Financed are doctorates at the University of Rostock, which are supervised by a member of the University of Rostock. Subject to the budget funds available, up to nine doctoral scholarships are awarded each year. There is no entitlement to funding.

Eligible for funding are only graduates (of the summer semester and the previous winter semester) who have completed their studies at the University of Rostock as the best student of their year (best final grade) and who are aiming to realize a doctoral project. The topic of the doctoral thesis can be chosen freely. The available scholarships will be awarded among those eligible for funding in accordance with a distribution key to be determined by the Rectorate, by which the scholarships are distributed among the faculties, and on the basis of the expression of interest and the award recommendation of the respective faculty.

• Standard funding period: 42 months (after successful interim evaluation)
• Scholarship amount: 1,500 € (without subsidy for material costs)
• If the conditions are met, a supplemantary allowance of €150 for each first child and €100 for each additional child per month is paid.
• An interruption due to parenthood or care of family members is possible.
• Scholars of the program "Unsere Besten promovieren in Rostock" become members of the Graduate Academy and benefit from the Academy's support and networking opportunities.
• The granting of a fellowship is subject to the availability of the promised funds of the University of Rostock. Legal action is excluded. There is no legal claim to the granting of a fellowship.

Completed and signed declaration of interest declaration of interest of the graduate (data protection information).
The form is to be used for the expression of interest and supplemented with the documents required there (curriculum vitae in table form; university degree certificate, if necessary further evidence of studies, examinations and/or other scientific achievements).

The documents are to be sent in electronic form (preferably in pdf format) by e-mail to promotionsstipendienprogrammuni-rostockde.

• The documents submitted by graduates are passed on within the decision-making bodies involved. Grantees agree that their name and research topic may be mentioned in the context of reporting on the doctoral scholarship program. This includes, for example, mentioning them on the university's homepage and in other press articles.
• By submitting an application, graduates declare their binding agreement with the mentioned funding criteria. They are free to withdraw their application at any time or to cancel or return a grant. Such withdrawal must be made in writing to the university management.
• Graduates conclude a scholarship agreement with the University of Rostock based on the University of Rostock's statutes for the award of graduate scholarships and research grants dated June 16, 2017. Only the mutual signing of the scholarship agreement constitutes a commitment to receive funding. Thus, the conclusion of a scholarship agreement between the applicant and the University of Rostock is a binding prerequisite for receiving a scholarship/grant.

The funding will be transferred to the account to be specified in the case of funding on the 1st of the respective month. The earliest month of sponsorship is January p.a. In order to be able to start the doctoral fellowship, the selected graduates must:

•  be enrolled for doctoral studies at the University of Rostock
•  be scientifically supervised by a professor or university lecturer of the University of Rostock and conclude a supervision agreement with the supervisor according to the recommendations of the DFG (see sample of the Graduate Academy)

If a grant approval is obtained on the basis of incorrect information, the University of Rostock can terminate the grant contract immediately. The amounts paid until then are to be repaid in full within three months. Also grossly negligent behaviour that endangers the completion of the qualification project will lead to the premature termination of the grant.

The scholarship agreement to be concluded also includes the obligation of the fellows to participate in the evaluation of the program as well as in reporting.

a) Interim evaluation:

The interim evaluation for the extension of the scholarship will take place in the funding month 23 (8 weeks before the end of the funding period) and will include a work report, which will show the factual and temporal course of the work to date and a work and time schedule for the solution of outstanding problems. The project supervisor will submit a written statement on the work report in which the work performed so far is evaluated and the feasibility of the project within the standard funding period (42 months) is assessed.

Guidelines for the work report on the interim evaluation:

•     approx. 5-10 pages
•     the report should be self-explanatory
• Outline:
  1. introduction to the topic/objective of the project (maximum 1 page)
  2. presentation of the results so far in comparison to the planning/conceptual design in the original application
  3. justification/ discussion of deviations from the original plan
  4. time and work plan as Gantt chart (original work plan and changes)
  5. publications

After a successful interim evaluation, the scholarship is granted for a further 18 months. The decision as to whether the doctoral candidate is qualified and whether his/her project is eligible for funding is made by the university management with the support of the Awards Committee for the State Graduate Funding Program and in cooperation with the relevant faculties.

b) Reporting and information obligations after the end of funding:

After the end of funding, the scholar shall submit a written confirmation from the department to the university management no later than one month after the end of funding that he or she has submitted the research paper.

If the scholar is unable to submit the paper, he/she must explain the reasons for this and comment on the intended progress of the work. In this case, the scholar must report in writing to the university management on the progress of the work until the submission of the doctoral thesis up to a maximum of three years after the end of the support, on an annual basis and by a date to be determined by the management. The supervisor of the scientific project shall comment on each report.

If the scholar does not comply with their reporting obligations, the university management may reclaim the scholarship in whole or in part.