Grants for the funding of young scientists during the completion and wrap-up phase of the doctorate

Doctoral candidates of all disciplines at the TU Dresden who are members of the Graduate Academy.

Note on the application deadline 31^st March 2022:

• New eligible funding period: 1^st September 2023 to 30^th June 2024 (funding period: maximum 3 months)
• If you are granted a scholarship, please note that a postponement of the funding period is only possible within the eligible period (September 2023 - June 2024).

For a scholarship grant awarded from 1^st March 2024 to 31^st December 2024, applications should be submitted by 30^th September 2023.

Membership at the Graduate Academy:
Your GA-membership will be administered by Promovendus from September 2020 onwards. You can log in to Promovendus via your ZIH login. If you are already a member of the Graduate Academy, you can find the information related to your GA-membership directly on the start page of your Promovendus file. The reference number of your Graduate Academy membership is also listed here.

If you are not yet a member of the Graduate Academy, please follow the instructions of Promovendus for membership. Further information can be found on the website of the Graduate Academy. If you have any questions, we will be happy to support you!

You cannot apply if you will be employed as a research assistant (for 19 hours per week), hold an employment relationship or receive funding from another institution (such as private funding institutions, industry) during the requested period of funding.

Please note that you can be supported with maximum one GA short-term scholarship during your qualification phase. Thus, should you have already been supported with a bridging grant, you are no longer eligible to apply for a completion and wrap-up grant.

Grants during the completion phase of a doctorate are intended for doctoral candidates in the final phase of their PhD that are lacking funding for the "final spurt". Funding can be applied for the submission of the thesis as well as for the preparatory stage for the viva voce/thesis defense. The monthly scholarship rate amounts to 1,365.00 EUR plus a family allowance if applicable.

Grants during the completion and wrap-up phase of a doctorate offer support for up to two months after the successful doctoral graduation in order to publish scientific results, to participate in conferences as well as to prepare an application for a postdoctoral position. With reference to the funding regulations for the German Research Foundation the monthly stipend after the defense of the doctorate amounts to 1,750.00 EUR. An additional family allowance (if applicable) might complete the monthly stipend. Please pay attention to the fact that the wrap-up phase of the doctorate has to take place at TU Dresden. The completion of the wrap-up phase at e. g. a non-university research institution will not be funded. Please note that when applying for a scholarship for the final and follow-up phase of the doctorate, at least one funding month must be requested for the final phase (i.e. before the intended defence). Applications that only refer to the follow-up phase cannot be considered.

Your supervising professor is the primary supervisor, who is officially responsible for you during your doctorate and who signed the supervision agreement.

No, this is not possible. Funding during the completion and wrap-up phase of a doctorate can be granted up to a maximum of three months. It is up to the applicant's requirements for which phase of the doctorate he/she will apply. For example it is possible to apply for funding for two months till submission of the thesis and for an additional funding month after submisson of the thesis. It is also possible to apply for two months to prepare for the thesis defense and for one month after having sucessfully passed the defense in order to wrap-up the scientific results. Important: The requested funding months should be taken "in one piece", it is not scheduled to pause during the funding period. Please note that the maximum funding period during the wrap-up phase (after the thesis defense/rigorosum) is of maximum two months.
 

The selection takes place by the executive committee of the Graduate Academy on the basis of the application handed in. Based on the committee decision, the director of the Graduate Academy authorizes the grants. The grants are performance-based fundings and have to go through a competitive selection process. The main selection criteria are: qualification of the applicant (academic performance, publications, prizes/awards), quality of the research project and of the letters of recommendation as well as life circumstances (social criteria: e. g. children, family members in need of care).
Please note: a fundamental legal right to claim funding within this funding program does not exist.

No, the grants are not subject to social insurance contribution, as 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. It is the grant holder's sole responsibility to arrange for all his/her necessary personal and property insurances. Financial assistance in case of illness, or contributions to health insurance cannot be granted.

No, because the grants do not constitute an employment relationship, your health is not insured via the Graduate Academy. 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 nor a third party liability insurance. We therefore highly recommend you to arrange for those insurances as well.

A sideline activity of up to 10 hours/week is possible. The sideline activity has always to be reported to the Graduate Academy.

Yes, during your PhD phase you can apply for various funding programs the Graduate Academy offers. For instance, you can apply both for the travel award and for funding during the completion and wrap-up phase of your PhD.
Nevertheless please note that as a rule, members of the Graduate Academy can only be funded with one short-term scholarship und up to three mobility grants per qualification phase (doctorate/postdoc).

No, it is not possible to receive a scholarship (short- or long-term) or a mobility grant (short-term research stay/summer/winter school abroad) of the Graduate Academy/TU Dresden during parental leave. The payment of any scholarship rests during parental leave. In case of pregnancy, the payment of the scholarship will continue during the maternity protection period according to the Maternity Protection Law and after the end of the parental leave. The interruption during that time will not be charged on the length of the scholarship. Applications for Travel Awards are possible only if such an attendance during your maternity/parental leave is compatible with the guidelines of the scholarship provider or your employer. It is absolutely necessary to ask in advance and before submitting your application, if your donor allows or supports such travels.

As a Graduate Academy grant holder you are obliged to inform the Graduate Academy about all personal and economic changes that are relevant for the amount of your funding. Especially income changes may lead to a reduction of the amount of funding you will receive. If you receive a Completion and Wrap-Up Grant, you must hand in your membership application as a postdoc (in Promovendus) after successful disputation. In addition, the Graduate Academy requires you to hand in a final report (max. five pages) after the funding has expired. For more information, please consult our general guidelines on writing a final report.

Within the forms “1^st Letter of Recommendation” as well as “2^nd Letter of Recommendation” the academic supervisor*, who has to fill out the recommendation letter, is requested to evaluate the academic performance of his/her doctoral candidate. Thereby the supervisor can choose between "Exceptional", "Above Average", "Average" and "No assessment possible“. This represents a subjective decision of the supervisor and should not be related to the ECTS-Grade or the ranking lists of the examination office (e.g., ranking position within the course of study in the final year).

*The “1^st Letter of Recommendation” has be filled out in general by your first academic supervisor or young investigator, who signed the supervision agreement and is also your main supervisor in accordance to the confirmation of acceptance by the doctoral office. The 2^nd Letter of Recommendation can be submitted by a further academic supervisor, researcher at postdoctoral level or a junior research group leader.