Austria launches new collaborative doctoral programmes

Austrian universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen) and universities are now introducing joint programmes for doctoral students. The Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) are supporting the scheme.

Researchers at Fachhochschulen, joining forces with colleagues at traditional universities to develop doctoral student programmes in research fields of excellence, can apply for funding via the FWF. Its new ‘doc.funds.connect’ programme provides support for such doctoral programmes for up to five years.

The new programme enables researchers and institutions to collaborate in applied basic research, with doctoral students conducting research in highly innovative fields in the course of their studies.

The first call for proposals in doc.funds.connect has resulted in five joint doctoral programmes being launched in Graz, Linz, Salzburg, Vienna and Vienna Neustadt, supporting 25 doctoral students in all. Funding totals €5 million (US$5.8 million). The proposals were selected and reviewed by the FWF together with Austria’s Christian Doppler Research Association.

“Collaborative doctorates strengthen cooperation in research between universities and Fachhochschulen and simultaneously boost the recruitment of junior academics. So I am pleased that a total of 28 high-quality proposals were submitted for the scheme,” says Federal Minister of Education, Science and Research Heinz Faßmann.

“Which such a large response, we will already be calling for a second round of proposals by the end of the year and are also raising the volume of funding to €7 million.”

“The doctoral programmes which are now being funded impressively demonstrate how important synergies between basic research and practical know-how are in finding answers to the urgent questions the future is posing,” says Sabine Seidler, president of Universities Austria, representing institution heads. “This benefits not only the 25 doctoral students but also all institutions involved and society as a whole.”

“Research at Fachhochschulen has seen considerable growth over the last few years,” said Johann Kastner, vice-president for R&D at Fachhochschule Oberösterreich and R&D committee head at FHK – the Austrian Association of Universities of Applied Sciences Österreichische Fachhochschul-Konferenz).

“The new research programme represents a milestone in intensifying cooperation between different institutions. It offers the valuable opportunity to place sustainable cooperation between Fachhochschulen and universities on a secure footing.”

To contact Michael Gardner, e-mail: michael.gardner@uw-news.com