If you are considering pursuing an academic career, please make sure that you familiarize yourself with the eligibility criteria of various funding agencies concerning the cut-off dates for applying for fellowships. Especially the highly attractive longer term or junior group funding schemes (e.g. Emmy Noether, Sofja Kovalevskaja, ERC, Fritz Thyssen) are varying in this regard. For some the cut-off date is the date of your PhD certificate, for some it is that of your thesis defense, which makes a noteworthy difference when, for example, you can only apply up to four years after your PhD.Eligibility Criteria - which date counts (defense or certificate) for latest application for fellowships/grants
In this regard - and if you are still a PhD student of course, please make yourself familiar with these regulations early on and, if possible for you, consider a restricted online publication to avoid missing the chance to apply for these funding schemes.
Please check the cut-off dates of a selection of fellowships below (please note the list is not exhaustive).
Date of thesis defense (disputation / viva)
- All Alexander von Humboldt Funding Schemes (e.g. Sofja Kovalevskaja, Feodor Lynen)
- DFG Emmy Noether (NOTE: if difference between date of disputation and certificate is more than one year)
- ERC Starting Grant, ERC Consolidator Grant
- Fritz Thyssen Stipend
- Fritz Thyssen / Schering Stiftung Young Investigator Fund for Innovative Research Ideas
- Helmholtz Young Investigator Groups
Date of PhD certificate
- EMBO
- Leibniz Junior Research Groups
- DFG Emmy Noether (NOTE: if difference between date of disputation and certificate is less than one year