sowi:docs Fellowship Programme 2025

Application period (planned): 3 March–13 April 2025 (two positions)

sowi:docs is the doctoral fellowship programme of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences (ViDSS). sowi:docs fellowships give outstanding doctoral candidates in the social sciences the opportunity to devote full-time effort to their research and to writing their doctoral thesis in the vibrant research environment of ViDSS. We welcome applications in the fields of communication, demography, development studies, nursing science, political science, science and technology studies, social and cultural anthropology and sociology. In 2025, the ViDSS announces two new positions in the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme.

The sowi:docs Fellowship Programme aims at recruiting the best candidates. All candidates are in direct competition with each other, regardless of their fields of research. Applicants need the support of a supervisor who is a member of the ViDSS, must provide a CV indicating their above-average qualifications in the discipline in which they intend to write their doctoral thesis and have to submit a research proposal that is forwarded to international experts for review.

sowi:docs Fellows are employed with the University of Vienna for 30h/week according to the applicable collective bargaining agreement. The announcement is made for 3 years. The employment contract is initially limited to 1.5 years and is automatically extended to a total of 3 years, unless the employer submits a declaration of non-renewal after a maximum of 12 months.

sowi:docs Fellows are members of the academic staff and enjoy all rights and duties that come with such a position. sowi:docs fellows receive travel funds from their departments and can apply for ViDSS Research Funds after the successful public presentation of their intended doctoral project at the Faculty of Social Sciences, which takes place in the first year. Additional funding for research related costs has to be acquired by the fellows themselves and is not covered by the fellowship.

sowi:docs Fellows are enrolled on the doctoral programme in Social Sciences at the University of Vienna and become members of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences. As ViDSS Students, fellows actively participate in the activities organised by the doctoral school and complete the milestones of the doctoral programme throughout their doctoral studies.

Requirements

All applications must be supported by a faculty member (1) employed with the University of Vienna, who is (2) working in the subject area of the planned thesis, and who is (3) a listed supervisor within the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences. It is a requirement that the relevant faculty member has already accepted the applicant as a doctoral candidate when they submit their application.

Important: Each ViDSS faculty member can only support ONE candidate per annual call. They may, however, additionally be listed as members of a planned supervisory team in applications supported by other faculty members. This may be indicated in a candidate’s letter of motivation.

Supervisors

Did you know that our many assistant and associate professors are also regular supervisors within the ViDSS and can support your application?
Full list of supervisors at the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences


Applicants have to be granted admission to the doctoral programme in the Social Sciences at the University of Vienna in the winter semester of 2025/2026 or the summer semester of 2026. If the applicant is already a doctoral candidate in the Social Sciences at the University of Vienna, they must have been admitted no earlier than in the winter semester of 2024/2025. Applicants who have already been working on their doctoral thesis in a funded position before October 2024 (at the University of Vienna or elsewhere) are not eligible for a sowi:docs Fellowship. Applicants who have already completed a doctoral degree are not eligible.

sowi:docs fellows must comply with the rules and regulations for passing the public presentation at the Faculty and for concluding the doctoral thesis agreement with their supervisor/s as specified in the ViDSS.

Application documents

  1. Letter of motivation: Describe your previous academic achievements, your mid-term career goals and your motivation for the subject area you chose. Include the name of the supervisor at the ViDSS who has accepted you as a doctoral candidate.
  2. CV in tabular form (no more than three pages including a list of publications, if available)
  3. Degree certificates (incl. transcripts) of previously completed university degree programmes
  4. Abstract of the research proposal (no more than 250 words including a working title of the doctoral thesis project)
  5. Research proposal (no more than 4,000 words not including references, font size of 11pt, 1.5 line spacing): A research proposal for the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme must include:

           • Current state of research and positioning of the research project
           • Academic goals and methodological approach
           • Ethical considerations
           • Work schedule and required financial and material expenses
           • Preliminary bibliography

    To facilitate double-blind review, please remove any identifying information, such as your name, from your research proposal before submission.
  6. Positive statement/s from your future supervisor/s: Following the submission of your application, your supervisor/s at the ViDSS will be asked to complete and submit a form containing a set of questions about you and your doctoral thesis project. The deadline for the submission of this statement is 11 May 2025. Please note that your application is not complete and will not be considered without a statement from one of your supervisors at the ViDSS. Please note that each ViDSS faculty member can only support ONE candidate per annual call.

All documents have to be written in English and submitted in one single PDF file via the University's job platform (the link will be available during the application period).

Only complete applications that fulfil the formal criteria will be considered for assessment. It is not possible to make amendments once an application has been submitted.

Selection

A jury, consisting of experts who are members of the Faculty of Social Sciences, will review all applications that fulfil the formal criteria. The jury decides which applications are forwarded to international reviewers. After the first selection procedure, all applicants are informed about the jury’s decision.

Applications selected by the jury are reviewed by international reviewers from outside the University of Vienna. Reviewers are asked to assess the proposals according to the following criteria: innovation, academic relevance, methodological appropriateness and feasibility. In well-founded cases, applicants can specify up to two researchers who should not act as reviewers for their application.

During a second meeting, the jury will discuss and compare all applications and reviews in detail and compile a final shortlist of candidates. The reviewers’ assessments will be the main basis for the shortlist. In addition, the jury members will take the academic potential of the applicants into consideration and assess the research proposals according to the duration candidates have already been working on their doctoral thesis projects.

If, following the deliberations, the number of shortlisted candidates exceeds the number of fellowships available, the final decision to award the sowi:docs Fellowships is based on random selection. If applications are unanimously selected for funding, they are excluded from the lottery. In that case, the decision to award the remaining scholarships is based on random selection. After the final decision, the reviews are anonymised and forwarded to the applicants.

It is possible to apply for the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme again. In your letter of motivation, please describe the progress that you have made since the first application and how you have revised your research proposal based on the feedback you received from the jury or the reviewers.

Applicants do not have recourse to legal action.

 

 FAQs

 

Application

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  • Can I name more than one supervisor in my application?

    All applicants must be supported by a faculty member who is a listed supervisor within the ViDSS. If you are supported by more than one member of the ViDSS, please let us know by including the names of all potential future supervisors in your letter of motivation.

  • Can I apply for less than three years? I plan to finish my doctoral project in one to two years.

    No. The sowi:docs Fellowship Programme aims at funding a full doctoral study period, not just the completion of the thesis.

  • Is there an age limit?

    The sowi:docs Fellowship Programme is a programme for early stage researchers, but there is no age limit.

  • I will obtain my master’s degree soon. Is it possible to apply for the fellowship?

    Yes, in principal you can apply. However, you must have obtained your master’s degree before 1 September 2025.

  • Is it possible to apply for the programme again and submit a revised application in the next call?

    Yes, applicants can submit a revised application if it meets all formal criteria. In your letter of motivation, please describe how you have revised your research proposal based on the feedback you received from the jury or the reviewers.

  • How do I know if my application has been submitted successfully?

    You will receive a confirmation e-mail when your application has been submitted successfully.

  • Can I apply for a doctoral fellowship at other funding bodies as well?

    Yes. However, you have to indicate all further applications in your letter of motivation.

External applications

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  • I am not an Austrian citizen. Can I apply for the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme?

    Yes.

  • I have a master’s degree from a foreign university or will complete my master’s programme within the next few months. Can I apply for the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme?

    Yes, the programme is open to international applicants who wish to pursue their doctoral studies in the framework of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences. However, you must have obtained your master’s degree before 1 September 2025. Please ensure that you meet the formal requirements for admission to the doctoral programme. You need to have a supervisor who is a member of the ViDSS.

  • I have a master’s degree from a foreign university and I am not yet enrolled at the University of Vienna. When do I have to enrol on the doctoral programme and what do I need for admission?

    You have to be admitted to the doctoral programme in the course of the winter semester of 2025/2026 or the summer semester of 2026. The office of the Vienna Doctoral School of Social Sciences will contact you as soon as the jury has accepted your application and will support you with the admission procedure. However, we strongly recommend that you check the admission requirements before you submit your application. For more information about the admission procedure, please see the website of the Center for Doctoral Studies.

  • I have a degree from a university outside of Austria. Is it possible that I have to complete additional courses as a result of my application for admission?

    Yes. As part of the admission procedure, the Directorate of Doctoral Studies for Social Sciences checks whether your previous studies are basically equivalent to the quality of a degree programme at the University of Vienna. As a result, you may have to complete additional courses.

  • Is proficiency in German a prerequisite for applying for the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme?

    No. Nevertheless, the Directorate of Doctoral Studies for Social Sciences can decide that proficiency in German is necessary for your research project.

Employment

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  • What is the latest date at which I can start the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme?

    The earliest date to start the programme is 1 December 2025, the latest date is 1 March 2026.

  • My application was forwarded to international reviewers. When will I receive information about the final decision?

    Successful candidates will be informed about acceptance to the programme in October 2025.

  • Does employment include a workplace at the University of Vienna?

    Yes.

  • Do I have to live in Vienna?

    Yes.

  • Do I have to pay tuition fees (in the case of applicants from third countries)?

    No. Doctoral candidates in the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme are employed with the University and are, therefore, exempt from paying tuition fees. Please note: You have to pay the Students’ Union (ÖH) fee each semester. Otherwise, your admission expires automatically.

  • Can I take maternal/paternal leave?

    Yes, you enjoy all rights and duties that come with an employment with the University of Vienna.

  • Does the sowi:docs Fellowship Programme also include teaching obligations?

    The collective bargaining agreement includes the possibility of a teaching obligation.

  • Is it possible to extend the funding granted as part of the sowi:docs programme, if I am not able to complete my doctoral studies within the funded three-year-period?

    No, sowi:docs fellowships cannot be extended. However, within the framework of the ViDSS, students can apply for a completion scholarship. It is also possible to complete the doctoral programme on a self-funded basis.