General Information

The full PhD scholarship provides funding for pursuing a doctorate at BTU. Only doctoral candidates are eligible to apply for the scholarship. The base amount of the scholarship is €1,500 per month. If you have children living in the same household, the GRS can offer a monthly family allowance of €150 per child. The family allowance is only available to those who can provide the necessary documentation, such as a certification from the »Kindergeldkasse« (local famility benifits office). Please note that there is no legal entitlement to receive a scholarship.

Eligibility

Full scholarships of up to 36 months will be awarded for pursuing a PhD or doctorate at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. The scholarship can begin as early as January 2026, but funding may start at a later date. Only BTU doctoral/PhD students are eligible for funding. If you are currently applying for a PhD or doctorate at BTU, you must provide at least a letter of acceptance from your supervisor.

Please do not apply or send inquiries if you do not yet have a supervisor at BTU. For more information on how to apply for a PhD or doctorate at BTU, please visit the Young Academics website: www.b-tu.de/en/research/young-academics/doctoral-studies.

The applicant for the scholarship is the doctoral/PhD student. Scholarships will be awarded on an individual basis; therefore, supervisors cannot apply for them as they would for a research project. Applicants must be affiliated with their supervisor's chair at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, meaning the supervisor should provide the necessary resources to conduct the research project.

The requirements for the scholarships are: a university degree, relevant skills and motivation, as well as an excellent track record.

The call for applications is open to projects from all academic and scientific disciplines at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.

Important information for applicants from previous calls:

If your last application for the full scholarship was unsuccessful, the members of the Awarding Commission will not consider your reapplication.

1. Form Declaration Concerning the Scholarship
2. Form Letter of Motivation
3. CV (2 pp. max.)
4. Letter of acceptance from supervisor (»Betreuungszusage«)
5. Research proposal*
6. Copies of transcripts and degrees (bachelor, master)
7. Proof of admission to doctoral studies (may be submitted later)
8. If applicable, copy of visa (may be submitted later)
9. Letter of recommendation** from the first supervisor (BTU university professor), and second letter of recommendation from another university professor (BTU or external)

Do not submit any additional documents that are not required (e.g., medical records). The selection will be based solely on the application documents specified above. We reserve the right to reject your application if you include additional documents containing sensitive and/or personal information (e.g., medical certificates).

* Tips proposal:

• 4-6 pp. max.
• Cover page (name, supervisor(s), chair, faculty, working title, start date of doctorate)
• Overview of research area (background of the problem, summary of state-of-the-art, research gaps and your scope)
• Research question(s) and objective(s)
• Originality and relevance of your topic
• How does your topic align with the research areas of your supervisor's chair at BTU?
• Methodology 
• Tentative working plan until submission (as Gannt chart)
• Selective research bibliography

** Tips letter of recommendation:

• 2 pp. max. (German or English)
• How do you know the applicant?
• How do you assess the applicant's subject knowledge?
• How do you assess the originality and relevance of the research topic?
• How does the proposed topic align with the research areas of your chair?
• Does the applicant possess any other relevant qualifications for the project? If yes, why are they imporant?
• If applicable, also mention any noteworthy achievements by the applicant (for example, achievements in previous studies).

Please ensure that the proposal and letters of recommendation are also understandable to non-experts.

Please submit your complete application as a single PDF file in the order specified above by September 24, 2025, at 12:00 noon CEST. Email it to the GRS at researchschool+applications(at)b-tu.de with the subject line: Application for PhD Scholarship.

Note:

Please do not copy any other individuals from the GRS in your email. We will review all applications sent to the email address provided above. Additionally, we recommend submitting your application file well before the deadline.

Incomplete applications or those that do not meet the requirements will not be processed. Please note that the GRS is not responsible for verifying the accuracy or completeness of your application documents. After submission, the GRS will send you an acknowledgment of receipt via email.

Scholarships will be awarded by the Vice President for Research and Transfer of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg based on the recommendation of the Awarding Commission (link to BTU intranet). The commission is scheduled to meet by the beginning of November 2025, and shortlisted candidates will be notified by the beginning of December 2025.

Funding will commence in January 2026, with the option to start later. We plan to award 3 to 4 Full PhD Scholarships.

Selection criteria:

Suitability of the applicant

• Academic and scientific qualifications
• Notable achievements during graduate or doctoral studies

Quality of the project

• Motivation and comprehensibility of the reasons for choosing the topic
• Feasibility and submitted work plan
• Structure and presentation of the topic
• Report on the current state of research and, if applicable, the state of preliminary work

Assessment by the supervisors

• The applicant's suitability for doctoral studies
• Assessment of the content of the project (originality, relevance, connection to the supervisor's main areas of work)

Legal information: 

On this website, you will find the most important FAQs regarding the BTU Scholarship Framework Directive. 

Other legal documents (in German only): 

• Graduiertenförderungsverordnung des Landes Brandenburg (GradV)
• Rahmenrichtlinie der BTU Cottbus zur Vergabe von Stipendien (BTU-Rahmenrichtlinie Stipendien vom 12.10.2009)
• Ausführungsrichtlinie zur Vergabe von Stipendien nach der Graduiertenförderungsverordnung des Landes Brandenburg (BTU-Ausführungsrichtlinie GradV vom 24.03.2012)

Directives and regulations mentioned above are available on the BTU intranet. 

On this website, we have summarised the most important questions and answers regarding the BTU Scholarship Framework Directive.

General Information

The Short-term PhD Scholarship provides funding to support the completion of the doctoral thesis at BTU. Only doctoral candidates are eligible to apply for the scholarship. The base amount of the scholarship is €1,500 per month. If you have children living in the same household, the GRS can offer a monthly family allowance of €150 per child. The family allowance is only available to those who can provide the necessary documentation, such as a certification from the »Kindergeldkasse« (local famility benifits office). Please note that there is no legal entitlement to receive a scholarship.

Eligibility

Short-term scholarships of up to six months will be awarded to support the completion of the dissertation. The scholarship can begin as early as January 2026, but funding may start at a later date. Only BTU doctoral/PhD students who have not previously received a GRS scholarship or whose positions were funded by GRS are eligible for funding.

Please do not apply if you do not plan to complete your dissertation within the six-month funding period (e.g., for interim funding, etc.). Furthermore, scholarship holders are required to provide proof of submission of their dissertation by the end of the funding period.

The applicant for the scholarship is the doctoral/PhD student. Scholarships will be awarded on an individual basis; therefore, supervisors cannot apply for them as they would for a research project. Applicants must be affiliated with their supervisor's chair at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, meaning the supervisor should provide the necessary resources to conduct the research project.

The requirements for the scholarships are: a university degree, relevant skills and motivation, as well as an excellent track record.

The call for applications is open to projects from all academic and scientific disciplines at BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg.

Important information for applicants from previous calls:

If your last application for the short-term scholarship was unsuccessful, the members of the Awarding Commission will not consider your reapplication.

1. Form Declaration Concerning the Scholarship
2. Form Letter of Motivation
3. CV (2 pp. max., incl. list of publications)
4. Progress report*
5. Copies of transcripts and degrees (bachelor, master)
6. Proof of admission to doctoral studies 
7. If applicable, copy of visa 
8. Report by first supervisor**

Do not submit any additional documents that are not required (for example, medical records). The selection will be based on the application documents mentioned above. We retain the right to reject your application if you provide additional documents with sensitive personal data (for example, medical certificate). 

* Tips progress report:

• 4-6 pp. max.
• Cover page (name, supervisor(s), chair, faculty, working title, start date of doctorate, planned submission date)
• Overview of research area (background of the problem, summary of state-of-the-art, research gaps and your scope)
• Research question(s) and objective(s)
• Originality and relevance of your topic
• Methodology 
• Tentative list of chapters
• Working plan until submission (as Gannt chart)
• Selected bibliography

** Tips report by supervisor:

• 2 pp. max. (German or English)
• What have been the candidate's noteworthy academic achievements?
• How do you assess the originality and relevance of the research topic?
• How do you assess the progress so far and the feasibility of the working plan until submission of the dissertation (remember that this is an application for a short-term scholarship to complete the dissertation; in his report, the supervisor ensures that the candidate will be able to submit the thesis according to the respective doctoral degree regulations by the end of the funding period at the latest)

Remember that the progress report and your supervisor's report should also be understandable for non-experts. 

Please submit your complete application as a single PDF file in the order specified above by September 24, 2025, at 12:00 noon CEST. Email it to the GRS at researchschool+applications(at)b-tu.de with the subject line: Application for PhD Scholarship.

Note:

Please do not cc any other persons from the GRS. We will check all applications that will be sent to the email address mentioned above. Furthermore, we recommend not waiting until the deadline to send your application file to the GRS.

Incomplete applications or applications that do not comply with the requirements will not be processed. Keep in mind that the GRS is not responsible for checking the accuracy or completeness of your application documents. After the submission the GRS will send you an acknowledgement of receipt by email.

Scholarships will be awarded by the Vice President for Research and Transfer of BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg based on the recommendation of the Awarding Commission (link to BTU intranet). The commission is scheduled to meet by the beginning of November 2025, and shortlisted candidates will be notified by the beginning of December 2025.

Funding will commence in January 2026, with the option to start later. We plan to award 3 to 4 Short-term PhD Scholarships.

Selection criteria:

Suitability of the applicant

• Academic and scientific qualifications
• Notable achievements during graduate or doctoral studies

Quality of the project

• Motivation and comprehensibility of the reasons for choosing the topic
• Feasibility and submitted work plan until submission of the dissertation
• Structure and presentation of the topic
• Presentation of the state of research and methodological approach

Assessment by the supervisors

• The applicant's suitability for doctoral studies
• Assessment of the content of the project (originality, relevance, connection to the supervisor's main areas of work)

Legal information: 

On this website, you will find the most important FAQs regarding the BTU Scholarship Framework Directive. 

Other legal documents (in German only): 

• Graduiertenförderungsverordnung des Landes Brandenburg (GradV)
• Rahmenrichtlinie der BTU Cottbus zur Vergabe von Stipendien (BTU-Rahmenrichtlinie Stipendien vom 12.10.2009)
• Ausführungsrichtlinie zur Vergabe von Stipendien nach der Graduiertenförderungsverordnung des Landes Brandenburg (BTU-Ausführungsrichtlinie GradV vom 24.03.2012)

Directives and regulations mentioned above are available on the BTU intranet. 

On this website, we have summarised the most important questions and answers regarding the BTU Scholarship Framework Directive.

The GRS can only offer a limited number of PhD scholarships. You should consider alternative funding opportunities for your PhD as soon as possible, for example the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) or foundations that offer PhD scholarships. On our website for young researchers you can find more information about further funding opportunities. We recommend you using a database such as www.elfi.info or the DAAD scholarship database.

The BTU Scholarship Framework Directive (only in German) regulates the general conditions and requirements for receiving a PhD scholarship. On this website we have compiled the most frequently asked questions.