Universität Hamburg Germany PhD Fellowships 2014

State Graduate Funding Program at Universität Hamburg

Since 1983, graduate funding at the institutions of higher education has been financed through state subsidy. Universität Hamburg receives funding in an amount that allows it to fund sixty-two doctoral students. As part of the State Graduate Funding Program, Universität Hamburg awards doctoral scholarships or stipends every semester in accordance with the Hamburg Graduate Student Financial Assistance and Support Act for Scholars and Artists (Hamburgisches Gesetz zur Förderung des wissenschaftlichen und künstlerischen Nachwuchses, HmbNFG), for which doctoral students from every department except medicine may apply. It is required that the university degree has been completed with above average grades and that the doctorate is supervised at Universität Hamburg.

Information for applicants

 Who can receive a doctoral scholarship or stipend?

A doctoral scholarship or stipend requires the successful completion of academic studies with above-average grades and that the doctorate is supervised at Universität Hamburg.

The university degree should date back no more than one year for a stipend. In exceptional cases for familial reasons, funding can start a maximum of three years following commencement of studies.

Alternatively, a doctoral degree scholarship can only be awarded to applicants who, having completed a degree, have been employed as a research or teaching assistant at the university or at another academic institution in Hamburg for no more than four years. Funding begins immediately following this four-year tenure and is provided for up to one year. In exceptional cases for family reasons, the four-year period can be extended for a maximum of an additional three years.

 Funding exclusion clause

Funding cannot be granted if the applicant is not pursuing doctoral studies at Universität Hamburg, already has a doctorate, has received or is receiving alternative funding for the same project from a public or private institution, or is currently undergoing professional/vocational training (e.g. practical teacher training or practical legal training).

Please note that when funding begins, you must have completed your university degree no more than one year prior and you should not be older than thirty years when the scholarship or stipend begins.

 Term of funding

Scholarships or stipends are generally granted for one year. The stipend can be extended by one year. The doctoral degree scholarship cannot be extended.

 Scholarship or stipend amount

The amount of the scholarship or stipend is EUR 820 per month. The additional child-care allowance is EUR 154.

 Deducting income

Income as defined by the German income tax law is deducted from the scholarship or stipend if taxable annual income after the deduction of taxes exceeds EUR 7,669 for single and EUR 12,271 for married scholarship or stipend holders. These annual amounts are increased by EUR 1,023 per dependent child. The basis for calculations is total income as defined by § 2, subsections 1 and 2 of the German Income Tax Act (EStG) (see also § 5 HmbNFVO).

The commencement of the scholarship or stipend can generally be deferred by up to three months for demonstrable reasons provided arrangements for such are made.

Application

Applications may be submitted in April or October each year, and scholarships or stipends will begin six months later on 1 October or 1 April. Please note the final application deadlines, which are duly publicized within the university.

The application forms are available online at:

http://www.verwaltung.uni-hamburg.de/vp-2/4/stipendienhmbnfg_e.html

Fill the form out electronically and create a single pdf-document. The following documents must be included in the application file in the order given:

 application form.
 information concerning income levels with the necessary documentation (calculation sheet -B-).
 proof of employment must be provided by submitting a copy of the employment contract for doctoral degree scholarships.
 proof of admission to a doctoral program is required if there is a change in subject or the university degree was obtained at a foreign institution.
 curriculum vitae in tabular format.
 a copy of the university degree certificate.
 presentation of the doctoral project, objectives and preliminary work, synopsis with a work plan and schedule (for two years in the case of stipends and for one year in the case of doctoral degree scholarships).
 evaluations from two faculty members (professor / Privatdozent). The academic advisor must muss be affiliated with Universität Hamburg. The second evaluation must also be from a professor or Privatdozent, however they may be affiliated with another institution of higher education (the rules for doctoral degrees for the respective department or school must be observed). In exceptional cases, proof that the non-habilitated advisor is an authorized examiner must be included.

Applications must be sent by email to:

The Department of Research Management and Funding, Melanie Salge and Judith Dömer, email: stipendium@verw.uni-hamburg.de

Applicants are responsible for the complete and timely submission of their application. Late applications will be rejected on formal grounds. The timeliness of the application will be determined by the date on which the email was received. As a rule, the filing deadline for evaluations and academic transcripts is one week after this deadline – please ask for the exact dates.

Applications to extend a stipend are tied to the deadlines in the call for applications and must always be submitted after the first six months of the funding period. In addition to an application form, applications for an extension must always include a work report in accordance with the time schedule outlined in the original application, as well as two updated evaluations.

Please read the following act and the associated regulations before applying and ask in advance regarding exceptional cases.

Office hours – information and advising on doctoral funding: Tuesday and Wednesday from 9 to 11 am, Thursday from 1 to 3 pm. No appointment necessary.

 Approval process

Applications will be reviewed by the specialized committees responsible for promoting young academics. Each committee will give its opinion on each of the individual applicants and their projects in the form of a priority list. Ultimately, the decision regarding the award of scholarships or stipends will be made by the Zentrale Ausschuss für die Nachwuchsförderung (Central Committee for the Advancement of Young Academics) (ZANF).

 Chances of success

Approximately seventy applications for scholarships or stipends are received twice a year (April and October), and approximately fifteen scholarships or stipends are awarded in each application period (January and July); in addition, approximately thirty extensions are granted each year.