Short-Term Scholarships

What is funded?

Funding is provided in the form of scholarships that support interim or final phases of doctoral projects. This includes support for

• research topics that have already been initiated,
• interim or final funding for intensive writing phases.

Who is eligible?

All doctoral candidates who have already been admitted to one of the doctoral programs of the Doctoral School NRW are eligible to apply.

As part of its gender equality strategy, the Doctoral School NRW additionally awards short-term scholarships specifically aimed at supporting female doctoral candidates.

Funding Amount

The monthly funding amount is 1,500 euros. The maximum funding duration under this scholarship is six months. The funding period may begin no earlier than September 2025 and must end by the end of February 2026. Doctoral candidates at the Doctoral School NRW may be awarded this type of funding up to two times..

The support is a scholarship within the meaning of § 3 No. 44 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG).

Funding Conditions

Employment during the scholarship period is generally permitted but must be declared. Employment may not exceed the scope of a 50% position. If employment is sought after the scholarship has been awarded, this must be reported immediately, even if the scope is below a 50% appointment.

A funding acknowledgment must be included both in the dissertation and in any resulting publications and presentations, provided that the scholarship contributed to the publication or the dissertation.

Application

Scholarships are awarded only upon application; doctoral candidates submit their applications directly to the Doctoral School NRW. The application consists of the following documents:

• Completed application form, including a sworn declaration of current income and previous funding for the doctoral project;
• Motivation letter (maximum one page);
• Exposé: description of the current state of the doctoral project (maximum five pages excluding appendices);
• A comprehensible work and time plan (as an appendix to the exposé);
• Tabular curriculum vitae;
• A letter of recommendation and support from an academic supervisor of the Doctoral School NRW.

If necessary, the administrative office may retrieve additional formal information via KISS (e.g., certificate of enrollment, degree certificate).

Additional documents may be requested in the respective call for applications.

Only applications requesting a funding period beginning no earlier than September 2025 and ending by the end of February 2026 can be considered. Incomplete applications cannot be considered.

Applications may be submitted to the administrative office of the Doctoral School NRW in Bochum as well as by e-mail to David Ewald (david.ewald@pknrw.de) by August 19, 2025.

All submitted applications are first reviewed for formal correctness. Subsequently, the applications are evaluated by the Financial Funding Committee for Doctoral Candidates of the Doctoral School NRW, which consists of academic representatives from various departments. The selection of scholarship recipients is based exclusively on the submitted application documents. The final decision on the allocation of scholarships is made by the Executive Board of the Doctoral School NRW on the recommendation of the Financial Funding Committee.