OeAW DOC Fellowship (Austrian Academy of Sciences)

The DOC fellowship is the Austrian Academy of Sciences' flagship award for doctoral researchers, and it carries no nationality restriction — a Sri Lankan researcher enrolled at an Austrian university competes on the same footing as an Austrian one. You choose a duration of 24, 30 or 36 months, and the fellowship pays a monthly stipend (rates are published each year by the Academy) so you can work on your thesis full time. It runs across all disciplines of basic research, from molecular biology to musicology. The catch, and it is a real one, is sequencing: you must already be enrolled in a doctoral programme at an Austrian university, either before your PhD starts or within the first year of it, and your Master's must have been completed no more than two years before the deadline. From 2026 the Academy also requires a demonstrated research track record — you must meet at least two of three criteria covering publications, international research mobility, and academic engagement such as teaching or conference organisation. That bar means DOC is not a realistic first step for someone applying straight from a Sri Lankan Master's with no publications. It is, however, an excellent target if you can first secure a PhD place in Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck or Linz and then apply in your first year. Competition is heavy and the fellowship covers your own stipend only — not tuition contributions, research costs, or your family's living expenses.

The 2026 round closed on 15 September 2026 (submission window opened 17 August 2026). The call runs annually with a mid-September deadline, so expect the 2027 round to follow the same pattern — confirm on oeaw.ac.at before planning around it.