Application Procedure

Below, we have put together more detailed information about the application procedure. Please read this information carefully to facilitate the procedure for both you and us.

Application Materials

Applications for a doctoral fellowship have to be submitted in writing in English and in duplicate and include the following documents:

1. Application form of the Ernst Schering Foundation as cover page
2. Description of research project, including timetable (no more than ten pages including references)
3. Curriculum vitae
4. Letters of recommendation from the previous research director/adviser and the doctoral adviser in a sealed envelope (including the copy)
   
   • If the doctoral advisor has also supervised the applicant’s previous work, an additional letter of recommendation must be obtained from a university teacher or somebody in a comparable position.
   • In exceptional cases, letters of recommendation can be sent directly to the Ernst Schering Foundation. We will add them to the application.
5. Short explanation why the host laboratory or institute has been chosen for the Phd-project
6. Statement by the head of the host laboratory that the planned research can be carried out at the laboratory.
7. Copies of all University certificates with grades.
   
   • Ungraded academic degree certificates are not sufficient.
   • Certificates can be submitted in English or German. Certificates in other languages have to be submitted in English translation (translated by a certified translator).
   • It is not necessary to submit certified copies.
   • If the grading is different from the German grading system (1 to 6), a grading key has to be included. If the degree certificates do not permit the evaluation of the applicant’s accomplishments, the application cannot be processed.
   • If the applicant is about to graduate shortly after the application deadline, the application can be submitted without the graduation certificate (please include note). The certificate or a statement of final grades have to be submitted within 6 weeks of the application deadline.

For administrative reasons, application materials will not be returned to the applicant. Therefore please do not use fancy folders, but one simple plastic folder for all your application materials. Please do not tack the relevant documents together with staples.

Application Deadlines

April 30 and October 31 (postmarked date)

Address

Ernst Schering Foundation
Board of Directors
Unter den Linden 32-34
10117 Berlin

E-mail applications cannot be considered.

Selection Procedure

The primary criteria for the award are the scientific quality of the application, the applicant’s past academic accomplishments, and the quality of the host institute. Once the Ernst Schering Foundation has determined the application, it will be submitted to external readers who will evaluate it according to the following criteria:

Quality of the application

• Is the project new and innovative?
• Do its premises reflect the current state of research?
• Will the expected results yield new insights?
• Is the project doable in the proposed time frame?
• Are the proposed methods suitable for reaching the research objective?

Applicant

• What are the applicant's personal and academic qualifications for carrying out the project?
• Does the applicant's past career show a particular interest in scientific questions?
• Does the applicant already have scientific publications?

Host Institute

• What is the institute’s reputation?
• Is the research group internationally acknowledged?
• Does the doctoral adviser have the necessary specialist knowledge?
• Does the host institute have the necessary technical equipment for carrying out the project?

Based on the readers’ reports, the Scientific Committee of the Ernst Schering Foundation selects the fellowship recipients. Applicants are not interviewed personally.

Notification of Decisions

Fellowship decisions are made in September for the April deadline and in April for the October deadline.

Conditions of Award

The fellowship expires if it is not started within six months of notification. It is to cover the living costs of the fellowship recipient and may not be used to supplement any existing income. The fellowship recipient must not receive any regular income or fellowship from any other institution. The monthly fellowship payments will be directly deposited to the bank account of the fellowship recipient.