PhD Scholarships for Ukrainian Junior Refugee Academics at the University of Giessen for 2024

The scholarship programme "Future Ukraine" supports junior refugee academics from Ukraine in Germany. 

The “Future Ukraine” initiative is supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funding provided by the Federal Foreign Office. The main aim of this initiative is to educate PhD students (NachwuchswissenschaftlerInnen) as future experts who will take an active part in rebuilding Ukraine and in increasing cooperation between Germany and Ukraine.

What scholarships are offered?

It is a scholarship program in humanities, cultural studies and social sciences for junior refugee academics from Ukraine in Germany. There are 3 scholarships available for PhD candidates in history, language, literature, cultural studies or social sciences, starting from the next possible date till December 2024. The study period for PhD candidates is flexible. The scholarships provide €1.300 per month.

All scholarship holders should be enrolled at the University of Giessen. The Giessen Center for Eastern European Studies and the international office of the University of Giessen can advise about bureaucratic formalities, such as application, visa issues, enrollment, etc.

PhD candidates will be associated members of the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC). The GCSC particularly welcomes applications from students who graduated well above average from Master’s programs in the humanities or social sciences, and who propose a research project which contributes substantially to one or more of our research areas or emerging topics groups. PhD candidates are required to participate in GCSC curriculum and to complete a dissertation under the supervision of an expert in a relevant field of study.

The duration of the study program: The scholarships of the program “Future Ukraine” are awarded for the year 2024, the funding ends on 31.12.2024.

Who can apply?

This programme can support persons who have fled from Ukraine to Germany to escape the war and who enjoy a "grant of residence for temporary protection" under Section 24 of the Residence Act (AufenthG). Eligible scholarship candidates are:

• Ukrainian citizens who resided in Ukraine until February 24, 2022 and/or who have been in Germany as exchange students since the winter semester 2021/22 and could not return due to the war and are now pursuing a degree in Germany - this fact must be evident from your CV;
• Third-country nationals or stateless persons who enjoy international protection in Ukraine, as well as their family members, provided they were in Ukraine before or on February 24, 2022;
• Third-country nationals who resided in Ukraine with a permanent residence permit before or on February 24, 2022, and who cannot safely return to their country of origin.

How to apply for a scholarship?

Please prepare the following documents (in Ukrainian or English or German):

• A short CV.
• A short motivation letter (1-2 pages). Please give some background information about yourself and why you are interested in this program.
• A copy of your master’s diploma.
• A proof of proficiency (at least B2) in English or German language.
• A working title and an abstract (500 words max. in English) of the potential dissertation project, which also outlines the relevance to the GCSC’s research profile (Research Areas).

Please send your application package as soon as possible to anmeldung@gizo.uni-giessen.de.