Support and funding

Funding for 2026

In 2026, the office of the dean will once again provide funding for doctoral students at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Social Sciences.

Due to the faculty's precarious financial situation, only doctoral students employed at the University of Hamburg (§ 28 (1) positions) can apply for funding of €750 this year for conference travel, experiments, etc. Doctoral students funded by external grants will only receive funding in exceptional cases, and external doctoral students will unfortunately not receive any funding given the limited budget.

Applications for funding can be submitted to the Graduate School Office no later than 30 November 2026.

To apply

Doctoral students employed at the University of Hamburg (§ 28 (1) positions) must fill out the funding application form for

presentation in scientific conferences;
active participation in summer school programs and workshops;
fieldwork and research stays;
acquisition of data sets;
conduction a scientific experiment;
transcriptions; or
proofreading of English-language scientific texts

The doctoral student then submits this, along with supporting documents (lecture invitation, workshop program, cost estimate, etc.), to the Graduate School.

The form must be signed by the doctoral student and by their supervising professor. The maximum funding amount of €750 per doctoral student can be distributed across several projects, but only one application can be submitted per doctoral student (therefore, several boxes may need to be checked and costs documented).

See https://www.wiso.uni-hamburg.de/en/einrichtungen-service/einrichtungen/graduate-school/downloads.html (doctoral support) for more information and application forms.

Office Space for Doctoral Students at Max-Brauer-Allee 60

There are a total of twenty workstations for doctoral students of the WiSo Faculty at Max-Brauer-Allee 60. The workstations encompass computers, software, printers, bookshelves and cabinet space, and meeting areas.

Doctoral students in the WiSo Faculty who do not yet have their own workstation at Universität Hamburg and would like to use this office space are welcome to apply. To do so, please fill out the Application to Use a Room for Doctoral Work at MBA 60 and send it via email to graduate_school@wiso.uni-hamburg.de or per post.

Further documents and information

	Application to use a workstation at MBA 60 PDF (0.3 MB)
	Welcome to MBA 60 PDF (0.3 MB)


Lobby of Max-Brauer-Allee 60	Workstations for doctoral students at Max-Brauer-Allee 60

Förderung durch die Universität Hamburg

Doctoral scholarships according to the HmbNFG as of April 2014.

Twice a year, the University of Hamburg awards doctoral scholarships in the amount of 1200 euros per month in accordance with the Hamburg Act for the Promotion of Young Academics and Artists. The prerequisite for the award of a scholarship is that the studies have been completed with above-average grades and that the doctorate is supervised at the University of Hamburg. A distinction is made between a basic scholarship lasting up to two years and a final scholarship lasting one year.

Click here for more information on doctoral scholarships.

Information for international students about the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

The DAAD has informed us that for an initial two-year test phase non-German students and university graduates enrolled in a degree program at a German university with the goal of completing a degree or a doctorate at a German university may receive financial support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, BMBF) through the PROMOS scholarship program to study abroad during their studies. However, students may not receive funding for stays in their home countries (country of citizenship shown in their identification documents).

We would therefore like to point out that for study trips planned between 1 January 2015 and 31 December 2016 the documentation listed in Section 8 of the German Federal Education and Training Assistance Act (Bundesausbildungsförderungsgesetz, BAföG) is not required. Instead, proof of enrollment as described above will be sufficient.

Information on the Körber Fund for Young Researchers

Informationen zur Körber-Fonds Nachwuchsförderung

Die Förderung durch den Körber-Fonds gilt auch weiterhin, der nächste Bewerbungsschluss ist der 1. März 2016. Weitere Informationen finden Sie hier.

Financial support for Postdocs

Postdocs are eligible for financial support in the form of EU research grants.

Other types of funding

Doctoral scholarships in accordance with the Hamburg Act for the Promotion of Young Researchers (HmbNFG) as of April 2014

Universität Hamburg awards two doctoral scholarships annually in accordance with the Hamburg Act for the Promotion of Young Researchers (HmbNFG). The grants are worth €1,200 per month. You are eligible for a scholarship if you have completed your studies with above-average grades and your doctoral studies are being supervised at Universität Hamburg. There are two different types of scholarships, namely a basic scholarship of up to two years and a one-year completion scholarship.

You can find more information about these scholarships here.

Funding from the Bundesbank

The headquarters in Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pommerania and Schleswig-Holstein put out calls every year for outstanding dissertations and final theses (Diplom or master’s theses) related to economics and business and touching upon matters of major concern to a central bank, e.g., the European Monetary Union, monetary policy, monetary foreign trade, public finance, banking, financial markets, or financial stability. Please read the calls for details.

Funding from the DAAD: Programm des Projektbezogenen Personenaustauschs (PPP)

The central goal of this program is to initiate or intensify research cooperation between German and international universities and/or research institutions in order to strengthen academic ties. Particular value is placed on providing young researchers with further qualifications.

The program fosters mobility and short-term research stays for members of the participating institutions, particularly young researchers, in the name of research exchange. If nothing has been agreed upon otherwise with the international partner, DAAD funds may be used to cover travel expenses and short research stays at foreign partner institutions for the members of German research groups.

Graduate students (master’s programs), doctoral students, postdocs, academics with a Habilitation, and university teaching staff are all eligible for funding if nothing has been agreed upon otherwise with the international partner.

German universities and research institutions may submit applications at the same time their international cooperation partners submit their own. Generally, the program is open to all subject areas, with the exception of a few state-based exceptions.

Information on the Körber Fund for Young Researchers

Funding from the Körber Fund is still available; the next application deadline is 1 March 2018.

Compass: Career Development Program for Young Researchers

Universität Hamburg provides its doctoral students and postdocs with an extensive program to cultivate skills and gain further qualifications: Compass — Career Development Program for Young Researchers. This program replaces the Q*WIN program that you are probably already familiar with and includes new events such as the evening series "Ein Blick auf..." (A Glance At...), which provides career orientation outside of academia. Additionally, Compass continues to offer workshops and advising services.

On the Compass page you will find events and services for doctoral students and postdocs. Below that, you will find the Program categorized by phase:

Getting settled — successful working practices

Orientation — career prospects

Moving forward — strategic career planning

Whether doctoral students and postdocs are in the early or late stages of their qualifications or career, they can find what they need here. Every offer corresponds to at least one possible career path. Thus, offers have been organized according to the following paths: academia, business/industry, society, entrepreneurship.

Academic exchange program

As part of its travel scholarship program, Universität Hamburg is offering mobility funding and support for the upcoming year. Researchers at Universität Hamburg are eligible to apply. Successful applicants usually receive administrative and financial support for a one-month research stay at one of our international partner universities. In some cases, shorter stays may also be possible. More information on the universities, application and selection procedures, and application and funding opportunities can be found on our website.

Academic exchange program

As part of its travel scholarship program, Universität Hamburg is offering mobility support services for the upcoming year. Researchers at Universität Hamburg are eligible to apply. They usually receive administrative and financial support for a one-month research stay at one of our international partner universities; in some cases, shorter stays may also be possible. More information on the universities, application and selection procedures, and application and funding opportunities can be found on our website.

Funding by Die Joachim Herz Stiftung

Joachim Herz Stiftung

Die Joachim Herz Stiftung promotes innovative research approaches in economics and natural sciences with its offers for students, postdocs, doctoral candidates and junior professors.