Highly qualified young scientists from all areas of basic research who meet the following requirements are invited to apply for a DOC fellowship of the OeAW:

1. Doctoral/PhD studies at a university in Austria

The application must be submitted before or within the first year after the start of the doctoral/PhD program (cut-off date = date of enrolment; reference date is July 1^st of the year of submission).

If the application is made before the start of the doctoral/PhD program, it must be proven that the admission requirements of the respective university are met.

ATTENTION: Applications are not possible if an artistic doctoral program (Dr. art. or PhD in the Arts) is being pursued.

2. Completion of the Master's degree no more than two years before the application

The Master's degree must be completed in full at the time of application and no more than two years before the application, i.e. the degree certificate must be submitted with the application documents (cut-off date = date of Master's degree certificate; reference date is Juli 1st of the year of submission).

If the certificate is not yet available, proof must be submitted with the application documents that the Master's thesis has been assessed and graded and that the final examination has been successfully completed.

Exceptions: If the master's degree was completed more than two years ago, the deadline can be extended to a maximum of four years.
The following reasons for delays or interruptions are recognised: (child) care obligations, military or civilian service, disability, (chronic) illness.

3. Subject-specific minimum requirements

The aim of the DOC program is to support young scientists on their way to an academic career; the focus is on students whose CVs clearly demonstrate their interest in science and research.

Therefore, at least two of the following three criteria must be met when applying:

• Proof of at least one scientific contribution that has already been published or accepted for publication
• Academic mobility
• Scientific engagement

Examples of a scientific contribution include original article/paper, book chapter, proceedings, workshop report, poster, review, preprint

Examples of academic mobility include research or study visits to other universities or research institutions (domestic or abroad), international cooperation or co-authorships, bachelor's or master's degree abroad, active participation in international conferences, workshops or summer schools, subject-related internships.

Examples of scientific engagement include participation in research projects or third-party funding applications, teaching, organization of scientific events, activities in professional societies, science communication and outreach (e.g. public lectures, popular science contributions, Long Night of Research).

Re-application

It is possible to resubmit a rejected application once if the application requirements are met or if an objection has been accepted in the case of documented, procedurally relevant deficiencies in a review. In this case, objections have to be made within four weeks of receipt of the review.

Parallel applications

Applicants are free to apply to other funding agencies. Such applications and information about their outcome must be communicated to the Department of Fellowships & Awards of the OeAW by e-mail.

It is not possible to apply for another OeAW fellowship program at the same time.

Guidelines of Good Scientific Practice

When drafting the application, the program statutes of the DOC program 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 independently written the submitted project proposal.

Use of AI technologies

The use of AI-supported writing and analysis tools (e.g. ChatGPT) is permitted, but must be clearly marked in the application; e.g. by describing which AI applications were used to prepare the project application. Content taken from external sources must be cited and labelled correctly as usual.

The use of AI tools does not exempt from complying with the guidelines of good scientific practice. The author of the application is responsible for the content.

Research stay abroad

Within the framework of a DOC fellowship, it is possible to carry out a stay abroad relevant to the dissertation with a duration of max. 12 months.

Cotutelle Agreement

The DOC fellowship can also be applied for if the doctoral/PhD program is planned to be carried out within the framework of a cotutelle agreement between an Austrian and a foreign university.

Duration of funding

DOC fellowships are granted for a period of 24, 30 or 36 months.

Due to the limited budget, the requested funding period can be shortened.

Cost-neutral extension of the funding period

If proof of (child) care obligations or (chronic) illness or disability can be provided, the duration of the fellowship can be extended by a maximum of half of the approved funding period.

Commencement of the fellowship

The fellowship must be commenced within four months of the announcement of the decision of the committee. In justified exceptional cases, a later start is also possible.

Amount of the fellowship

The amount of the fellowship is adjusted every year; further information can be found at: Fellowship rates OeAW.
The amounts indicated are personnel costs and include all legally defined taxes, such as social security contributions, wage/income tax and, in the case of employment, also the employer's share.

Travel allowance

In addition, a travel allowance of max. 500 euros per year can be applied for to fund active participation in scientific conferences or for research stays abroad.

Subsidy for childcare

A subsidy of max. 1,900 euros (gross/gross) per year is available for the costs of childcare.

The fellowship is paid out in annual instalments either directly to the fellowship recipients ("new self-employed") or to the university or non-university research institution in Austria where the fellowship recipients are employed.
The prerequisite for employment within the framework of the DOC program is the commitment of the institute management that a workplace can be made available if the fellowship is awarded.

There is no provision for payment of the fellowship for a period prior to the actual start of the fellowship.

Additional employment (e.g. teaching assignments, tutorials) is permitted if they promote the program goal – the successful writing of the dissertation – and do not take up more than ten hours per week.
Exceptions to this regulation must be clarified with the Department for Fellowships & Awards of the OeAW.

Should fellows fail to adhere to the conditions of the fellowship, they must pay back their funding.

Reporting

Halfway through and three months before the end of the funding period, a work report and a statement by the dissertation supervisor on the progress of the project must be sent by e-mail to the Department of Fellowships & Awards of the OeAW (stipendien.berichte(at)oeaw.ac.at).

Public Relations

In all publications that are produced as a result of the funding, the note "funded within the DOC program of the OeAW" must be mentioned.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences has no influence on the content and organization of the dissertation project. The criterion for funding is the fulfillment of the exposé prepared by the recipient of the fellowship.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences does not acquire any rights to the results of the research work through the payment of the fellowship, nor does it exert any influence on the type of cooperation of the recipient(s) with research institutions and research groups.