StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Ernst Mach Grant – ASEA-UNINET is offered by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research through the OeAD in cooperation with ASEA-UNINET, the university network linking Europe and Southeast Asia. It exists to move knowledge — and people — between Austrian universities and the five eligible Southeast Asian countries. Unlike the worldwide Ernst Mach routes, this one is restricted by citizenship: it only works if you hold a passport from one of the five countries, and no amount of academic strength changes that.
Three routes share the grant name: a full PhD (the strongest option — a genuine 36-month funded doctorate), a postdoc research stay, and a music practice grant for performers, composers and conductors at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, the Mozarteum Salzburg, or the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz. All fields of study are covered on the PhD and postdoc routes.
Eligibility
- Hold citizenship of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand or Vietnam — only these five nationalities can apply.
- Full PhD: be a postgraduate wanting to carry out a complete doctorate in Austria, fulfilling the admission requirements and having completed your studies at a university outside Austria.
- Postdoc: be a postdoc involved in teaching and research at an ASEA-UNINET member university (affiliation is only required for this route; other routes are open to alumni of non-member institutions too).
- Music practice: be an undergraduate or above in instrumental or vocal performance, composition or conducting.
- Be under 35 (undergraduates, graduates, postgraduates) or under 45 (postdocs).
- Have very good English and/or German, matching the requirements of the chosen programme.
- Have not lived, studied or worked in Austria in the six months before the grant, and not be permanently resident there.
Benefits
- €1,300 per month on all three routes.
- Full PhD: an extra €300/month mobility subsidy (€1,600/month effective) over 36 months.
- Postdoc: 4–9 months at €1,300/month (confirm the current duration in the live call entry — some 2027 summaries describe this route as 4–6 months).
- Music practice: 9 months at €1,300/month, with travel-cost subsidy.
- Travel subsidy of up to €1,200 against verified receipts.
- Be honest about the gaps: housing and health insurance are on you (insurance typically €55–200/month); tuition at Austrian public universities may be waived on request but is not automatic, and private-university fees are excluded.
Documents to prepare
- Online application through the OeAD grants portal with academic records and CV.
- Study or research proposal for the PhD/postdoc route; proof that you meet admission requirements for a full doctorate.
- Proof of citizenship of one of the five eligible countries.
- Evidence of language proficiency (English and/or German).
- For music practice: performance records and audition-ready material, per the route’s announcement.
- Confirm the exact document checklist in the current call entry on grants.at before submitting.
How to apply
- Open the official call entry on the OeAD grants portal (grants.at) for your route — or the call page published by an ASEA-UNINET member university’s international office.
- Submit the full application online by 1 March 2027 (full PhD and postdoc routes).
- Music-practice applicants: the 2026/27 round is closed (deadline 15 December 2025, auditions February 2026); watch for the next round’s announcement separately.
FAQs
Only citizens of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Citizenship is the eligibility test — residence elsewhere does not qualify.
€1,300/month plus a €300/month mobility subsidy (€1,600 effective) for 36 months, plus a travel subsidy of up to €1,200. It is a supplemental award — housing, health insurance and living costs beyond the grant are your own.
Only for the postdoc route, where you must be teaching and researching at an ASEA-UNINET member university. Full PhD and music-practice applicants can also be students or alumni of non-member institutions.
1 March 2027 for the full PhD and postdoc routes. The Music Practice Grant runs on a separate calendar whose next-round dates were not published in the official notification checked.
No — the OeAD describes it as a supplemental grant. Treat it as a substantial government stipend that still needs personal budgeting for housing, insurance and any tuition not waived.
Verified 24 Oct 2026: oead.at/fileadmin/Dokumente/oead.at/OeAD_Hauptmenueseiten/Studieren_Forschen_Lehren/ASEA-UNINET/Music_Practice_Grant_Announcement__Call_2026_27.pdf (official OeAD announcement) — 9-month music grant, 5 countries, €1,300/month, travel subsidy up to €1,200, deadline 15 Dec 2025, Feb 2026 Zoom auditions; hust.edu.vn official 2026/27 call PDF — full PhD 36 months at €1,300 + €300 mobility + €1,200 travel, postdoc 4–9 months, music 9 months, citizenship rule, age 35/45, all fields; inter.chula.ac.th/funding-opportunity/28490/ (official call page) — €1,600 effective for full PhD, affiliation only required for postdoc route; scholarshipshive.com/austrias-ernst-mach-grant-asea-uninet-strong-funding-restricted-to-five-countries/ — deadline 1 March 2027, 2027-route structure. Next music-practice round dates not published in the official notification.
