The Wüstenrot Foundation Doctoral Scholarship 2026

Through educational programs, Wüstenrot Foundation promotes the future prospects of young people in various fields. This includes, in particular, doctoral scholarships and fellowships that the foundation awards to highly qualified early-career researchers.

The scholarship program is open to doctoral candidates from all disciplines. The thematic focus of the dissertation projects funded is aligned with the key areas of our work. These include, in particular, the fields of historic preservation, architecture and urban planning, sustainable urban and rural development, urban and housing sociology, and urban, regional, and national planning.

Wüstenrot Foundation also support interdisciplinary research projects that address cross-cutting themes from the aforementioned fields. The doctoral scholarships support highly qualified early-career researchers from various disciplines.

Table of Content

• Summary
• Benefits
• Requirements
• Application Documents
• Application Deadline
• How To Apply

Summary

• Application DeadlineNovember 1, 2026
• Study LevelPhD
• SponsorWüstenrot Foundation
• Eligible CountryAll Countries

Benefits

The funding (endowment) consists of:

• Basic scholarship amount EUR 1,600 per month with a supplement of EUR 150 per month for materials and travel expenses.
• Family allowance if one or more children need to be cared for:
  * For one child, a maximum of EUR 300.
  * For two children, the total maximum is EUR 400.
  * For three or more children, the total maximum is EUR 500.
• A subsidy for printing costs is possible on a case-by-case basis.

Requirements

The scholarship program is open to doctoral candidates from all disciplines.

The thematic focus of the dissertation project must align with the key areas of work of the Wüstenrot Foundation. These include, in particular, the following topics:

• Heritage conservation and education
• Architecture and urban planning in the 20th and 21st centuries
• Sustainable development of urban and rural areas
• Urban and housing sociology
• Urban, regional and national planning

Research projects that are interdisciplinary and address cross-cutting issues from the above-mentioned subject areas are expressly desired.

Applicants will be considered.

• who have registered for their doctoral studies at a university in Germany;
• whose dissertation projects investigate a scientifically relevant subject and are expected to yield above-average results;
• Applicants must not have reached the age of 30 at the time of obtaining their university degree qualifying them for doctoral studies. Second-chance education, childcare, military or civilian service, professional experience, and other special circumstances will be taken into account.??????????????

Application Documents

• Completed application form – Download the form here
• Cover letter (max. 1 page).
• Exposé: consisting of a half-page summary (abstract), current outline of the work (tabular / Preliminary Table of Contents), description of the dissertation project and bibliography on the state of research (max. 11 pages of text, plus, if applicable, illustrations max. 6 pages).
• Time and work plan (max. 2 pages).
• Curriculum vitae in tabular form (max. 2 pages).
• Certificate of the university degree qualifying for doctoral studies (MA/Diploma; with grade). The certificate does not need to be certified. Please do not submit Bachelor's degree certificates.
• Two expert reviews are required, providing information about the applicant's qualifications and the quality of the doctoral project. The first reviewer should be the primary supervisor of the intended dissertation. The second reviewer must be authorized to supervise doctoral candidates but need not be the same person who will later serve as the second examiner of the dissertation.
• Applications can be submitted in German and English.
• Please submit your documents in the correct order. Submit one PDF containing all documents (do not send them as separate files!).

Check also:
2026 Fully Funded Humboldt Research Fellowship
2026 Eutopia PhD Co-tutelle Call

Application Deadline

How To Apply

• Please send your complete application documents (max. 3 MB) by email to: [email protected].

For more information, kindly visit the Wüstenrot Foundation webpage.