DOC Application

To apply for a DOC Fellowship of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the following steps must be taken.

I    Consideration of the general guidelines
II   Entering the online form
III  Preparing documents
IV  Submitting documents

NEW 2023  Fellowships from FZÖ Funds

The Fonds Zukunft Österreich (FZÖ) provides funding for dissertation projects dealing with issues related to the EU Missions within the framework of Horizon Europe (Cancer, Climate, Ocean, Cities, Soil) or the priority topics in the ÖAW's development plan (Empires and World Orders, Energy Systems, Aging, Artificial Intelligence).

Applications for funding under this framework are automatically included in the DOC selection process. Application requirements, selection criteria as well as amount and duration of funding correspond to the specifications for the DOC program.

In the case of an application for funding under this framework, the reference to one of the named subject areas must be clearly presented in the online form.

I General Guidelines

Application language

Applications from the natural sciences, the technical sciences, and medicine are to be written in English. Applications from the humanities, the social sciences and cultural studies may also be written in German.

All application documents must be in the same language!

Compliance with the guidelines for good scientific practice

When drafting the application, the programme statutes of the DOC programme and the guidelines of good scientific practice (https://oeawi.at/en/guidelines/)  must be observed.
By signing the online application form for a DOC fellowship, applicants confirm that they have written the submitted project proposal independently.

Subsequent amendments

It is not possible to make amendments or submit missing documents once an application has been submitted.
Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Exclusion of reviewers

Applicants may request that up to three potential reviewers who have negative conflicts of interest be excluded from the review process.

Resubmission

Applications submitted a second time must be clearly indicated as a resubmission. The re-application is a new procedure: Please update all application documents and revise your proposal based on the suggestions in the reviews!

II Online Form

Upon receipt of the completed form, the applicant's data will be entered into the database of the Department of Fellowships and Awards.

Online Form (accessible from 18 August 2025)

III Preparing Documents

To complete the application, it is necessary to prepare application documents and project documents.

Application documents

• A tabular CV

• A list of publications (if existent)
  A clear structure, i.e. a complete list of academic publications in reverse chronological order stating all authors, title, medium of publication (no abbreviations!), year, number of first and last page.
  Please state which of the publications listed resulted from your Diplom/Master’s thesis.

• Letter of motivation (two pages max.)
  Description of previous academic activities and a career plan describing your mid-term career goals, what the Fellowship you are applying for would mean for your future academic career and your motivation for your chosen field of research.
  Please provide also information about the current funding of your thesis.

• Statement from the dissertation supervisor (max. 2 pages) taking into account the following aspects:
  - Since when and in what context have you known the applicant?
  - How do you assess their previous academic achievements and qualifications?
  - How do you assess the type and extent of the applicant's independent contribution to the development of the thesis project?

• Proof of the supervisor’s relevant research achievements in the field of the dissertation project (i.e. a list of selected publications, 1 page max.)

• Confirmation of a workspace, i.e. confirmation of the possibility to use rooms and resources at the institute if this is necessary for undertaking the doctoral research project

• Enclosure of the permits required for the research project, e.g. clearance certificate from the Ethics Commission or the Commission for Animal Testing

• Enclosure of the (informal) invitation of the host institute if a stay abroad is planned as part of the fellowship

• Proof of previous university qualifications (Diplom or Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees),
  i.e. a list of all examinations passed during your studies (as copies)

Project documents

• Abstract (brief project exposé, 1-2 pages)

• Project exposé (min 10 to max 20 pages, excl. table of contents and select bibliography)

The project exposé must consider:

• General aims (defining the problems, state of research)

• Detailed discussion of the problem (specific aims, hypotheses)

• Methodological considerations

• Work steps and timetable, including reasons for the requested duration of the fellowship (minimum duration from start of the felloswhip: 24 months)

• Select bibliography

Re-submission (max. 2 pages)

• Presentation of project progress or of important changes/additions since the first submission
• Statement (point-by-point) on the review

If criticism was formulated in the review for the first submission or suggestions for revision were made, it must be explained whether and how these were taken into account.

The documents for resubmission must be uploaded in a separate document.

NEW 2023: Fellowships from FZÖ Funds
In case of an application related to one of the topics of the EU missions or the priority topics in the development plan of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, the relation to one of these topics must be clearly presented in the Online Form.

IV Submitting Documents

The completed documents are to be uploaded via the online form.

Upload via online form

Fill in the online form and upload the documents as a total of 4 PDF files (in case of re-submission: 5 PDF files).

State your name and title of your thesis in both the abstract and the project exposé. Protected files will not be accepted.

The individual files may not exceed 3 MB. The files are to be given the following names:

• Application_Surname.pdf  (i.e. application documents except certificates/transcripts of records)
• Certificates_Surname.pdf
• Abstract_Surname.pdf       
• Project expose_Surname.pdf    
• Re-submission_Surname.pdf

Confirmation of submission

After you have uploaded the application documents, you will receive a PDF document by e-mail that you will have to print and sign.
Return a scan of the signed form in PDF format (single file) as an attachment to a reply to the received email (click reply button). IMPORTANT: The default subject and recipient must not be changed.

Processing

Upon receipt of your application, we will check that it is complete and meets the formal criteria and it will then be entered into the database of the Department of Fellowships and Awards with a project number (A-number).

When all applications have been checked for completeness, about 3-4 weeks after the submission deadline, all applicants will be informed about the further course of the selection procedure.