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GSSP Call and General Information

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Scholarships for international doctoral candidates

Supported by the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Graduate School of Geosciences (GSGS) is happy to offer four further promising international doctoral candidates the opportunity to pursue a doctorate as a part of a coordinated research programme, supervised by a Cologne Geoscientist.

Four PhD scholarships were awarded in 2021 and 2022. As a result of the successful re-application by the GSGS, two further scholarships each will start in 2023 and 2024. The 2023 call will be published here by 05 December, 2022 and applications will be accepted  from then until 31 January 2023). All four scholarships are funded by the DAAD for up to 4 years. Please read here for more information about the application process.  

The scholarships include:

  • a scholarship instalment of currently € 1,200 per month;
  • a travel allowance;
  • payments towards health, accident and personal liability insurance cover;
  • a research allowance of currently € 460 per year (for scholarship holders from emerging countries), or € 260 per year (for scholarship holders from industrialized countries);
  • under certain circumstances, grant holders may receive the following additional benefits:
    • monthly rent subsidy;
    • monthly allowance for accompanying family members (about € 200 child allowance per child and about € 275 marriage allowance);
    • in the case of a disability or chronic illness: subsidy for additional costs which result from the disability or chronic illness and are not covered by other funding providers.
  • preparatory German language course (if available, applicable and feasible, taking into account the starting date of the scholarship);
  • a material resources and supervision allowance of currently € 1,000 per year, which is paid upon application to the host institution.

Regulations regarding planned field work / stays abroad during the scholarship: research phases outside Germany during the funding period can be supported if they do not exceed 25% of the total funding period, and do not take place directly at the beginning of the funding period.

Please also read the DAAD “Guidelines and Information for Nominees”.

The scholarship recipients will be members of the GSGS for the duration of their doctoral studies.