VISESS students can apply for funding for up to three months either through stipends or short-term finishing contracts, depending on their previous funding situation:

Stipends: PhD students who were not employed at the University of Vienna within the last six months before the start of the grant can apply for stipends of 1.050 €/month for a duration of up to 3 months.

Short-term finishing contracts: PhD students who were employed at the University of Vienna within the last six months before the start of the grant can apply for short-term finishing contracts including an employment as University-Assistant (prae doc) with 30h/week and payment according to salary group B1 for up to 3 months.

Find more information on the eligibility criteria for the different funding types here.

The admin coordinator will check which funding type the applicant is eligible for.

The VISESS Completion Grants aim to support VISESS students during the final phase of their doctoral studies to focus on the completion and submission of their thesis. The following minimal requirements apply:

• Applicants must be enrolled in the DSPL45 doctoral programme, be a VISESS student member and have agreed to the Code of Good Practice.
• Applicants must have successfully passed the FÖP within the first 2 semesters after registration, have submitted their dissertation agreement, and since then have submitted their annual progress reports (this applies strictly to students who started after 01.03.2023).
• Applicants must show active and regular participation in VISESS activities, i.e.
  - minimum 75% participation in the VISESS Seminar over 2 semesters
  - co-organisation of one Big Picture Talk or Event during the time of their doctoral studies
  (this applies as strict criterion to students who started after 01.03.2023 and as selection criterion to students who started before 01.03.2023).
• Applicants must provide a convincing statement that the completion and submission of the thesis can be expected at the end of the grant. At the time of the application, half of the doctoral thesis should be finalised.
• Applicants have to provide a statement from their supervisory team on their commitment to support the PhD student in the final phase of the writing process.
• Applicants need to ensure that there is no other funding source available.

Each application will undergo a formal check by the admin coordinator who will check which funding type the applicant is eligible for.

A jury (consisting of members of the VISESS School Board) will review all applications that fulfil the formal criteria. The jury will discuss and compare the applications and select the project(s) that will receive funding. Main selection criteria for funding are:

• Current state of the thesis project and feasibility of working plan: has the applicant convincingly made clear that the thesis can be completed in the anticipated time frame?
• Statement by the supervisory team: does the supervisory team fully support the application and fully support the PhD student in the final phase of the writing process?
• Study record and academic CV (including but not limited to duration of studies, grades, academic activities such as seminars, international conferences, summer- or winter schools, scientific publications, contribution to projects, transferable skills trainings, teaching activities): does the PhD student show a strong academic record?
• Breaks or delays: are there any breaks or delays (such as parental leave, long-term illness, caring responsibilities) to be taken into account?

In case of equal qualification, we will look into the dimension of diversity and give preference to minorities.

All applicants will be informed about the decision of the jury. Grant recipients must acknowledge the support from VISESS in suitable form, e.g. add a funding statement ("This project has received financial support from VISESS”) and/or use the VISESS logo.

The Completion Grants are awarded competitively within the (varying) financial possibilities of the funding programme. There is no legal entitlement to funding, neither on the merits nor in terms of the funding amount.

VISESS encourages duration of doctoral studies to stay within 4 years, including extensions.

In case of questions, please contact Martina Egger (E-Mail: admin.visess@univie.ac.at , Phone: +43-1-4277-53009).