The aim of awarding doctorate grants is to support outstanding graduates from all disciplines and make grant-financed doctorate study at the University of Kassel attractive. The personal support should improve the framework conditions during the phase of academic qualification and enable high quality research contributions to be made. The newly introduced awarding of completion grants supports the completion of doctorates. In particular, the aim of this is to support doctoral candidates by balancing out the disadvantages they face. The grants are part of the implementation of the concept for the promotion of junior researchers of 8 October 2012.
Principles: Doctorate grants
§ 1
Doctorate grants are generally awarded for a period of two years. Payment can only be made in the second year following the submission of an interim report. Where applicable, an interim must also be provided for the grant to be paid in the third year.
§ 2
Intensive supervision of the doctoral thesis is assumed when a doctorate grant is awarded.
§ 3
The age limit for the first award of a doctorate grant is generally 35. Each child increases the age limit by one year. The age limit can in particular be increased if the candidate has completed professional training or a second educational pathway before their study.
§ 4
If a child is born, an application can be made for the doctorate grant to be extended by half a year.
Amount of funding provided by doctorate grants
§ 5
(1) The doctorate grant is EUR 1,100 per month.
(2) If the candidate has children, there is an additional child care allowance of a maximum of EUR 200 per month. Evidence must be provided of child care costs
§ 6
The possible additional income is limited to a maximum of EUR 6000 per year.
Doctorate Grant Committee
§ 12
(1) The University Board appoints a Doctorate Grant Committee for three years.
(2) The Committee is made up of the Vice President who is responsible for junior researchers, at least two professors, one member of academic staff and one representative of the grant recipients.
(3) The Vice President chairs the Doctorate Grant Committee.
(4) The Doctorate Grant Committee makes decisions on the awarding of grants based on the quality and prospects of success of the planned Doctorate.
Application documents
§ 14
Applications for doctorate grants must contain:
- a short cover letter justifying the application,
- a printed version of the online application form,
- a summary of the planned doctorate which is understandable to academic lay people of a maximum of 3,000 characters,
- an exposé of the planned dissertation,
- where applicable, a statement that the intended doctorate is embedded in working contexts (e.g. graduate research programme, working groups),
- a report from the supervisor,
- a CV in tabular form,
- simple copies of the most recent university certificates including “Abitur” [German advanced level qualifications] certificates,
- evidence of the applicant’s income,
- certification that the applicant has been accepted as a doctoral candidate at the University of Kassel,
- where available, a supervision timetable in accordance with the concept for the promotion of junior researchers of 8 October 2012.
Note: For the further processing of the applications, we request that where possible you submit all application documents in loose leaf form (do not attach together!) and without staples (only paperclips).
Please send paper versions of the documents to the postal address of the department. Please also send a digital copy of the documents to the email address [email protected]. All of the documents must be summarised in one PDF files in the above mentioned order.
Second opinion
§ 15
Following a formal preliminary check to ensure they meet the conditions for funding, applications for doctorate grants will then be sent to the department responsible with a request for a second opinion. The dean will nominate an assessor. This should make the responsibility of the department for doctorates clear.
Start of funding
In the bidding round for the summer semester, the funding generally starts on 1 October.
In the bidding round for the winter semester, the funding generally starts on 1 April.
Decision
§ 17
The Doctorate Grant Committee will only make a decision if all of the documents have been submitted and in the case of the doctorate grant if a second opinion has been received from the department.
§ 18
The applicants will receive written notification of the awarding of the grant from the Doctorate Grant Committee.
§ 19
(1) The doctorate and completion grants are only paid if the doctoral candidate in question is accepted by the Doctorate Committee to study for a doctorate.
(2) The doctorate or completion grant is only to be paid if the doctoral candidate in question has agreed a supervision timetable with his or her supervisor in accordance with the concept for the promotion of junior researchers of 8 October 2012.
Travel cost allowance
§ 20
As part of the doctorate grant, there is an allowance of up to EUR 500 per year for active participation with a lecture or poster at a conference upon provision of evidence of the costs.
Further funding
§ 21
In order to receive further funding in the second and where applicable third year, recipients of the doctorate grant must submit an interim report and a report from the supervising professor no later than two months before the end of the ongoing funding. The Doctorate Grant Committee will make a decision on further funding on the basis of these.
Note: The interim is to be prefixed by a half-page summary of the project (abstract).
Reporting obligations
§ 22
(1) At the end of the doctorate or completion grant funding period, a report documenting the status of the dissertation must be submitted within four weeks. If the dissertation has not yet been submitted within this period of time, a statement from the supervisor on the reasons for this is needed.
(2) No later than following the completion or termination of the doctorate, the grant recipient must inform the Doctorate Committee of the results and if applicable the reasons for the termination in the form of a short summary together with a statement from the supervisor.
Please send your application documents to:
Referat Förderung des wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchses
Mönchebergstr. 19
34109 Kassel
