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Funding for Doctoral Researchers

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Doctoral Scholarships

Various foundations in Germany award doctoral scholarships. Prior to an application, we can give you advice on finding the right funding programme and the right foundation for you. An overview of the 13 foundations that cooperate in the "Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Begabtenförderungswerke der Bundesrepublik Deutschland" and that are supported by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) can be found under https://www.stipendiumplus.de (in German only), together with helpful information for an application. In the following, we list the individual foundations (all links in German only):


There are also a number of scholarship programmes at the University of Siegen to support doctoral projects:

  • HYT Young Academy 
    Through the HYT Young Academy, the University of Siegen awards five scholarships each semester across all faculties to excellent doctoral students from Siegen who are at the beginning of their doctoral project. All further information can be found here.
  • ZESS Scholarships ("Smart Sensing") 
    ZESS, an interdisciplinary research center of the Faculty of Science and Technology on the topic of "Multimodal Sensing/Imaging Systems", awards scholarships to excellent doctoral candidates in the field of "Smart Sensing". The scholarship is initially awarded for one year. If a promising report is submitted, the duration will be extended by one additional year at a time. In special cases, an extension beyond the regular funding period of 3 years is possible. Further information can be found here.
  • Graduation Funding for Doctoral Researchers at the University of Siegen 
    For narrowly defined exceptional and social hardship cases, in which the doctorate could not be completed within the scope of employment through no fault of the candidate, funds are not available for continued employment at the relevant chair despite intensive efforts and the doctorate is close to completion, the University of Siegen can award completion grants of EUR 1,200 per month for a maximum period of six months. Further information can be obtained from the House of Young Talents (contact: Linda Hilkenbach).
  • Graduation Funding for Doctoral Researchers at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities
    To support doctoral researchers in the final phase of their doctorate, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities awards completion scholarships. Eligible applicants are doctoral researchers shortly before finishing their dissertation; funding is provided to enable completion of the doctorate with a monthly scholarship of EUR 1,500 (plus a possible family allowance) for a maximum duration of one year. Applications can be submitted annually between June 1 and June 30. Further information is available here.
  • Transitional Funding for Female Doctoral and Habilitation Candidates 
    The University of Siegen can grant transitional funding to female doctoral and habilitation candidates for the completion of a doctoral or habilitation project if it can be proven that all other funding options have been exhausted and the completion of the project is realistic within the given time. For more information on the application and procedure, please contact the Equal Opportunities Office at the University of Siegen.


Further Financial Support

  • Internal University Support for Conference Travel (HiFF) 
    The Internal University Research Funding (HiFF) supports conference travel for doctoral researchers provided that the applicant contributes to the conference with their own work (e.g. a presentation or a poster). Funding is only feasible if no alternative sources of funding are available. Further information can be found here.
  • Travel Grants and Funding for Stays Abroad
    An important activity during doctoral and postdoctoral studies is research travel and participation in scientific meetings to build networks. Information on travel grants and funding for stays abroad is available here:
    German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
    FAZIT-STIFTUNG (in German)
    Financial support for young scientists of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Siegen 
    For general advice and support with your application, please contact Dr. Nina Fenn at the International Office.
  • Printing Subsidies 
    In many research areas, it is common to publish the dissertation in book form, which usually incurs costs. Electronic publication may be a cost-effective alternative. However, there are a few organisations that support dissertation printing with grants:
    FAZIT-STIFTUNG (in German)
    Geschwister Boehringer Ingelheim Stiftung für Geisteswissenschaften (in German)


Funding Search Services

There are a number of free search services and funding databases that allow you to conduct a specialised search for further funding opportunities and scholarships, not only for doctoral candidates, but also for postdocs and junior professors, such as:

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