New chapter in doctoral training

Doctoral students can embark on a new career path in Austria: the doc.funds.connect funding programme enables joint doctoral training between universities of applied sciences and universities. The programme, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, is open to mixed teams from both fields. The Austrian Science Fund FWF, in cooperation with the Christian Doppler Research Association, is launching the first round of calls for proposals on 21 September 2020.

Science and research, tertiary education and research-based innovations are building blocks for a future-orientated Austria. The quality and excellence in research and teaching at Austrian universities and universities of applied sciences are indispensable. If researchers from universities of applied sciences and universities join forces to advance an excellent research project, they will in future receive full funding for up to four years from the Austrian Science Fund FWF as part of the new doc.funds.connect programme. The new programme opens up opportunities for researchers and institutions to cooperate fruitfully in the field of application-oriented basic research.

New FWF funding programme doc.funds.connect from September 2020 The cooperative doctorate between universities and universities of applied sciences was already announced by the Austrian federal government in the government programme in order to leverage further synergies in the domestic research landscape. The programme will not only intensify cooperation between Austrian research institutions, but also further expand the research expertise of universities of applied sciences at a high international level and offer researchers more flexibility and opportunities.

Expanding excellent research at universities of applied sciences and universities "The aim of the federal government is to further intensify research cooperation between universities of applied sciences and universities and to promote excellent science in both areas. The new programme opens up an attractive career path for researchers and gives Austria more opportunities to produce research-based expertise," explained Science Minister Heinz Faßmann at the launch of the programme.

"The close cooperation between universities of applied sciences and universities creates attractive conditions for young researchers," says FWF President Klement Tockner, and continues: "More than ever, an open and creative research environment is required."

"The programme offers the opportunity to inspire the topic-specific research-related growth of the university and university of applied sciences through joint doctoral students without having to give up the respective strengths of the partners, and that is exactly what is important," says uniko President Sabine Seidler.

"The strength of universities of applied sciences has also been demonstrated in recent years by the visible results in research and development. The cooperative doctoral training through the doc.funds.connect programme at universities of applied sciences therefore comes at the right time," says FHK Secretary General Kurt Koleznik, adding:
"We very much welcome the fact that this offers academic staff prospects and career paths. Above all, this serves the further development of research."

"The doc.funds.connect programme is a milestone in the cooperation between universities of applied sciences and universities and a strengthening of application-oriented basic research. The Christian Doppler Research Association is pleased to be able to support this programme, which represents a benefit and strengthening for all partner institutions," emphasises CDG President Martin Gerzabek.

Tender runs until the end of November
The doc.funds.connect programme will be advertised via the Austrian Science Fund FWF from the end of September to the end of November 2020. The funding volume amounts to five million euros and the programme is awarded via the FWF's international quality assurance procedure. Experts from the Christian Doppler Research Association are involved in the review process in order to build a bridge to application-oriented research projects.

The approved cooperation projects will subsequently be jointly developed and implemented by the university partners. Each institution will contribute its specific expertise and provide infrastructure, thus ensuring the scientific excellence of the doctoral programmes offered. In this way, the doc.funds.connect programme will further strengthen both the universities and the universities of applied sciences in their scientific and artistic/scientific priorities and in their research.