Funding Program for the Promotion of Postgraduates of the Land of Baden-Württemberg (LGF)

In addition to the basic fellowship with a duration of at least one year, shorter fellowships of less than twelve months, so-called short-term fellowships, as well as fellowships for the completion of the dissertation project with a maximum duration of six months may also be advertised.

The monthly scholarship payment amounts to EUR 1.365 including a fixed amount for material and travel expenses. Scholarship holders facing special personal circumstances can apply for additional grants (see also next question).

Yes. Scholarship holders facing special personal circumstances may apply for the following social grants:

1. grant for proven childcare costs,
2. grant in the case of a (severe) disability or other health impairment of the scholarship holder him- or herself or his or her child,
3. grant for doctoral students who have to care for a relative.

The additional grants amount to a maximum of EUR 500 per month. For further information, please refer to section 2 subsection 3 of the general statutes of the University of Mannheim on the implementation of the LGFG.

You are eligible to apply for a fellowship provided that you have been accepted as a doctoral student at the University of Mannheim.

The most important criterion in the award process is the applicant's academic qualification. According to section 2 LGFG, the fellowships are primarily awarded to doctoral students who possess outstanding qualifications and who pursue a dissertation project that is expected to make an important contribution to research. For further criteria for the grant, please refer to the respective call for applications.

Funding according to the act on the promotion of postgraduates of the Land of Baden-Württemberg (Landesgraduiertenförderungsgesetz, LGFG) is excluded if you

• have not been accepted as a doctoral student at the University of Mannheim,
• are employed for more than 25 percent of the regular working time according to the Collective Agreement for Public Service Employees of the German Länder (TV-L) or for more than 43 hours per month,
• are simultaneously receiving a fellowship from another funding organization,
• receive further income within the meaning of the German Income Tax Act (Einkommensteuergesetz, EStG) that exceeds EUR 15,000 gross per year.

Due to tax regulations, receiving an LGF fellowship while simultaneously being employed at the university is only possible if there is a separation in terms of content, time and space between the fellowship and the employment relationship. If the supervisor also supervises the doctoral dissertation project, an LGF fellowship may only be awarded in exceptional cases and only subject to review by the Human Resources division. Further information can be found in the following circular letter. The form to confirm the separation of fellowship and employment can be found under our important downloads.

The fellowships to be awarded are advertised publicly, including information on eligibility, application deadlines, funding periods and the amount of funding. During the application period, we will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding the application process.

The application documents submitted on time are first checked with regard to formal requirements and completeness and then submitted to the expert committees of the individual schools/departments. These committees make an initial assessment of the applications and issue brief statements on them. The grants committee chaired by the Vice President for Research and Early-Stage Researchers then decides on the final approval. We will inform you about the decision of the grants committee immediately afterwards and confirm the funding approval by issuing an official grant award notification.

Yes. Provided that your supervisor confirms that it will not jeopardize the completion of your dissertation project, the fellowship may be interrupted due to illness, pregnancy, special family obligations or other important reasons. In this case, please contact us, we will be happy to advise you.