APART-USA FAQs

I am a Post-doc and am interested in receiving the fellowship. What can I do?

Please contact the research institution in Austria where you would like to work with funding from the fellowship. The research institution must be eligible for nomination for the APART-USA program. A list of eligible institutions with contact details can be found here . Please note that the decision on your nomination is made autonomously by the research institution. The OeAW has no influence on this.

Which research institutions may nominate fellows for the program?

The following research institutions are eligible to submit nominations for the APART-USA program:

How were these research institutions determined?

Host research institutions eligible to nominate have been determined by a nomination key based on third-party funding performance. The maximum number of nominations that a research institution may submit for the available grants corresponds to its percentage share of the total amount of third-party funds raised in Austria in the years 2020 to 2024. Third-party funds from the FWF as well as Starting Grants, Advanced Grants and Consolidator Grants from the ERC are taken into account. The calculation is based on the figures publicly available in the FWF and ERC dashboards (see https://dashboard.fwf.ac.at and https://erc.europa.eu/projects-statistics/erc-dashboard).

How many fellowships are available in total?

A total of 25 fellowships are available for the Austrian universities and non-university research institutions with the strongest research performance.

What is the duration of a fellowship?

The APART-USA fellowship is granted for a period of 48 months and must be commenced within six months of notification of the grant. In justified exceptional cases, a later start is also possible. On application, funding can be extended by up to three months at no extra cost.

What budget is available as part of the fellowship?

The APART-USA fellowship amounts to a total of EUR 500,000. 25% of this funding (in total: EUR 125,000) comes from the nominating host research institution. 75% (EUR 375,000) comes from the Fonds Zukunft Österreich (FZÖ) of the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development (NFTE).

Which costs does the fellowship budget cover?

The fellowship covers personnel costs as well as costs for relocation, travel, materials and other costs (such as mentoring, training, etc.). Employment is subject to the statutory and collective agreement provisions of the respective institution applicable at the time the employment contract is concluded.

How much is the research institution's financial contribution per fellowship?

The APART-USA fellowship amounts to a total of EUR 500,000. 25% of this funding (in total: EUR 125,000) comes from the nominating host research institution. 75% (EUR 375,000) comes from the Fonds Zukunft Österreich (FZÖ) of the National Foundation for Research, Technology and Development (NFTE).

With the nomination, the research institution commits to financing its share of the fellowship and to employing the fellow for the full duration of the fellowship at the respective institution. Any supplementary agreements with the nominee are at the liberty of the nominating host research institution.

Does the nominating research institution have to employ the grantee in any case?

Yes. With the nomination, the research institution commits not only to financing its share of the fellowship but also to employing the fellow for the full duration of the fellowship at the respective institution.

Employment is subject to the statutory and collective agreement provisions of the respective institution applicable at the time the employment contract is concluded.

Can the research institution make additional agreements with the grantee?

With the nomination, the research institutions undertake to cover 25% (in total: EUR 125,000) of the costs of the fellowship (in total: EUR 500,000) and to employing the fellow for the full duration of the fellowship at the respective institution. Any supplementary agreements with the nominee are at the liberty of the nominating host research institution.

Is there an upper salary limit or, conversely, is it possible to overpay fellows?

Employment of fellows is subject to the statutory and collective agreement provisions of the respective institution applicable at the time the employment contract is concluded. Beyond that, the APART-USA program does not set any requirements for salaries. Agreements in this regard, including the question of overpayment, are made between the nominee and the nominating host research institution.

Is part-time employment possible?

The APART-USA program provides for full-time employment for fellowship holders. Exceptions are the possibility of part-time employment (max. 50%) due to childcare and the possibility of an interruption of the fellowship (max. 12 months) due to maternity leave or parental leave. Part-time employment due to chronic illness or disability will also be possible; this will be decided on a case-by-case basis.

Is it possible for a grantee to be employed at several eligible research institutions?

No. The APART-USA fellowship is tied to the nominating host research institution and the funded person. It finances the employment of the grantee at the nominating host research institution.

Is it possible to change the host research institution?

No. The APART-USA fellowship is tied to the nominating host research institution and the funded person. It finances the continuous activity at the nominating host research institution.

Is it possible to interrupt the fellowship?

The APART-USA fellowship finances continuous employment. An exception is the possibility of an interruption of the fellowship (max. 12 months) due to maternity or parental leave or prolonged illness.

Is it possible for the fellow to continue working in the USA during the fellowship?

No. The APART-USA funding program is supporting outstanding postdoctoral researchers working at a US university or non-university research institution who wish to relocate their research activities to excellent research locations in Austria.

Is it possible for the fellow to work in the USA or another country outside Austria during the fellowship period?

No. The APART-USA program supports outstanding postdocs who are working at a US university or non-university research institution and would like to relocate their scientific activities to excellent research locations in Austria.

Do I have to give up my affiliation with the US research institution?

Yes. The APART-USA funding program is supporting outstanding postdoctoral researchers working at a US university or non-university research institution who wish to relocate their research activities to excellent research locations in Austria.

Who can be nominated?

Host research institutions eligible for nomination can nominate scientists with excellent credentials who have completed a doctorate and who are affiliated with a US university or non-university research institution at the time of their nomination or were affiliated there until at least 1 January 2025.

What quality criteria must postdocs fulfil to be nominated?

The APART-USA program supports scientists with excellent credentials who have completed a doctorate and who are affiliated with a US university or non-university research institution at the time of their nomination or were affiliated there until at least 1 January 2025. The program does not set any requirements beyond these general requirements. The qualitative assessment and selection of candidates for the program is carried out by the nominating research institutions and is complete with the nomination for the program at the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
The nominating research institutions are free to apply criteria that go beyond the requirements of the program when selecting the persons nominated by them.

With how many nominations may a postdoc be represented?

Each researcher can be represented with a maximum of one nomination for the APART-USA program.

Is there a maximum number of nominations per research institution?

Yes. The maximum number of nominations that a research institution may submit for the available grants corresponds to its percentage share of the total amount of third-party funds raised in Austria in the years 2020 to 2024. Third-party funds from the FWF as well as Starting Grants, Advanced Grants and Consolidator Grants from the ERC are taken into account. The calculation is based on the figures publicly available in the FWF and ERC dashboards (see https://dashboard.fwf.ac.at and https://erc.europa.eu/projects-statistics/erc-dashboard).

A list of the host research institutions eligible for nomination with the respective maximum number of nominations can be found here:

Is there a maximum number of reserve nominations for a research institution?

Yes. Each host research institution is entitled to submit reserve nominations in the same amount as it is entitled to submit nominations. Reserve nominations must be marked and ranked as such when they are submitted.

Does the maximum number of nominations have to be exhausted?

No. Research institutions are free to make use of the maximum number of nominations allocated to them or not.

Must the maximum number of reserve nominations be exhausted?

No. Research institutions are free to make use of the maximum number of reserve nominations allocated to them or not.

In which case will reserve nominations be considered when awarding the fellowships?

If, by the end of the submission deadline, fewer nominations meeting the call criteria have been received than the number of available fellowships, the remaining fellowships will be awarded by drawing lots from among all reserve nominations meeting the call criteria received by the end of the submission deadline.

Can the nomination process (filling out the online form, uploading the nomination documents) also be carried out by the candidates themselves?

No. The nomination must be made by the nominating host research institution. This includes completing and submitting the online form and uploading all documents. The OeAW will only contact the grantee after the fellowship has been awarded.

What happens if a nomination does not meet the call criteria? (Is the reserve nomination then automatically taken into account?)

If a nomination does not meet the call criteria (example: doctorate not completed), it will not be considered for the further awarding process. The research institution will be informed by the Austrian Academy of Sciences. Reserve nominations do not “automatically” take the place of nominations that do not meet the call criteria. The OeAW recommends that formally correct nominations and reserve nominations be made in good time.

Can nominations be withdrawn?

Yes. The Austrian Academy of Sciences must be informed in writing by the respective research institution as soon as possible.

Can nominations be withdrawn and replaced by another nomination?

Nominations can be withdrawn before the submission deadline and replaced by another nomination or a reserve nomination at the discretion of the research institution. The research institution must inform the Austrian Academy of Sciences in writing in advance. After the submission deadline, nominations can be withdrawn but cannot be replaced by new nominations or reserve nominations.

Can the ranking of the reserve nominations be changed or can a reserve nomination be withdrawn and replaced by another reserve nomination?

Before the submission deadline, the ranking of the reserve nominations can be changed and a reserve nomination can be withdrawn and replaced by another reserve nomination. The research institution must notify the OeAW in writing in advance of any changes to the ranking or the withdrawal of a reserve nomination; the reserve nominations must be resubmitted in an updated ranking. After the submission deadline, it is no longer possible to change the ranking of the reserve nominations and reserve nominations can be withdrawn, but not replaced by new reserve nominations.

When will the fellowship be awarded?

Nominations that meet the call criteria will receive a grant approval from the Austrian Academy of Sciences as soon as possible after the submitted documents have been reviewed. A funding agreement will then be concluded with the recipients and the research institutions.

What is the funding agreement and when is it concluded?

If the fellowship is approved, the Austrian Academy of Sciences will conclude a funding agreement with the recipients and the research institutions. The funding agreement is the contractual basis for the implementation of the fellowship.

By when must the fellowship be started at the latest?

The APART-USA fellowship must be commenced within six months of notification of the fellowship. In justified exceptional cases, a later start is also possible. A funding agreement will be concluded with the recipients and the research institutions, which also defines the start date of the fellowship.

When is the earliest the fellowship can be started?

Nominations that meet the call criteria will receive a grant approval from the Austrian Academy of Sciences as soon as possible after the submitted documents have been reviewed. A funding agreement will be concluded with the recipients and the research institutions, which also defines the start date of the fellowship.

How is the fellowship paid out?

The fellowship is paid in annual installments, 75% of which is made up of FZÖ funds and 25% of which is made up of funds from the nominating host research institution. The prerequisite for the payment of the first installment is the conclusion of the funding agreement. Payment of the subsequent installments is subject to the timely submission of the interim and final reports. Further details are set out in the funding agreement.

When does the research institution have to contribute to the costs of the fellowship?

The research institutions make an annual contribution of 25% (in total: EUR 31,250) of the annual installment (in total: EUR 125,000).

Can the research institution use third-party funds or funding sources outside its global budget to finance its contribution?

This is possible. It is up to the research institution to decide how to finance its contribution.

What can the research institution's contribution consist of? Can in-kind benefits be claimed?

The research institution's contribution covers 25% (in total: EUR 125,000) of the total costs of the fellowship (in total: EUR 500,000). It can consist of the payment of personnel and material costs (relocation, travel, material and other costs). It is not possible to settle the contribution in full or in part through in-kind benefits.
The host nominating research institution will provide the fellow with a workplace; all facilities, equipment and consumables required for their research will be made available to them. The associated costs cannot be included in the research institution's contribution either.

Can overhead costs of the program be considered as part of the research institution's contribution?

The APART-USA fellowship does not include overhead costs. Therefore, they cannot be considered as part of the research institution's contribution. APART-USA is a fellowship tied to the nominating host research institution and the funded person. The entire fellowship amount of EUR 500,000 is available to the fellow for the four years of the fellowship.

What happens to the funds in the event of premature termination of the fellowship?

If the fellowship is terminated prematurely, the unused fellowship funds must be repaid.