Apart from the Elsa-Neumann-Program, there are several other possibilities of applying for a scholarship. The following list represents a selection of the most important institutions that award doctoral scholarships.

1. Scholarships awarded by foundations for talented students

In Germany, there are thirteen foundations for the promotion of talented students (Begabtenförderungswerke) which are funded by the Federal Ministry for Education and Research. These institutions are usually associated with certain political partys or confessions and award funding for dissertation projects in all subject areas. In addition to financial funding, the foundations support their scholarship holders by providing an interdisciplinary training program including, for instance, workshops focusing on key qualifications or recent social developments.

Applicants are not only expected to present a convincing research proposal, but also to demonstrate above-average academic achievement and civic engagement in the interest of the respective foundation.

Avicenna-Studienwerk for Muslim students and researchers

Cusanuswerk of the German Catholic Church

Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk for Jewish students and researchers

Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst of the German Protestant Church

Friedrich Ebert Stiftung of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD)

Friedrich Naumann Stiftung of the Free Democratic Party (FDP)

Hanns Seidel Stiftung of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU)

Hans Böckler Stiftung of the Confederation of German Trade Unions (DGB)

Heinrich Böll Stiftung of the German Green Party

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU)

Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung of The Left Party

Stiftung der Deutschen Wirtschaft of the Confederation of German Employer's Associations

German Academic Scholarship Foundation

Common website of all foundations: www.stipendiumplus.de

Please bear in mind that you can only apply for an Elsa Neumann Scholarship or a scholarship offered by a foundation for talented students if you have already found a supervisor for your dissertation and have officially been admitted as a doctoral researcher.

2. Scholarships awarded by doctoral programs

Some doctoral programs at Freie Universität grant PhD positions and full-time scholarships. Calls are published on the individual program websites and the website of Dahlem Research School. 

3. ELFI - Electronic Funding Information System

You can search the comprehensive database ELFI listing national and international funding opportunities according to different criteria, for example research topics, funding formats and institutions. ELFI charges you for using it, but Freie Universität Berlin has acquired a license for ELFI, so you can use this service free of charge on all PCs within the university's network.