StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Franz Werfel Scholarship Program is one of Austria’s most established funding routes for scholars of Austrian literature. Administered by the OeAD — Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation — on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research, it supports visiting researchers, postdocs, PhD candidates and university lecturers who want to spend several months working in Austria’s libraries, archives and university departments in cities like Vienna, Graz, Innsbruck and Salzburg.
It is worth understanding what the grant is not: it is not a general humanities scholarship, not a degree programme, and not a route into a taught master’s. It exists for researchers with a clear, demonstrable academic connection to Austrian literature — preferably with teaching experience and an established university profile — who will use the stay to advance real research.
Eligibility
- Be a postgraduate, postdoc, researcher or university lecturer with above-average qualifications — preferably already teaching and employed at a university.
- Have research that focuses substantially on Austrian literature (the OeAD frames it as support for research and teaching in the field, strengthening an international network of Germanists).
- Come from any country of origin — Austrian citizens are excluded.
- Have not lived or worked in Austria in the six months before the scholarship application.
- Not be permanently resident in Austria and not have completed most of your academic education there.
Benefits
- €2,500 per month for a research stay of 4–9 months, extendable to 18 months in total.
- Travel subsidy of up to €1,200.
- Placement as a visiting researcher at an Austrian university department, with access to libraries, archives and research institutes.
- Follow-up support after at least 12 scholarship months: annual invitation to the Werfel conference, a one-month research grant every three years, a habilitation grant, and a publication allowance.
Documents to prepare
- Academic CV and proof of qualifications and any teaching experience.
- A research proposal with a clear connection to Austrian literature and a work plan for the stay.
- Confirmation of a host contact at an Austrian university department, where the programme requires it.
- Passport and academic transcripts/degree certificates.
- The exact checklist for the current round is published in the official call entry — confirm it there before submitting.
How to apply
- Read the current call entry in the OeAD grants database (grants.at), which carries the full terms and documents.
- Submit your application through the OeAD application portal (scholarships.at) before the round closes.
- Aim for the 1 March or 15 September round — 15 September 2026 has passed, so the live target is 1 March 2027.
- Do not confuse this track with the discontinued Richard Plaschka history grant — Werfel is the literature track that remains advertised.
FAQs
Postgraduate students, PhD candidates, postdocs, researchers and university lecturers with above-average qualifications whose research focuses on Austrian literature. The OeAD prefers applicants with teaching experience and an established university profile. All countries of origin are eligible except Austria.
€2,500 per month for 4–9 months, with possible extensions to 18 months, plus a travel subsidy of up to €1,200. A nine-month stay alone can exceed €22,500.
Twice a year: 1 March and 15 September. The 15 September 2026 round is closed, so the next deadline is 1 March 2027.
No. This is a funded research stay for visiting researchers, not a taught-degree scholarship and not a route into master’s enrolment.
After completing at least 12 scholarship months, fellows can access an annual invitation to the Werfel conference, a one-month research grant every three years (bundlable up to three months), a habilitation grant and a publication allowance.
Verified 24 Oct 2026: aau.at/en/doctoral-programme/grants-scholarships/ (official University of Klagenfurt listing of the OeAD programme) — €2,500/month, 4–9 months, 1 March/15 September annual deadlines, early-career researchers with teaching experience and university position, 6-months-prior non-residence rule; opportunityinside.com/fellowships/franz-werfel-grant-austria-2027.html — two annual dates, 15 Sept 2026 closed, next 1 Mar 2027, applications via scholarships.at, follow-up benefits; daadscholarship.com/austrian-franz-werfel-scholarship-2027-new-application-method-discussed/ + scholarshipunion.com/franz-werfel-scholarship-2027-austria/ — €2,500/month, 4–9 months extendable to 18, OeAD on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research. Exact document checklist not extracted from the official call entry.
