heiDOCS 2.0
Source: https://www.graduateacademy.uni-heidelberg.de/foerderung/heidocs_main_en.html Parent: https://www.graduateacademy.uni-heidelberg.de/foerderung/index_en.html
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heiDOCS 2.0
The Graduate Academy funding program aims to improve the research framework for doctoral candidates at Heidelberg University
Funding lines of the heiDOCS 2.0 program
I. Travel grants
Are you a doctoral candidate at Heidelberg University in need of financial support to participate in a conference or to carry out a research trip?
Travel grants can help contribute to your participation in national or international academic events (e.g. conferences, workshops, symposia), summer or winter schools or to go on a research trip in Germany or abroad for a period of up to 3 months.
The trips must be related to your doctoral project.
In order to apply for a travel grant, you must be admitted as a doctoral candidate to one of the 13 Faculties of Heidelberg University and you must have completed a degree (usually a master's) that qualifies you for doctoral training. (Exception: doctoral candidates who are writing their doctoral thesis during their medical studies are not eligible to apply).
All the requirements and information necessary to apply for a travel grant are available on this website:
► Call for applications for travel grants within the heiDOCS 2.0 program
II. Bridging grants
Are you in the early stages of your doctoral or postdoctoral project or are you close to finishing your doctoral thesis* but lack the necessary financial resources to cover these transition phases?
The bridging grant provides financial support for critical transitional phases in your research project. The grant is paid out for a maximum of 6 months and includes the following funding types:
a) Starting grant for your doctoral project to cover the transitional period between the end of your regular university studies and the beginning of your doctoral training.
In order to apply for a starting grant for your doctoral project, you must be admitted as a doctoral candidate to one of the 13 Faculties of Heidelberg University and you must have completed a degree (usually a master's) that qualifies you for doctoral training. (Exception: doctoral candidates writing their doctoral thesis during their medical studies are not eligible to apply).
Important: You must be admitted to your faculty at the start of the funding period.
All the requirements and information you need to apply are available on this website:
b) Starting grant for your postdoctoral project to cover the transitional period between the end of your doctoral studies and the start of your postdoc research
In order to apply for a starting grant for your postdoctoral project, you must be admitted as a doctoral candidate to one of the 13 Faculties of Heidelberg University and you must have completed a degree (usually a master's) that qualifies you for doctoral training. (Exception: doctoral candidates who are writing their doctoral thesis during their medical studies are not eligible to apply).
Your dissertation must be submitted to your faculty.
Important: You must have concrete plans for your postdoctoral project when you submit your application for the starting grant.
All the requirements and information necessary for the application are available on this website:
► Call for applications for postdoctoral bridging - starting - grants within the heiDOCS 2.0 program
c) Completion grant for finishing your doctoral thesis within the Landesgraduiertenförderung (LGF) program
In order to apply for a completion grant for the final stage of writing your dissertation, you must be admitted as a doctoral candidate to one of the 13 Faculties of Heidelberg University and you must have completed a degree (usually a master's) that qualifies you for doctoral training. (Exception: doctoral candidates who are writing their doctoral thesis during their medical studies are not eligible to apply).
Important: The call for applications for completion grants within the LGF program is announced twice a year with application deadlines in mid-April and mid-October.
All the requirements and information necessary to apply for a completion grant within the LGF program are available on the following website:
►Call for applications for completion grants within the LGF program
III. Publication grants and project grants
Are you looking for funding for the publication of your dissertation or do you need financial support for the professional proofreading of a publication?
Do you need to purchase data sets for your doctoral project or is it particularly important in your research field that you have an external (international) evaluator for your thesis, whose travel expenses you need to cover?
a) Publication grants
Publication grants provide funding for the publication of your dissertation (including the acquisition of reproduction rights such as image rights) or for the professional proofreading of publications that are related to your doctoral project.
In order to apply for a publication grant, you must be admitted as a doctoral candidate to one of the 13 Faculties of Heidelberg University and you must have completed a degree (usually a master's) that qualifies you for doctoral training. (Exception: doctoral candidates who are writing their doctoral thesis during their medical studies are not eligible to apply).
All the requirements and information necessary to apply for a publication grant are available on this website:
► Call for applications for publication grants within the heiDOCS 2.0 program
b) Project grants
Project grants provide financial support to purchase data sets and data set licenses or to obtain other project-related materials (e.g. printing of questionnaires or posters, remuneration of test persons) that are directly linked to your doctoral research.
Additionally, project grants can be used to cover the travel costs of external (international) experts who evaluate or supervise your doctoral project.
In order to apply for a project grant, you must be admitted as a doctoral candidate to one of the 13 Faculties of Heidelberg University and you must have completed a degree (usually a master's) that qualifies you for doctoral training. (Exception: doctoral candidates who are writing their doctoral thesis during their medical studies are not eligible to apply).
All the requirements and information necessary to apply for a project grant are available on this website:
► Call for applications for project grants of the heiDOCS 2.0 program
IV. Doctoral initiatives
Do you want to organize a conference or workshop with other doctoral candidates at Heidelberg University but lack the necessary funds to carry out the event?
This grant supports events (e.g. workshops, conferences) that are developed and implemented by doctoral candidates at the university.The goal of this funding line is to strengthen (academic) exchange and networking among doctoral candidates.
In order to apply for this grant, you must be admitted as a doctoral candidate to one of the 13 Faculties of Heidelberg University and you must have completed a degree (usually a master's) that qualifies you for doctoral training. (Exception: doctoral candidates who are writing their doctoral thesis during their medical studies are not eligible to apply).
Additionally, the application must be submitted by two doctoral candidates from separate research groups or separate supervisors.
All the requirements and information necessary to apply for a grant to support a doctoral initiative are available on this website:
► Call for applications for grants to support a doctoral initiative within the heiDOCS 2.0 program
If you are in one of these situations, apply for funding through the Graduate Academy’s heiDOCS 2.0 program We look forward to receiving your application!
\ Applications for all the funding lines of the heiDOCS 2.0 program* can be submitted to the Graduate Academy on the following four application deadlines per year (see exception*):
March 15\ June 15\ September 15\ December 15
*Exception: Applications for completion grants for finishing the doctoral thesis can be submitted twice a year within the LGF program.
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Latest Revision: 2026-02-06