In addition to basic or third-party funded qualification positions, fellowships are another form of funding for scientists during the qualification phase. It is important that you get informed about the conditions as well as potential advantages and disadvantages and to weigh them up.

A scholarship offers stable funding during the qualification phase or part of the qualification phase. and can be especially attractive for researchers in fields with rather low third-party funding. A scholarship can provide researchers with a certain degree of independence during the qualification phase. They can work on their research project independently of instructions. At the same time, fellowships are successfully acquired third-party funds that should be presented in the curriculum vitae and can thus have a positive effect on the further scientific career. Access to scholarship networks can also be extremely useful for scientific and non-scientific careers.

A scholarship is a non-repayable allowance to cover living expenses and does not constitute income subject to tax or social security contributions. It is also not subject to social security contributions, i.e. contributions to health, nursing care, unemployment and pension insurance are not paid and the legal regulations on maternity protection and parental leave do not apply (further information can be found in the GEW guide "Social insurance for doctoral students"). Since support via a scholarship does not establish an employment relationship, periods of a scholarship cannot automatically be recognized as relevant professional experience in subsequent employment. However, they also do not count as periods with regard to maximum limits for temporary employment. The University of Rostock will examine on a case-by-case basis whether special expertise acquired during the scholarship can be taken into account if the requirements of the collective bargaining agreement pursuant to § 16 para. 5 TV-L are met.

At the University of Rostock there are various scholarship programs and contact persons for scholarships of the Begabtenförderungswerke. Members of the University of Rostock can use the FIT information system to research external funding opportunities. In addition, other databases are available on the internet (e.g. scholarships of the Begabtenförderungswerke - stipendiumplus.de, or the scholarship database - https://www.e-fellows.net, foundation search of the Bundesverband Deutscher Stiftungen - https://stiftungssuche.de).