COVID-19-related hardship fund for doctoral candidates
COVID-19-related hardship fund for doctoral candidates
- Heidelberg University has created a hardship fund with the participation of the Stadt-Heidelberg-Stiftung aimed at supporting doctoral candidates who are currently experiencing a financial crisis through no fault of their own due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The grants are intended to cover basic living costs and can be awarded in the amount of max. 650 Euro per month for up to 6 months. Possible additional grants to support families will be decided upon as called for by individual situations.
- You can submit an application at any time to the Graduate Academy. The applications will be evaluated on a monthly basis by the 15th of every month. Grant payments can begin during the following month at the earliest. For the time being, the hardship fund will be taking applications until April 15, 2021.
- Please read carefully through the information about applying before submitting an application.
Information about applying
► Who can apply for a COVID-related hardship grant?
► What is the purpose of the hardship grant?
► When does the grant begin and what are the application deadlines?
► Can I apply for this hardship grant if I already have another small source of income?
Information about applying
Who can apply for a COVID-related hardship grant?
In general, doctoral candidates who are admitted to one of the 12 university faculties are eligible to apply.
The following groups are not eligible to apply:
- Candidates who are working toward their Dr.med. degree while studying medicine. These candidates are eligible for student funding; more information is found on the pages of the Studierendenwerk Heidelberg and the page on the interim financial aid funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
- Candidates who have or had up to now an employment contract with Heidelberg University either within the TV-L system or as a “wissenschaftliche Hilfskraft” (in these cases support is available through the social security system or the COVID-related exceptional rules introduced by the BMBF, see the webpage on the “Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz” for further information).
Where all else is equal, priority will be given to applications from doctoral candidates who have not yet benefited from any COVID-related emergency aid measures. Exceptions can be made depending on the severity of the situation.
What is the purpose of the hardship grant?
The grant is intended to support applicants who, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, are currently experiencing a financial crisis through no fault of their own and who are dependent on financial support in order to resume or successfully complete their doctoral project. The funding is intended to cover basic living costs.
In principle, the grant can be awarded at any phase of the doctoral project until the thesis defense has taken place. Priority will be given to advanced doctoral projects. You must explain clearly and convincingly in your application how you will ensure the successful resumption or completion of your project within the grant period.
The funding can be awarded for a maximum of 6 months and for up to 650 euro per month. The duration and the amount of the grant will be determined by the individual needs of the applicant and by the funds available to the university.
When does the grant begin and what are the application deadlines?
Applications can be submitted at any time.
Applications will be evaluated once a month on or by the 15th of the month; funding can begin in the following month at the earliest. If you submit your application during the second half of the month, funding can begin at the earliest during the month following the next evaluation period.
Please note that the grant will begin at the beginning of a month and end at the end of a month.
Can I apply for this hardship grant if I already have another small source of income?
Yes, in such cases it is possible to apply. The university will decide based on your application and your individual financial situation whether funding can be granted and if so, in what amount and for how long.
How to apply
- Please fill out the application form
and send it to your doctoral supervisor. - Please ask your supervisor to fill out the appropriate section on the second page of the form.
- Please send the form by email to the Graduate Academy (graduateacademy@uni-heidelberg.de)
If you have questions, please contact us:
Graduate Academy
Im Neuenheimer Feld 370
69120 Heidelberg
Email: graduateacademy@uni-heidelberg.de
Please be aware that it is not possible for us to automatically confirm the receipt of every application. If you would like to make sure that your application was received, please contact us by email: graduateacademy@uni-heidelberg.de
