Doctoral scholarships, research scholarships, bridging and completion scholarships of the University of Rostock

• Funding for doctorates and post-doctoral degrees
• Selection according to the principle of equal treatment and selection of the best: Call for applications required 
• Graduate scholarships are announced with reference to specific doctoral or post-doctoral topics. 
• Financing from the departments' own general budgets or third-party funds
• The Chancellor, who may delegate this authority, signs the scholarship contracts and, if necessary, amendment contracts and terminates scholarship contracts on behalf of the University.

Funding requirements:

• Admission to doctoral or post-doctoral studies according to the doctoral or post-doctoral regulations of the respective faculty (proof required).
• Completion of the university degree or doctorate with above-average results
• Proof of special interest in the doctoral or post-doctoral field (usually proven by preparing an exposé)

Funding duration and funding amount:

• usually 2 years, maximum 3 years
• Basic scholarship amount at least 1,000€/month
• Intermediate evaluation required after one year

Procedure:

• Announcement of the scholarship and organisation of the selection process by the department.
• Submission of the documentation of the selection as well as the fulfilment of the eligibility requirements to the HQE staff unit-> form
• Preparation of the scholarship contract by the University and Quality Development Office (HQE)
• Payment of the scholarship by the department
• Interim evaluation after one year by the department
• If necessary, extension of the scholarship (the modification agreement is drawn up by the University and Quality Development Office (HQE)).

• Funding of young researchers with a doctorate or post-doctoral degree or visiting researchers. 

• The grant must be used for the initiation, realization or completion of a research project or for international research cooperation at the University of Rostock. 

• Selection according to the principle of equal treatment and best selection: call for applications required 

• Financing from own third-party and budget funds of the departments

Funding Requirements:

• Evidence of excellent performance in the doctoral program or a comparable evidence of achievement.

Funding period:

• Maximum 2 years

Procedure:

• Submission of an informal application for the scholarship to the HQE Staff Office.
• Decision of the Pro-Rector for Research, Talent Development and Equal Opportunities on the scholarship granting.
• The department initiates the call for applications and is responsible for the selection process 
• In exceptional cases a call for applications can be dispensed, e.g. if the support of a specific young scientist is necessary to fulfill the purpose of the scholarship. The Pro-Rector for Research, Talent Development and Equal Opportunities decides on the exemption from a call for proposals.
• Documentation of the selection as well as the fulfillment of the scholarship requirements -> Form
• Preparation of the scholarship contract by the HQE staff unit
• Payment of the scholarship by the department

• can only be awarded to doctoral candidates who were previously employed by the University of Rostock for a limited period of time with the opportunity to do a doctorate or who have received a scholarship to support a doctorate at the University of Rostock.
• The supervisor must confirm that the dissertation can be completed within a maximum of six months
• Bridging scholarships serve to bridge a period of time (max. 6 months) prior to the conclusion of another fixed-term employment with the opportunity to do a doctorate at the University of Rostock
• Awarded only in exceptional cases
• Financing from own funds of the departments

Duration and amount of funding:

• A maximum of 6 months, at the longest until the end of the doctoral procedure or until the start of the temporary employment with the opportunity to do a doctorate.
• Payment of a basic scholarship amount without supplements

Procedure:

• Submission of an informal application for the scholarship to the HQE Staff Office (Form)
• Decision of the Pro-Rector for Research, Talent Development and Equal Opportunities on the scholarship granting.
• Preparation of the scholarship contract by the HQE staff unit
• Payment of the scholarship by the department

The award of a scholarship does not establish an employment relationship. The supervisory relationship requires the scholarship holder to cooperate; however, these are related to the progress of the doctoral project and serve to promote and observe the progress of performance.

Note:

• The obligations of the scholarship holder regulated by the scholarship contract are not consideration for the granting of the scholarship, but serve to supervise the performance and support of the scholarship holder.
• On the basis of the scholarship contract, scholarship holders cannot be required to perform teaching or other work in the area of the academic work of the supervisor(s). If scholarship holders declare their agreement to provide services, e.g. in teaching, this is done either on the basis of an independent employment relationship or on a voluntary basis. No pressure may be exerted on scholarship holders in this regard.
• Authorities to issue instructions to scholarship holders exist only to the extent that the instructions are necessary to ensure compliance with house rules and the relevant protection regulations. In particular, no work instructions can be given to scholarship holders.
• The result of their scientific work produced by scholarship holders belongs exclusively to the scholarship holders themselves; they are authors and inventors with exclusive rights vis-à-vis the University of Rostock. The scientific supervision of a doctoral project does not make the supervisor a co-author or co-inventor (otherwise it would not be an independent scientific work of the doctoral candidate, which is required in the doctoral procedure). This means, in particular, that scholarship holders can only be used in third-party funded projects if an independent agreement with the university or the third-party funder on the use of results is drawn up independently of the scholarship agreement. In particular, when selling or licensing out intellectual property rights that scholarship holders have created in the course of their work, care must be taken to ensure that they are transferred under appropriate conditions. The willingness to transfer results of one's own scientific work to third parties must not be made a condition for the granting of a scholarship. If inventive or other contributions by third parties are included in the work of scholarship holders, this must be indicated in the work in accordance with the rules of good scientific practice and taken into account appropriately in agreements on the use of results.
• Due to the freedom of instruction of the scientific work of the scholarship holders, the inclusion of scholarship holders in third-party funded research projects is always problematic; the University of Rostock strongly advises against employing scholarship holders instead of scientific staff in third-party funded projects for reasons of cost savings, since the university is contractually obligated within the framework of third-party funded research projects to also be responsible for the result in terms of warranty and liability law, which is hardly possible if it cannot exercise any rights of instruction towards the scientist carrying out the work. In addition, the doctoral candidate's duty to publish and the need to publicly defend the dissertation often conflict with the confidentiality interests of industrial partners.