Target group

• Austrian research institutions that are entitled to award doctoral degrees (NB: A single institution can submit multiple applications.)

Objectives

• To promote outstanding education and training for scientific and arts-based doctoral students within the framework of structured doctoral programmes that have been in operation for at least two years (see requirements below)
• To reinforce the research orientation and sustained consolidation of existing education and training structures for highly qualified junior researchers

Requirements

• The programme must have been launched at least two years prior to the submission deadline (1 March 2022).
• The programme’s faculty must include at least five scientific or arts-based researchers whose research track records are considered outstanding by FWF standards.
• The university (or universities) offering the programme must commit themselves to providing basic funding, that is, providing all necessary infrastructure as well as funds for the on-going operation and institutional anchoring of the programme.
• The programme must involve training through research, that is, the PhD candidates are to be involved in a focused and consistent research context.
• The programme must have standards and procedures for
• admission and selection of PhD candidates: international advertisement and application
• the education and training programme, supervision and monitoring, and the working conditions for PhD candidates: supervision confirmations, dissertation agreements, regular progress reports, subject-specific content and supporting measures (transferable skills etc.), team supervision instead of individual supervision only, supervisor development, allowing for international mobility, and provision of different funding models for PhD candidates
• the completion of the doctoral programme: separation of supervisor and examiner (if compliant with study-law regulations).
• The programme must be based on international standards (see e.g. Seven Principles of Innovative Doctoral Training, Salzburg Recommendations, European Charter for Researchers, Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers etc.)

Additional funding for ongoing FWF Doctoral Programmes (DK projects, doc.funds.connect) cannot be requested through thedoc.funds programme.

Duration

• 4 years

Funding amount

• Personnel costs for 5 to 10 PhD candidates
• Education and training costs of up to €5,000 per year for each PhD position requested
• 5% general project costs

Applications
Via the FWF’s electronic application portal (elane)

• Start of call for applications: 29 November 2021
• Submission deadline: 1 March 2022
• in English

Allocation

• final funding decisions will be made by the FWF Board end of November 2022 based on the recommendations of the international doc.funds jury
• Recommendations are based on an international review procedure and presentations (hearings) before the international doc.funds-Jury. The hearings are expected for early November 2022.