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INFORMATION

Dissertation scholarship for the final phase 2025/26

Deadline: 28.10.2025, 11.00 a.m.

Funding is available for

  • Regular students of a doctoral or PhD program at the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna or at the University of Arts Linz.
  • Doctoral students who can demonstrate that the work on the dissertation or PhD project can be successfully completed within the scholarship period.
  • The expected quality of the thesis is a central criterion for awarding the scholarships.

Prerequisite

  • The scholarship can only be claimed once per person during the entire duration of the doctoral studies.
  • Applications can be written in German or English.
  • Scholarships must be applied for within six months of being awarded (January - June 2026).
  • The applicant's monthly net income or the monthly amount of financial support from other longer-term funding may not exceed the maximum aliquot scholarship according to the Study Support Act (currently € 923 per month) on average during the scholarship period.
  • The scholarship holder undertakes to present his/her dissertation/PhD project - in accordance with the respective study affiliation - at the next PhD colloquium of the University of Art and Design Linz or the next graduate conference of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna.

Please submit:

  • Completed application form online (mandatory fields must be filled in)

The following documents must be uploaded:

  • Current study sheet
  • Approved dissertation agreement / PhD project agreement / signed supervision agreement (Dr.techn.) (Academy of Fine Arts Vienna) or PhD supervision agreement (University of Art and Design Linz) - incl. signatures and exposé
  • Curriculum vitae, incl. list of publications or works and / or artistic portfolio
  • Abstract (max. 1 page)
  • Detailed work plan and timetable up to the planned submission of the dissertation or PhD project (incl. expected submission date)
    The doctoral candidates must clearly demonstrate that the work on the dissertation or PhD project can be successfully completed within the scholarship period.
  • Annotated table of contents of the dissertation or project outline in the case of artistic research work, showing which chapter / which part has been completed and to what extent
  • At the time of application, existing text parts or artistic parts of the dissertation or PhD project, for example the already completed chapters, a video project, the documentation of a performance, etc.

Furthermore, a letter of recommendation from the doctoral supervisor must be submitted, in which the applicant's scientific/artistic qualifications, the expected quality and the feasibility of the planned completion date of the dissertation or PhD project are stated.

The signed letter of recommendation from the doctoral supervisors must be sent as a scan by the doctoral supervisors directly by e-mail to doktoratszentrum@akbild.ac.at within the submission deadline.

Amount of the scholarship

A total of eight scholarships can be awarded for six months each (4 scholarships Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, 4 scholarships University of Art and Design Linz). The amount of the scholarship is € 1.200,00 per month.

Third-party benefits (other grants, scholarships, etc.) must be disclosed immediately. In the event that the scholarship is received contrary to the guidelines (e.g. failure to provide evidence, exceeding the income limit), the scholarship must be repaid.

A work report (max. 1-2 pages) must be submitted by e-mail no later than two months after the end of the scholarship.

Submission deadline

There is one submission deadline each year

Deadline 2025: Tuesday, October 28, 2025, 11.00 a.m.

Award criteria & award procedure

The selection committee with representatives of the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna and the University of Art and Industrial Design Linz as well as an external member will decide on the awarding of the scholarship. The selection meeting will take place on December 5, 2025.

The scholarships will be awarded competitively on the basis of the documents submitted. The expected quality of the thesis and the comprehensible demonstration that the work on the dissertation or PhD project can be successfully completed within the scholarship period are the central criteria for awarding the scholarships. There is no legal entitlement to the award of scholarships.

Applicants will be informed of the selection result by email shortly after the selection meeting.

Applications that are incomplete or not submitted on time cannot be considered.

There will be an online information session on the call, submission and procedure of the dissertation fellowship for the final phase on October 6, 2025, 13h via Zoom, details see here.

If you have any questions regarding the call, please contact Sabine Priglinger: s.priglinger@akbild.ac.at, +43 1 588 16-1119

calls.akbild.ac.at/calls/DSA25

To the application