Guidelines / FAQs for Applying for an external evaluation grant from the Faculty of Modern Languages
The heiDOCS funding program of the Faculty of Modern Languages ended in autumn 2023 and it is no longer possible to submit applications.
The program will continue in 2024 on a university-wide basis and will be centrally administered by the Graduate Academy within the framework of heiDOCS 2.0. Please find information about the continuation of the program and the application deadlines and procedures here:
https://www.graduateacademy.uni-heidelberg.de/foerderung/heidocs_main_en.html
General questions
► Who can apply for funding for an external evaluation?
► What is an external evaluation grant?
► Which expenses can be reimbursed by this grant?
► When should I apply?
► How do I know if the Graduate Academy has received my application?
► When will I be notified of the decision regarding my application?
► What do I have to submit to have the external evaluation grant paid out?
► What will happen to my grant if the external evaluation cannot take place?
► What will happen to my grant if the external evaluation has to be postponed?
Questions about the application forms
► What do I need to consider when filling out the application form?
► Do I need to submit any additional documents (e.g. publication lists, CV etc.)?
► I do not know exactly how high the expenses will be. Which expenses do I enter on the application form?
► I do not know exactly when the external evaluation will take place. Which date do I enter on the application form?
► What is meant by "external funding"?
► Who can issue the evaluation form for my application?
General questions
Who can apply for funding for an external evaluation?
The external evaluation grants are only open to doctoral candidates who were officially admitted to the Faculty of Modern Languages at Heidelberg University at least 6 months before the corresponding application deadline.
Please be aware that funding can be provided up to the time of the thesis defense and take this into consideration in your application.
What is an external evaluation grant?
The purpose of this grant is to cover some of the costs involved in having your doctoral project evaluated by an (international) external expert. The evaluator must have a doctoral degree and should generally also be a university professor. The award of the grant obligates the doctoral candidate to hold a colloquium with the external evaluator. This colloquium should be open to the doctoral candidates in the Faculty and should be advertised ahead of time.
Note: The funding is awarded in the form of grants. The award of a grant does not establish an employment relationship between Heidelberg University and the recipient. The recipient of the grant may not be obligated to perform any specific academic service or employment activity in connection with the grant.
Which expenses can be reimbursed by this grant?
The external evaluation grant will reimburse the external expert's expenses for travel and accommodations (up to a maximum of two nights). The amount awarded for the grant will be based on the expenses that you list on your application form up to the maximum grant amount of 650 Euro per review procedure. Should the actual expenses exceed the maximum grant amount indicated in the awards notification, this difference will not be refunded. Please not that honorariums cannot be covered by this grant.
When should I apply?
Applications can be submitted at any time.
The applications will be collected and assessed as a group after the deadlines indicated below.
Deadlines:
| January 10 |
| April 10 |
| July 10 |
| October 10 |
The external evaluation should take place within 6 months of the relevant application deadline. Please take this into consideration when choosing the deadline at which you apply. The awards notifications are sent out about 8 weeks after the deadlines. If the dissertation evaluation is scheduled during this application review period, please be aware that we will not be able to inform you about the result of your application before the dissertation evaluation begins.
Important: Incomplete applications and applications submitted after the latest appropriate deadline will not be considered.
How do I know if the Graduate Academy has received my application?
Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to automatically notify each applicant that their application has been received. If you want to check on the status of your application, please send an email to: ga-docs@uni-heidelberg.de
Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered.
When will I be notified of the decision regarding my application?
The notifications are sent out by regular mail after the entire application review process is completed; this process takes about 8 weeks after each application deadline. It is not possible to inform you about the results of your application before all applications have been reviewed.
What do I have to submit to have the external evaluation grant paid out?
In order to have the grant paid out, it is necessary that all original receipts of the travel and accommodations expenses for the external expert are submitted to the Graduate Academy. Expenses for which there are no receipts available cannot be reimbursed.
If you also received external funding for the evaluation, please include a copy of your reimbursement application for the external organization with the form that you submit to the Graduate Academy in order to have this grant paid out. In this case, external funding is funding from an external source that is used to cover the expenses for travel and accommodations for the external evaluator.
What will happen to my grant if the external evaluation cannot take place?
The external evaluation grant cannot be transferred to another person or used for another purpose. If the external evaluation does not take place, you will forfeit the grant.
What will happen to my grant if the external evaluation has to be postponed?
It is possible to postpone an external evaluation; however, you must inform the Graduate Academy as soon as possible if this situation arises. In order for you to retain your grant, neither the evaluator nor the purpose of the stay may change.
Questions about the application forms
What do I need to consider when filling out the application form?
Please fill out the application form (see » Application procedure and forms) electronically; do not handwrite your application. In order to ensure that the electronic forms work with all versions of the Adobe software, we strongly recommend that you first download and save the empty application form on your computer and then fill the form out and save it again.
Please use an Apple or Windows operating system to fill out the forms. The forms are not compatible with a Linux system.
Please use only the space provided in the existing fields on the application forms. The committee will not be able to read any text that extends beyond the existing limits of the fields.
Please do not change the formatting of the fields on the application forms.
Do I need to submit any additional documents (e.g. publication lists, CV etc.)?
The application procedure and required application documents are indicated in detail here. Additional documents not listed on the website such as publication lists, literature lists, or CVs will not be sent to the committee.
I do not know exactly how high the expenses will be. Which expenses do I enter on the application form?
If you do not yet know your exact expenses, enter your best estimate on the application form. Please be aware that if you receive an external evaluation grant, the amount awarded in the grant will be based on these expenses. It will not be possible to claim more than the amount you enter on the application form.
I do not know exactly when the external evaluation will take place. Which date do I enter on the application form?
If you do not yet know the exact date of the external evaluators visit, enter the anticipated date of his/her stay after having consulted the expert and indicate on the application form that there may be changes in the dates of the visit. Please note that his/her evaluation should take place within 6 months after the application deadlines.
What is meant by "external funding"?
“External funding” refers to additional funds that you have received from an external funding organization to cover the expenses for the present evaluation, for your doctoral project or for another research project.
If you will receive or have received funding from an external source to cover the expenses for travel and accommodations for the external expert, the external funding amount may be offset against the amount approved for this external evaluation grant.
Who can issue the evaluation form for my application?
The evaluation form for your application must be issued and submitted to the Graduate Academy by your doctoral supervisor. Please note that the evaluation is to be treated confidentially by your supervisor and must be sent by your supervisor directly to the Graduate Academy: ga-docs@uni-heidelberg.de. Please be aware that the application deadlines also pertain to the receipt of the evaluation form.
If it is not possible for your first supervisor to fill out the evaluation form for you (e.g. due to illness, parental leave etc.), you can ask another professor in your subject area who is familiar with your project to evaluate your application and complete the form for you.
