These FAQs refer to the call for the Austrian academic year 2025/2026 only!

Please have in mind that your application will be read by several persons (e.g. our evaluators, the experts, etc.). Therefore, we kindly ask you to make sure that the information you give is comprehensive, coherent and understandable. Please ensure that you adhere to the minimum number of words. Also, check if your entries are complete and free of spelling errors. Once you have finished your application, we recommend going through a careful editing phase.

• Postgraduates pursuing a doctoral/PhD programme outside Austria;
• Postgraduates and post-docs who want to do research in Austria with a view to an academic career and who have finished their studies (at a university outside Austria) after September 30th, 2023;
• Post-docs who are working as lecturers or researchers at a university outside Austria.

Applicants must not be older than 35 years when they start their research stay. Please read the grant regulations carefully and make sure that you are eligible for this grant program before applying.

No. The Ernst Mach incoming grants are aimed at visiting scholars for a short research stay only. If you are a regular student at an Austrian university, you are not eligible. Applicants who are already permanently resident in Austria or who have completed their academic education mainly in Austria are not eligible to apply. For more information on other Austrian grant opportunities, please visit our online database www.grants.at or www.euraxess.at. 

You cannot apply for your present stay in Austria. However, it is possible to apply for a future stay in the next academic year. But please note that applicants must not have lived/studied/pursued research/pursued academic work in Austria in the last six months before taking up an Ernst Mach grant. So you have to interrupt your stay for at least six months before coming to Austria again.

No. The Ernst Mach grant is not intended to finance a complete or parts of a regular PhD, Master or study programme in Austria. The Ernst Mach incoming grants are aimed at visiting or exchange scholars for a short research/study stay only. For more information on other Austrian grant opportunities, please visit the online database www.grants.at

No. The current call for applications for this grant is for stays during the Austrian Academic year 2025/26, which starts in September 2025. So the earliest you can come to Austria would be September 2025. We advise students from third countries who are planning a stay of more than 6 months to plan a scholarship start from November or December due to the long processing time for the application for a residence permit (please also see question 23 and 30).

Yes. All Austrian universities are eligible to host Ernst Mach grant awardees for a research stay.

No. Since this is a research grant you do not have to enroll as a regular student at an Austrian university. However, you do need a written confirmation of supervision from an Austrian university lecturer to support your research project in Austria.

No, unfortunately we are not able to help you in this regard. You need a confirmation of academic supervision from an Austrian professor for your application. To look for a professor who supports your research stay, please browse the websites of Austrian universities to find an institute that suits your academic profile. Basically, all of the Austrian universities are eligible for an application. It is best to ask professors directly, they are used to requests like that. For an overview on Austrian universities please follow the link: www.studyinaustria.at

No, please have in mind that your Austrian supervisor has to issue a written confirmation of supervision and cannot write you a letter of recommendation in addition. In that case, the reference letter will be considered as invalid.

No, it is not mandatory to use our templates. The letters can be freely written, but please keep in mind that they have to contain the relevant information. In addition, they must bear the letterhead, date and signature of the person recommending or supervising the applicant and the stamp of the university or department. The letters must not be older than six months at the time of the application.

Normally, you will have to upload your letters of recommendation into your online application account. If professors at your university do not usually hand out signed letters of recommendation, please ask your professors to send the letters directly to us. Note that we have to upload the letters to your online application file, so that you can submit your application. Therefore, we cannot guarantee confidentiality to your professors, because you will have access to your online application, including the letters, at all times. Please make sure that the letters arrive before the deadline. Documents that arrive after the deadline cannot be accepted. Please have the letters sent to mach@oead.at as scanned attachments.

If the documents are in English a translation into German is not necessary. If your documents are neither in English nor German, please upload a copy of the original document and also provide an English or German translation of the document.

No. If the original document is neither in English nor German, please upload a copy of the original and a rough English or German translation. An officially certified translation is not required.

Yes. If your documents are neither in German nor English, please always upload the copy of the original in your online application in addition to the translation. This applies to diplomas as well as the confirmation of employment or enrolment at a university.

No. There is no need to submit any official testing certificate, such as a TOEFL, etc., but you should have sufficient knowledge of English in the respective subject area.

Your Austrian academic supervisor also has to confirm that your project can be done in English.

An upload of your research proposal is not necessary. Please fill in the various sections of your online application thoroughly to let our evaluators know about your planned research activities (Please note the minimum number of words!).

A valid, biometric passport must be uploaded. An identity card is only acceptable for applications from the EU.

We have to check if documents are authentic and correct - only original signatures or certified digital signatures will be accepted - if it is a digital non-certified signature, you have to provide a proof that it is indeed a confirmation of the person/institution (institution stamp on the document). If it cannot be verified that it is an official document, the application will be considered as formally invalid. 

The scholarship rate might not cover all expenses for your research stay in Austria. In addition to your stay in Austria, you might have various expenses before you are able to enter Austria. Furthermore, our grant rates are based on the assumption that actual living costs in Austria are higher than the grant itself.  Hence, own funds are required. Please make sure to inform yourself about living costs in Austria beforehand. Increased expenses may occur due to

• compulsory health insurance;
• accommodation;
• proof of own funds to the Austrian residence authority to receive your residence permit (e.g. if your accommodation costs more than EUR 300/month);
• travel costs to the Austrian representative authority to receive your visa;
• journey to Austria;
• down payment for your accommodation.

You do not need to provide evidence of own funds to the OeAD agency. However, the Austrian residence authority might require proof of your funds in case of increased living costs (e.g., for health insurance or when your accommodation costs more than EUR 359,72/month).

No. Unfortunately, it is not possible to increase the scholarship rate.

Within the regulations of the programme, you are free to plan your research stay the way you see fit. However, in our experience with former scholarship holders, we recommend the following:

• We advise you to apply for the time period of January to June in case you are planning a short term research stay (1 to 3 months). Otherwise, it might be difficult to find accommodation.
• Please inform yourself about the legal regulations to enter Austria and plan the start of your research stay so that there is enough time for waiting periods set by the entry requirements. Please be aware that these regulations might differ depending on the length of your stay, especially if you are a national of a non-EU country and plan a research stay of more than 6 months (https://oead.at/en/to-austria/scholars/before-arrival/entry-conditions/). The length of your stay also affects your options for health insurance (Information sheet "Health Insurance" on the right-hand side in the "Frequent topics" section: https://oead.at/en/to-austria/entry-residence-and-employment/insurance/).
• Please be aware that the visa application process for nationals of non-EU countries for stays longer than 6 months can take several months (sending documents to Austria and back; certification of documents, etc.). Therefore, if you are awarded a scholarship in July, this means that starting the grant in September may not be feasible.
• Please be aware that you can apply for a time period consisting of full months only. Please make sure to apply for a time period starting on the first of a month and ending on the last. If you plan to arrive at the middle of a month, administrative problems might occur. Additionally, you might lose money by, for example, having to pay full months of rent.

No, documents submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

The application deadline for this grant is Febuary 1st, 2025, 23:59 (CET - Central European Time) for all applications for stays during the academic year 2025/26. After the deadline, all applications will be examined by experts. Please do not wait until the last moment of the deadline to submit your online application. Once you press the “submit application” button, the system will automatically check if specific entries in your application are complete. This process may take a while and error massages may occur. Please also note that technical support will not be online outside office hours.

First, the formal criteria of your application will be evaluated by us. All formally valid applications will then be evaluated by experts from the respective field. Based on the results of this evaluation by experts, the selection committee will award the best applicants with a scholarship.

All formally valid applications will be evaluated by experts from the respective field. The results of this evaluation are expected to be published at the beginning of July 2025. 

You will receive notification of the outcome of the selection process in any case.

We will inform you and your academic supervisor in Austria via e-mail.

Even if all documents have been uploaded, an application may still be classified as incomplete, for example if information in the application is missing or the planned research stay has not been sufficiently described, or the minimum number of characters was not adhered to.

After we have notified you about the award of your scholarship, you will receive a Letter of Award including information regarding the next steps. Nationals of non-EU countries who applied for stays longer than 6 months should seek an appointment at the embassy for the initiation of the visa process immediately after receiving the Letter of Award. You will find information for OeAD scholarship holders and frequently asked questions here: https://oead.at/en/to-austria/scholars.

Please be aware that the visa application process for nationals of non-EU countries for stays longer than 6 months can take several months (sending documents to Austria and back; certification of documents, etc.). Therefore, if you are awarded a scholarship in July, this means that starting the grant in September may not be feasible.