Robert Debusmann Forschungsförderung / Europäische Forschungsprogramme How to organise and to get funded my PhD ? • PhD in the Humanities - Why a PhD? - schedule and workplan – (Zeitplan / Arbeitsplan) - What is your position now? - PhDs at UBT 1999-2009 – duration and funding - Funding strategy • Funding opportunities - Scholarship - Research project • The difficulty to end PhD in the Humanities - Why a PhD? - schedule and workplan – (Zeitplan / Arbeitsplan) - What is your position now? - PhDs at UBT 1999-2009 – duration and funding - Funding strategy Why a PhD? Good reasons: - „My topic passionates me!“ - clear professional perspective after the PhD A strong motivation will help you to cope with the difficulties of your PhD Good environment - Graduate school (as BIGSAS) vs. Individualist PhD - School‘s advantage: organised structure, supplementary funding, stimulating debates, critical mass higher quality higher chance to get an external scholarship - the price to pay: „discipline“, active participation - danger: deviating you from your straight line ? Your competence and the project needs • Can I realise my research „off-the-cuff“ – as I can do now? Do I need further skills and knowledge in methods, language, theory? How many time will it take? • What data do I need? How many time will it take to collect it all? • When should I write the chapters of my PhD? How many time will it take to discuss them, to make the final draft? When you think it is nearly finished, you probably are at half! PhD in the Humanities - Why a PhD? - schedule and workplan – (Zeitplan / Arbeitsplan) - What is your position now? - PhDs at UBT 1999-2009 – duration and funding - Funding strategy Schedule and work plan Reasonable schedule: 3 years (cf. below: actual figures of PhD duration) Initial phase: define the topic, establish schedule and work plan, get funding Work plan - detailed for the first year: - research questions should be clear - required methods should be mastered (or specific training scheduled) - access to the data pool should be open - infrastructure and the contacts should be available Schedule and work plan define „milestones“ and risks express career perspectives, deduce your training needs in „soft skills“ to be integrated into the schedule (IRTP) draft your IRTP together with your supervisor update it together once or twice a year „agreement“ PhD in the Humanities - Why a PhD? - schedule and workplan – (Zeitplan / Arbeitsplan) - What is your position now? - PhDs at UBT 1999-2009 – duration and funding - Funding strategy Funding plan - What is your present funding? - What funding do you have in mind for your PhD? - How long will really take your PhD (from start to last examination)? PhD month 1-6 7 - 12 13 - 24 25 - 36 37 - 48 49 - n €1 €2 t PhD in the Humanities - Why a PhD? - schedule and workplan – (Zeitplan / Arbeitsplan) - What is your position now? - PhDs at UBT 1999-2009 – duration and funding - Funding strategy PhD duration at UBT (since 1999) Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaften 96 • Humanities (SpLit): 5 to 7 years (average) • Social Sciences (KuWi): 4 to 5 years • After presentation of PhD 4 to 5 months waiting for evaluation and preparing for oral exams • Age average at PhD: 35 to 36 years (30% > 40 years) • BIGSAS figures are expected to be lower 84 72 Monate 60 48 36 24 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 (3) (7) (5) (4) (3) (6) (2) (3) 0 (10) 12 Kulturwissenschaften 96 84 72 48 36 24 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 (7) (9) (8) (12) (6) (14) (5) (7) 0 2000 12 (6) Monate 60 Funding strategies, e. g. in Geography (1999-2007) Funding • The most frequent funding source for PhDs in Geography are projects and positions • Scholarships are also an important option • External employment, family support and erratic jobbing supplement the PhD funding • Most PhD fellows have used several funding sources PhD fellows (n=98) project position external employment scholarship gradute program Parents unsteady 55 42 11 21 5 8 28 average duration (mths) 37 36 19 30 36 24 12 several funding sources (successive: 66, parallel: 29) 1 2 3 4 37 40 11 5 PhD in the Humanities - Why a PhD? - schedule and workplan – (Zeitplan / Arbeitsplan) - What is your position now? - PhDs at UBT 1999-2009 – duration and funding - Funding strategy Funding strategy Problems to solve: • • • find a funding source write a successful application find a new funding source in time (before the actual funding ends) The funding of the whole PhD should be part of your IRTP. You should discuss it with your supervisor(s) • Funding opportunities - Scholarship - Project PhD scholarships • (a) Individual scholarships • (b) Graduate programs • (c) Bavarian scholarships (BayEFG) PhD scholarships • (a) Individual scholarships - the „12 Aunts“ (Begabtenförderungswerke, all disciplines): Studienstiftung des Deutschen Volkes Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung, Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, FriedrichNaumann-Stiftung, Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung, Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung Cusanuswerk, Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst , ELES Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft (Klaus Murmann), Hans-Böckler-Stiftung - Foundations, Corporative Associations (evtl. thematic foci): Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (60 scholarships / year!) Verband der Chemischen Industrie -> http://www.uni-bayreuth.de/forschungsfoerderung/infos/nachwuchs.html PhD scholarships • (b) graduate programs - DFG-Graduiertenkollegs (Liste www.dfg.de) - International Max Planck Research Schools (Liste www.mpg.de) - Marie-Curie Initial / Research Training Networks und Early Stage Training Sites (www.eracareer-germany.de) - IPPs, Graduate Schools Scholarship advertisements are published in specialised newspapers, you have to send an application directly to the graduate program -> http://www.uni-bayreuth.de/forschungsfoerderung/infos/nachwuchs.html PhD scholarships • (c) Bavarian scholarships (BayEFG) age limit 30 years, very good track record candidates have to be members of a graduate program in Bavaria (Graduiertenkolleg, Graduate School, Promotionsstudiengang) 2 calls per year (May / December), supervisor proposes a candidate open competition at Bavarian level PhD scholarships – general features: - funding 2 + 1 years - living allowance = around 1000,- € / mth. + research allowance (around 200,- €) + evtl. family allowance - application / proposals follow common standards - differences are in the eligibility criteria: nationality, theme, age limit, confessional orientation - deadlines have an impact on your planning time-to-contract: at least 6 months • Funding opportunities - Scholarship - Project Research projects: • only scholars with a PhD / professors are eligible for application • an institutional research and administrative structure is needed • PhD fellows are hired in a project: half E13 position, 2-3 years, renewable • Funding succession: scholarship first, then project Most important funding organisations: • DFG (German Research Foundation) • BMBF (Federal Ministry of Research & Education – research programs) • Volkswagen Foundation (programs – „Knowledge for tomorrow“) • European Commission (fp7, SP „SSH“; ERC) • DBU (German Foundation Environment: scholarships and projects) -> http://www.uni-bayreuth.de/forschungsfoerderung/infos/deutschland.html „... bridging the meagre period …“ funding the months before a funding / between two main fundings (since 2010): UBT Feuerwehrfonds (Emergency fund) half E 13 position up to 3 months before the start of / between two (external) fundings proof of subsequent funding required (project, scholarship, position) application to UBT Vice-President Research - immediate answer „... the last months“ funding the end of the PhD (1) (new) for women only : final PhD phase scholarship of the Gender Representative of UBT up to 12 months, not renewable only 1 scholarship ! (2) Abschluss-Darlehen des Studentenwerks Oberfranken Postdoc – transition into your professional life - PhD Awards - Postdoc Fellowships (incoming, outgoing, returning) - Positions (Assistant Professor, project) - Junior Research Group / Junior Professorship Further Information: Homepage Forschungsförderung / Europäische Forschungsprogramme www.uni-bayreuth.de/forschungsfoerderung/infos/nachwuchs.html Portals: Karriereportal www.academics.de WiKi-Portal www.hochschulkarriere.de Thesis PhD network www.thesis.de German / European Mobility Portal www.eracareers-germany.de Individual Advice supervisors, postdocs, professional advisors, „Vertrauensdozenten“ (foundations)