StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarships
The University of Vechta, in Lower Saxony, hosts the Vechta Institute of Sustainability Transformation in Rural Areas (VISTRA) and its doctoral college PK 060, which asks an unfashionable but important question: when regions transform for sustainability — new energy systems, changing land use, shifting economies — who gains, who loses, and what counts as fair? The college studies those justice dimensions through comparative case studies, with several doctoral projects building one shared theoretical framework.
The Hans Böckler Foundation, the scholarship foundation close to the German trade-union movement, funds up to three doctoral scholarships in this college. At €1,650 a month for up to three years, with health-insurance and possible family support, it is a genuine full doctoral stipend — but with only three places, the fit of your exposé to the college’s programme matters as much as your grades.
Eligibility
- Hold (or be about to hold) a degree qualifying you for doctoral study in a field relevant to the college — sustainability science, geography, social sciences, ethics, economics, psychology or a related discipline.
- Propose a project that fits the college theme: justice dimensions of sustainability-oriented transformation processes in rural areas — social justice, inequality, risk and uncertainty, energy justice, climate action, rural resilience, spatial justice or social inclusion.
- Meet the language expectations in the call summary — German B2 and English C1, with the thesis possible in English — and confirm the exact evidence required in the official call.
- Be ready to contact the college’s professors in advance (Prof. Dr. Jana Zscheischler and Prof. Dr. John Oliver Engler) to discuss your project before submitting.
- Be able to start between June and September 2027.
Benefits
- €1,650 per month (€1,550 basic stipend + €100 research-cost lump sum).
- Up to €100 per month health-insurance contribution where applicable.
- Family allowance where applicable.
- Funding for up to three years (extendable in justified cases).
- Methodological and thematic workshops, academic supervision, interdisciplinary research and international collaboration inside the VISTRA doctoral college.
Documents to prepare
- An exposé (maximum 10 pages) outlining the planned project and classifying it within the doctoral college’s research programme.
- The required documents specified in the official call and the Hans Böckler Foundation portal (degree certificates, transcripts, CV).
- Language evidence as the call requires (German B2 and English C1 per the call summary).
- Records of your advance discussion with the college professors about your project.
How to apply
- Read the official call and the PK 060 doctoral college programme (uni-vechta.de/vistra/promotionskolleg).
- Contact Prof. Dr. Jana Zscheischler and Prof. Dr. John Oliver Engler in advance to discuss your project — the published process expects this.
- Draft your exposé (max. 10 pages), classifying your project within the college’s research programme.
- Submit exclusively via the Hans Böckler Foundation’s online application portal by 2 November 2026.
- Promising applicants are supported by the college’s academic leadership in revising the exposé; winners are announced in May 2027 and start between June and September 2027. Questions on the process: bewerbung@boeckler.de.
FAQs
Up to three, all in the PK 060 doctoral college on justice dimensions of sustainability-oriented transformation in rural areas.
€1,550 basic stipend plus a €100 lump sum for research costs, with up to €100 a month towards health insurance where applicable and a possible family allowance.
No — the call summary lists German B2 and English C1 requirements with the thesis possible in English. Confirm the exact language evidence in the official call.
The published process says to contact Prof. Dr. Jana Zscheischler and Prof. Dr. John Oliver Engler in advance to discuss your project, and promising applicants are then supported in revising their exposé. Treat it as part of the application.
Between June and September 2027, with winners announced in May 2027. Funding runs for a maximum of three years.
Verified 24 Oct 2026: uni-vechta.de official call for applications (PDF, English) — deadline 2 Nov 2026, €1,650 stipend (€1,550 + €100), health insurance up to €100, family allowance if applicable, max 3 years, fellowships June–September 2027, winners May 2027, exposé max 10 pages, apply exclusively via Hans Böckler Foundation online portal, contact Profs. Zscheischler and Engler in advance, BMBF guidelines + HBS criteria, bewerbung@boeckler.de; boeckler.de same official call PDF; scholarshipforphd.com/uni-vechta-phd/ — up to 3 scholarships, PK 060 college, Hans Böckler funding, €1,650/month, 2 Nov 2026 deadline, social justice/sustainability/rural themes; gradualin.com/university-of-vechta-phd-scholarship-germany-2027/ — German B2 + English C1, thesis in English possible, May 2027 results, June–September 2027 start, up to 3 years.
