Stays abroad for PhD students

As a PhD student at the University of Konstanz you have different funding possibilities for (research) stays abroad. Generally, you have to keep in mind the following criteria when looking for suitable funding: 

  • status (enrolled vs. employed)
  • length of stay (short term vs. long term)
  • activity (research vs. studies vs. teaching)
  • host country (european vs. non-european host country)

Erasmus+ funding

Erasmus+ semester mobility (studies)

You spend one semester or a whole academic year at an Erasmus+ partner university of your department. Not all Erasmus+ agreements include the PhD level, please make sure to check the study level when going through the list of partner institutions. 

Fast facts: 

  • enrolled as PhD student at the University of Konstanz
  • full-time studies (usually you take courses worth 30 ECTS per semester at the host university; a smaller ECTS-workload is possible after consultation with your home university's Erasmus+ coordinator, if you have a supervisor at the host institution and are working on your thesis during your stay.)
  • period of stay depends on the academic calendar of the host university
  • part of the regular Erasmus+ application process with deadline 1 February

Erasmus+ PhD Short-Term Mobility

You spend a short period of time (5-30 days) at an Erasmus+ partner university of the University of Konstanz, preferably of your own department. 

NOT eligible for funding are mobilities to the UK and Switzerland!

Fast facts: 

  • enrolled as PhD student at the University of Konstanz
  • confirmation of the planned activity by both the supervisor at the University of Konstanz and a supervisor at the host university 
  • possible activities: research skills acquisition, conducting research work, participation in PhD related activities (such as workshop participation)
  • NOT eligible for funding is the participation in conferences and language courses 

Further information is available on the website Short-Term Mobility for PhD Students of the International Office.

Erasmus+ Internship

Internships can also be funded with Erasmus+. After you searched for an internship yourself and found a post, you can apply for funding. 

Fast facts: 

  • enrolled as a PhD student at the University of Konstanz (internships for graduates are also eligible for funding, the internship has to be completed in the first year after graduation; studnets have to apply while still enrolled).  
  • duration of the internship: 2-12 months
  • weekly working hours: min. 30
  • max. monthly salary of 2000 € (net)

Further information on the Erasmus+ Humanities Internship website.

Erasmus+ Teaching Staff Mobility

You spend 2-5 days at an Erasmus+ partner university of your department in order to teach. 

Fast facts: 

  • employed at the University of Konstanz 
  • min. 8 hours of teaching; only days with teaching activity can be funded
  • consult the academic calendar of the host institution; contact colleagues at the host institution early on, because they need to plan how to include the guest lectures in their course schedules

Further information on the website on Erasmus+ teaching mobility of the International Office

Erasmus+ Staff Mobility

You spend 2-5 days for training at a university abroad that is past of the Erasmus+ programme. An interinstitutional agreement between the University of Konstanz and the host university is not mandatory. 

Fast facts:

  • employed at the university of Konstanz
  • min. 8 hours of training; only days with training programme can be funded
  • possible activities: participation in Staff Training Weeks, workshadowing in related units/areas etc. 

Further information on the website about Erasmus+ Staff Mobility of the International Office.

Funding opportunities within the institutional networks and alliances of the UKN

YERUN Research Mobility Award

Together with 23 partner universities in 16 European countries, the University of Konstanz is part of the Young European Research Universities network. PhD students can apply for the YERUN Research Mobility Awards for Early Career Researchers. 

Further information on the YERUN website of the International Office

European University Alliance

The website of the European University Alliance of the University of Konstanz is worth a look. There you will find current activities and calls. 

Doctoral Fund

The Doctoral Fund has been initiated as part of the Excellence Strategy and addresses PhD students of the University of Konstanz that are not part of a cluster of funded doctoral programmes. Doctoral students/projects can be funded with up to 5000 €. Applications are constantly possible, there are four application deadlines each year. 

Further information on the website of the Doctoral Fund

Konstanzia MEiN

This mentoring programme addresses female PhD students, who would like to advance their academic career with international experience. The mentee searches individually for a mentor abroad with whom she can spend 2-8 weeks. The programme covers the travel costs. 

Further information on the Kosntanzia MEiN website

Internationalisation Funding

Within the framework of the Excellence Strategy, funding for internationalisation could be applied for in previous years, including funding for travel and accommodation costs for PhD students of the University of Konstanz (research/teaching purposes, congress/workshop participation). 

The calls are published on the website of the International Office

Funding by external scholarship providers

DAAD-Forschungsstipendium für Doktorand*innen

With this scholarship the DAAD funds 1-12 month long research stays abroad of PhD students studying at German universites. 

Fast facts: 

Further information and the call for applications is available in the scholarship database of the DAAD. 

DAAD-Kongressreisenprogramm

The DAAD funds participation in congresses and conferences with this funding line. 

Further information and the call for applications is available in the scholarship database of the DAAD.