The DOC programme of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) funds highly qualified doctoral candidates from every field of basic research, so they can concentrate on their dissertation within a fixed time frame.
Fellows do their PhD at a university in Austria, either employed by an Austrian university or research institution or as self-employed researchers. Applications come before the doctorate starts or in its first year; the call runs once a year from mid-August to mid-September.
Benefits & funding
- EUR 52,080 a year (2026 rate), a super-gross sum that already includes taxes and social contributions; not raised during the funding period.
- 24, 30 or 36 months; the requested period may be shortened for budget reasons.
- Up to EUR 500 a year for conference travel or research abroad, and up to EUR 1,900 a year towards childcare.
- Fellows who breach the fellowship conditions must repay the funding.
Eligibility
- Any nationality; the doctorate must be done at a university in Austria.
- Apply before starting the PhD or within one year of enrolment, with 1 July of the submission year as reference date.
- Master’s degree fully completed and no more than two years old on 1 July of the submission year; up to four years with documented care duties, military or civilian service, disability or illness.
- At least two of three: a published or accepted scientific contribution, academic mobility, scientific engagement.
- No parallel application to another ÖAW fellowship programme.
- Other paid work capped at ten hours a week during the fellowship.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Education required
Master
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Application process
- 1Prepare a 10–20 page dissertation proposal, a 1–2 page abstract, CV, motivation letter and supervisor statement.
- 2Natural and technical sciences, medicine and psychology apply in English; humanities, social and cultural sciences in English or German.
- 3Submit through the online form during the call window (2026: 17 August–15 September); incomplete applications are not accepted.
- 4A rejected application may be resubmitted once, with a point-by-point reply to the review.
Program timeline
2026 call closed, 23:59 CEST
Sep 15, 2026
About 3–4 weeks after the deadline
applicants told how selection continues
funding decisions
June–July 2027
Within four months of the decision
fellowship starts