no exclusion of doctoral projects.

However, according to the SMWK, funding a PhD during the undergraduate medical studies is excluded: according to II.A.6.a) of the ESF guideline of the SMWK, the doctoral candidates have to use the funding period mainly for the research project in the context of the doctorate. At the same time, full-time study and doctoral studies are not compatible within the scope of the ESF-funded projects.

The selection of applicants for an ESF PhD scholarship takes place in a two-stage selection process. The prioritisation of the submitted funding applications is carried out by the Executive Board of the Graduate Academy on behalf of the Rectorate of TU Dresden. After successful prioritisation, the applications will be submitted to the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB) by the European Project Center (EPC). After evaluation by the SAB and the Sächsische Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft, Kultur und Tourismus (SMWK), the European Project Center (EPC)is responsible for the administration of the funded doctorates.

The ESF-scholarships are awarded in a competitive process. The criteria are:

• qualification of the applicant (academic performance, publications, prizes/awards)
• quality of the letter of recommendation and the
• gender parity in participation
• completeness and timely submission of application documents

A fundamental legal right to claim funding within the ESF PhD scholarship program does not exist.

Please note: A special consideration is given in the selection process to the criteria for PhD projects stated in the call for applications (see also FAQ - Question 2). Moreover the draft of the research project has to be sufficiently explained and in a comprehensible form.

As a grant holder you are obliged to register as a member at the Graduate Academy, as far as you are not already a member at the start of the grant. Furthermore, ESF-awardees have to submit every six months a progress report to the EPC. If any cooperation partners are involved in your PhD project they do also have to sign this report. Further information can be found in your letter of award.
The funding authority is entitled to reduce the funding in an amount of a monthly rate, if the awardee does not yield the required qualification measures. A source and disposition statement has to be submitted to the funding authority within two months’ time after the funding has expired. The funding authority is entitled to keep the last monthly rate (final installment) and to pay it out after proving the source and disposition statement.

Yes, during the funding period further qualification measures have to be yield. The grant holders should improve their personal potentials and knowledge about equality. Participation in the field of equality is mandatory. In addition, participation in one of the fields teaching, social competences and project management is required. In the field of teaching, the scope for teaching hours should not exceed two semester hours per week.

Yes, sideline activities are permitted during the funding period up to a maximum of ten hours per week. The gainful employment should not affect the progress of the PhD project.

No, the grants are not subject to social insurance contribution, because according to § 3 Nr. 44 Income Tax Act (EStG) they are exempt from taxation. Reception of the grant does not constitute an employment relationship and thus does not represent a payment according to § 14 Social Insurance Code (SGB) IV. As a result, the funding is not subject to social insurance contribution. It is the grant holder's sole responsibility to arrange for all her necessary personal and property insurances. Financial assistance in case of illness or contributions to health insurance cannot be granted.
In regards to industry-sponsored doctoral projects please contact the Graduate Academy.

No, because the grants do not constitute an employment relationship, your health is not insured via the TU Dresden. As it is obligatory to be sufficiently health insured, it is your own responsibility to procure a health insurance and cover its costs. Neither does the grant include an accident or third party liability insurance. We therefore highly recommend you arrange for those insurances as well.
In regards to industry-sponsored doctoral projects please contact the Graduate Academy.

As far as the funding authority upon individually consultation agrees and the respective terms and conditions of the GA-funding program are met, you are allowed to apply for the offered funding programs of the Graduate Academy.