| Funding programmes | Graduate Center for Doctoral Researchers
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Graduate Center for Doctoral Researchers

Graduate Center for Doctoral Researchers

The funding enables doctoral researchers to network and get further qualifications in the field of digitalisation as well as financial support for research activities within the scope of their doctoral projects.

Doctoral researchers at universities in Bavaria
Networking, further qualification, scholarship
Annually
Max. 4 years

We promote networking and the further qualification of doctoral researchers in the field of digitalisation.

The Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts intends to support doctoral projects by particularly qualified doctoral candidates who have a technically, economically or socially relevant focus that is important for digitalisation.

The funding is provided within the framework of the Graduate Center and is coordinated by the bidt.

The admission to the Graduate Center has many advantages:

  • Participation in events and courses on current digitalisation topics
  • Scholarship
  • Access to bidt events
  • Exchange in working groups with other doctoral researchers and experts from academia and wider society
  • Increased visibility within the academic community and beyond
Information
Eligibility

All doctoral researchers who are pursuing a doctorate at a university publicly administered by the Free State of Bavaria or at a state-recognised university significantly funded by the Free State can apply for the funding. Female doctoral candidates are strongly encouraged to apply.

Also, we require an excellent knowledge of English, as this is the language of communication at the Graduate Center. We expect a basic understanding of German and an interest in expanding this knowledge.

Interdisciplinary interests and experience at the intersection of other disciplines are also welcome. In case of admission to the Graduate Center, we expect active participation in the course programme.

Doctoral researchers who are already promoted or funded by bidt are not eligible for a scholarship. Other scholarships may also be an exclusion criterion for financial support. However, this does not affect non-financial support.

Funding

In 2024, we will again admit up to 25 doctoral researchers to the bidt Graduate Center. In addition to access to events and further training, this includes a scholarship of 3,000 euros per year until the end of the doctoral project, for a maximum of four years.

Application

An application must include the following documents:

  • Completed application form including a description of the doctoral project, which should have a technical, economic or social focus relevant to digitalisation and be planned to run for up to four years.
  • Professional CV including references
  • Proof of an outstanding university degree or comparable state-recognised degree qualifying for a doctorate at a higher education institution
  • Informal declaration by the supervising university teacher on the supervision and support of this application

The complete application documents (application form with a description of the doctoral project, curriculum vitae and references, and declaration of support) must be submitted in a single PDF document via this link in EasyChair.org. A free EasyChair account needs to be created before submission is possible. Please also check our data protection guidelines. The deadline for applications is 15 February 2024.

Selection procedure

Funding decisions are based on the recommendations of an interdisciplinary selection committee. The basis for the evaluation is always the written application.

Selection criteria include the applicant’s professional qualifications, the scientific quality of the research project and its relevance to societal aspects of digital transformation.

Contact

Dr. Maria Staudte

Research Coordinator, bidt

QPD

Basic digitalisation skills are crucial for researchers of all disciplines in their professional development. To fulfil this demand, the Bavarian Research Institute for Digital Transformation (bidt), the Center for Advanced Internet Studies (CAIS), and the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society provide a collaborative and interdisciplinary qualification program on digitalisation research (QPD) for their doctoral and postdoc researchers.

Find an overview of the doctoral researchers who receive funding, along with brief descriptions of their respective doctoral projects, by following this link:

Working Groups

Together, postdocs and doctoral candidates can gain experience in an interdisciplinary context and work in a productive and results-oriented approach. An overview of the respective working groups and a brief description can be found here:

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