Austria has long been renowned for its profound literary tradition and openness to international academic dialogue. For early-career scholars and university teachers dedicated to the study of the German language and Austrian literature, the Austrian agency OeAD-GmbH, in cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Women, Science and Research (BMFWF), administers one of the most prominent academic mobility schemes – the Franz Werfel Fellowship.
This fellowship is not merely a short-term grant, but a research and teaching excellence programme. Its primary goal is to foster academic cooperation, grow an international network of scholars of Austrian literature, and integrate international researchers into the Austrian academic environment.
Who Can Participate?
The program is open exclusively to university teachers whose primary academic and teaching focus lies in the field of Austrian literature:
• Postdocs who hold a doctoral degree and teach at higher education institutions outside Austria.
• Doctoral candidates from countries not familiar with the traditional Habilitation system (state doctorate / postdoctoral lecture qualification).
Country of origin: applicants from all countries worldwide (except Austrian citizens and permanent residents of Austria).
Important note: The fellowship strictly requires teaching experience and current university employment. Applicants without employment or teaching experience are advised to apply for an alternative program, such as the Ernst Mach Grant.
There is no formal age limit; however, as the grant is intended to support young academics at the start of their academic careers, it is not aimed at lifelong learning.
Furthermore, an important territorial restriction applies: applicants must not have studied, conducted research, or done academic work in Austria in the six months before taking up the grant.
Financial Terms and Scope of Support
The Franz Werfel Fellowship provides comprehensive living and working support in Austria’s leading university centres (Vienna, Graz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, etc.):
Monthly grant rate: 2,500 euros.
Duration: 4 to 9 months per award. If the research activity is successful, the grant can be renewed, upon request, for a total cumulative duration of up to 18 months. When planning, consider an important limitation: no more than 7 scholarship months may be consumed per calendar year.
Quota: a maximum of 7 new awards per academic year, reflecting the highly competitive nature of the selection process.
Travel expenses: scholarship holders from non-European developing countries (according to the DAC list, including specific countries defined by the regulations) also receive a travel costs subsidy of up to 1,200 euros.
Assistance with accommodation and insurance: OeAD student housing helps arrange accommodation, and OeAD specialists provide guidance on health insurance. Scholarship holders pay the costs for accommodation and insurance (calculated at approximately 55 Euro to 200 Euro per month) themselves, using the grant funds received.
Academic Opportunities and Follow-on Support
Werfel grant recipients can work as visiting researchers in university departments. This affords full access to Austrian university libraries, national archives, specialist research institutions, academic seminars, and collaboration with leading scholars of German studies and Austrian literature.
A unique feature of the Franz Werfel Fellowship is the follow-on support programme. After completion of at least 12 months of research supported by the grant, the Franz Werfel scholarship commission will decide, in consultation with the academic supervisor, whether to award the fellow admission into the follow-on support programme. This enables alums to continue participating in joint Austrian projects, receive specialist literature, and maintain sustained academic exchange.
Required Application Documents
Before applying, you must have made prior contact with a professor or lecturer at an Austrian university who has officially agreed to supervise the applicant academically.
The online application must be accompanied by:
• Consent of a lecturer at the Austrian target university to supervise the applicant academically.
• Two letters of recommendation by university lecturers (on official letterhead, containing date and signature, the stamp of the university/department, and no older than six months at the time of application).
• Proof of employment at a university and proof of teaching assignment.
• List of the titles of courses taught.
• Complete list of publications as a separate attachment (identifying the top 5 publications on the form).
• Scans of university graduation certificates for diploma, master's, PhD, or doctoral studies.
• Scan of your passport (page with the name and photo).
• Only for doctoral candidates: current confirmation that proves your participation in a PhD programme at your home university.
Please note: Program regulations stipulate that you must declare the use of generative AI if you used it to prepare your application materials.
Deadlines and Selection Stages
The competition is held twice a year with fixed submission closing dates:
By 01.03.2027 – for grant periods starting between July and December.
By 15.09.2027 – for grant periods starting between January and July of the following year.
The selection process is multi-stage and highly competitive:
• Formal evaluation of compliance with technical criteria and completeness of the application dossier.
• Overall plausibility check of the academic research project.
• Assessment and evaluation of the application by external experts in Austrian literature and German studies.
• Interviews by the “Werfel scholarship committee” in Vienna (the program reimburses travel expenses to Vienna).
• Final decision and approval by the BMFWF.
Important Legal and Practical Details
Employment: scholarship holders may not engage in gainful employment. Exempt is marginal employment (geringfügige Beschäftigung) within research/the Arts at universities and research institutions in compliance with employment and residence regulations (in 2026: up to 551.10 Euro per month).
Attendance requirements: grant holders must be continuously present at their place of study in Austria to work, conduct their research project, and take part in the life of the host department.
Visa and residence regulations: for stays exceeding 6 months, a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) is required. Austrian immigration authorities strictly require written proof of booked accommodation complying with statutory financial thresholds.
Contacts and useful links
Applications are submitted electronically via the official Austrian grant database:
Portal: grants. at (search title: Franz Werfel Fellowship)
Awarding organisation: OeAD-GmbH – Austria’s Agency for Education and Internationalisation.
Program Coordinator: Teresa Karamat, e-mail: teresa.karamat@oead.at.
Coordination and Advisory Support at Poltava Polytechnic
Doctoral students, academic faculty, and teaching staff wishing to participate in the competition for the prestigious Austrian Franz Werfel Fellowship offering monthly funding of €2,500 are advised to contact the International Relations Department of Poltava Polytechnic for guidance with their application paperwork:
International Relations Department: Room 213-C (Central Building)
E-mail: interoffice@nupp.edu.ua
University International Relations Coordinator: Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor Anna Pavelieva (+3-8-095-91-08-192).
Scholarship database: grants.at
