Our services for you

Financial benefits

• Duration of funding: max. 36 months
• Basic monthly grant: € 1,650
• Monthly material and travel expenses: € 150
• further subsidy of material costs possible
• Health insurance subsidy of up to €150 possible
• monthly child supplement and other support possible

Ideal promotion

• personal support and supervision by DBU consultants
• Presentation of results, interdisciplinary exchange and excursions at DBU scholarship seminars (1 week per year)
• Support in the organization of your own specialist colloquia
• Invitation to the EnvironmentalAward Ceremony and other DBU events; also for alumni
• Networking between scholarship holders and alumni via the Stipnet communication platform

Other general conditions

• Applications are welcome from all disciplines, i.e. not only from the natural and engineering sciences but also from the social sciences, humanities, economics and law. Interdisciplinary environmental research is especially encouraged.
• Promising applicants have an above-average degree and are highly motivated to contribute to the solution of current environmental problems in a goal-oriented manner or to promote sustainable development.
• The complete application documents must be prepared in German; applicants must have a good command of German (at least level B2).
• Stays abroad are possible as long as the doctoral studies take place mainly at the supervising institution in Germany.
• Incomplete applications and applications received after the respective application deadline cannot be considered.
• No more than one application per working group/scientific supervisor may be submitted per application round.
• Doctoral fellowships support individuals but not institutions.
• It is not permissible to focus on a larger set of topics (bundling of individual applications) that has not been coordinated with the DBU.
• Rejection of a scholarship application will preclude reapplication.

Our goals

• scientific knowledge gain and new solution approaches for environmental protection and nature conservation
• Support for highly motivated doctoral students who complete their doctorates within three years
• Qualification of young scientists with high environmental competence
• Networking between environmental experts from all specialist disciplines

Our requirements for you

• With your doctorate you want to develop sustainable solutions for current environmental problems.
• You have or are earning an above-average degree; all majors are eligible.
• You have a coherent resume.
• Her doctoral thesis deals with the environmental situation in Germany or with global environmental challenges with relevance for Germany.
• Your doctorate will be at a German university and has not yet begun. (A project is considered to have been started if you have been working scientifically on your doctoral topic for more than 1 year since graduation).
• detailed information can be found in our funding guidelines.