(Post-)Graduate Support at its Best!

>> Application Deadline May 11, 2025 <<

The Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers (GRADE) awards 15 starting scholarships for international candidates who are preparing or starting a doctorate at Goethe University. The scholarships are funded by the Franz Adickes Stiftungsfonds. International candidates face special challenges at the start of their doctorate in Frankfurt:  costs for mobility and furnishings, effort for residence permits and other administrative issues as well as language requirements for scholarship applications, to name just a few. The scholarships are intended to facilitate the start of their doctorate in spite of these challenges by providing funding for the preparation and start of their research. The scholarships amount to 1550 € per month for a period of three months. The eligibility criteria are:

• non-German citizenship
• university-qualifying degree (e.g. school-leaving certificate) obtained outside Germany
• degree qualifying for doctorate (e.g. Master) completed or near completed
• commitment from a supervisor at Goethe University to supervise your project
• candidates must have either submitted an application for doctoral funding or received a funding commitment from their supervisor.

Grantees of a starting scholarship cannot have substantial employment or another scholarship during the period of the starting scholarship. Please take note of the additional information on the eligibility criteria in the FAQ.

You can apply until May 11, 2025 by submitting the following documents by e-mail as one single pdf file:

• completed application form and CV
• degrees:
  • copy of university-qualifying degree (e.g. school-leaving certificate)
  • copy of the degree qualifying you for a doctorate (if completed, with grades) or transcript of records
• declaration by supervisor that she / he will supervise your doctoral project
• short proposal of your doctoral project (two DIN A4 pages maximum)
• confirmation of receipt for application for doctoral funding (with result, if available) or funding commitment from supervisor

You can download the application form here: Download Application Form

Please read the FAQ before you prepare and submit your application: Download FAQ

Download Data Privacy Statement

Please send your complete application documents by e-mail as one single pdf file to:

GRADE
Dr. Matthias Köhler
koehler@grade.uni-frankfurt.de
Phone: +49 (0)69 798-49402

Deadline for applications: May 11, 2025!

>> Application Deadline May 11, 2025 <<

Funded by the Franz Adickes Stiftungsfonds, the Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers (GRADE) financially supports 30 PhD candidates, postdocs and scientists in the R3 qualification phase with children performing their research at Goethe University.

Working on your research project is challenging and entails a high workload. Raising and taking care of your kids at the same time produces an additional financial burden and puts severe constraints on your time management. GRADE wants to support early career researchers in this special situation.

For candidates with small-scale employment, this support may take the form of a scholarship[1]. For persons with substantial employment, we can finance the hiring of research assistants, who can cover routine tasks in research and teaching, thereby creating relief for early career researchers. The total sum of support amounts to 2400 EUR.

We can only consider applications from individuals with children in need of care who live in their household and / or whom they are currently caring for at least part of the time. Furthermore, either the admission as doctoral candidate or a confirmation of employment at Goethe University is required.

You can apply until May 11, 2025 by submitting the following documents:

• Completed application form
• Curriculum Vitae
• Copy of birth certificate for your children or an equivalent confirmation
• Faculty letter of admission as doctoral candidate (PhD candidates) or confirmation of employment at Goethe University (e.g., work contract) or scholarship with clear connection to GU (confirmation of scholarship or confirmation by supervising person)

You can download the application form here: English version / German version

Please read the FAQ before you prepare and submit your application.

Download Data Privacy Statement (German only)
 

Please send your completed application documents by e-mail as one single PDF document to:

GRADE
Dr. Enikö Baga
baga@grade.uni-frankfurt.de

Deadline for applications: May 11, 2025!

[1] Small-scale employment is possible if the content and purpose of the employment are clearly different from the research project. For details, see FAQ.

>> Application deadline April 13, 2025 <<

The Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers (GRADE) awards five completion scholarships to international doctoral candidates of Goethe University Frankfurt. The scholarships are sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the Stiftung zur Förderung der internationalen wissenschaftlichen Beziehungen der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität.

The GRADE Completion Scholarships aim at supporting international doctoral candidates in the final stages of their doctoral thesis (completion should be in 2025 or early 2026). Successful applicants will receive 1000 Euro per month for the duration of 3 months, which can be paid out from July 2025.

The call for applications is open to all international doctoral candidates of Goethe University Frankfurt. Awardees of a scholarship cannot have a full-time or substantial employment – at Goethe University or with another employer – during the period of the scholarship or another scholarship for the same purpose.[1]

The following application documents should be submitted by April 13, 2025:

• Completed application form
• CV and a copy of the last academic degree (with grades)
• Faculty letter of admission as PhD candidate at Goethe University Frankfurt
• The dissertation project should be introduced in a short essay of two DIN A4 pages maximum,
  including a time schedule. Applicants should be able to demonstrate the feasibility of a completion
  of their thesis in 2025 or early 2026.
• Letter of recommendation by the main supervisor that comments on the progress of the
  dissertation project and confirms the suggested timeline ensuring the expected submission of the
  thesis by the end of 2025 or in early 2026.

Applications can be submitted by e-mail (one PDF file) to:

GRADE
Dr. Enikö Baga
baga@grade.uni-frankfurt.de
phone: +49 (0)69 798-49406

Announcement of scholarship with detailed information.

Download data privacy statement (Datenschutzerklärung - German version only)

[1] Small-scale employment is possible if the content and purpose of the employment are clearly different from the scholarship. For details, see FAQ.

>> No Current Call <<

GRADE (Goethe Research Academy for Early Career Researchers) offers two scholarships for PhD candidates in German studies and related subjects*. The scholarships are funded by the Ad Infinitum Foundation and cover up to 1,350 € per month.

Requirements

• Admission as a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Modern Languages of Goethe University
• Fast course of study: “academic age” maximum 8 years (time for studies and previous duration of the doctorate)
• Exceptional capability for scientific work
• No sufficient alternative financial support

Conditions

• Scholarship of up to 1,350 €/month
• Period of funding: 2 years

* The scholarships are also available for PhD projects General and comparative literary studies, General linguistics, Scandinavian studies or Theatre, film and media studies that have a link to German Studies.

>> No Current Call <<

GRADE awards four research assistantships to international doctoral candidates of Goethe University. The scholarships are sponsored by the STIBET program of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

The call for applications is open to all international doctoral candidates of Goethe University who do not hold a position at the university (with the exception of other research-assistant contracts).