Doctoral Research Support Grant

Application deadline: May 18, 2012 for awards to be used in Academic Year 2012/2013.

CEU students approved for full doctoral candidacy are encouraged to pursue their dissertation research and to build international scholarly contacts through a special study abroad program. CEU sponsors a Doctoral Research Support Grant Program (DRSG), which is designed to contribute towards costs related to the living expenses of CEU doctoral students while they are studying abroad. With the advice of their doctoral supervisor, department head and external supervisor, students can apply to recognized universities, institutes or research centers abroad to spend up to three months as "visiting/research scholars". This scheme is an integral part of the CEU doctoral program.

The Doctoral Research Support Grant Program is designed for students currently enrolled in CEU doctoral programs who wish to spend a period of time during their doctoral studies researching or studying at another recognized university, institute or research center. Doctoral students and supervisors are strongly encouraged to discuss individual study plans as early as possible in order to build into these plans the research segment abroad. These efforts aim to strengthen the process of building up international intellectual contacts for CEU doctoral scholars and allow them to play an active role in the global development of social sciences and humanities.

The CEU DRSG is a competitive program.

The Doctoral Research Support grant will be considered in addition to the regular CEU stipend funding of 36 months, student recipients of this grant are advised to "stop the clock" of their CEU stipend funding.

The Doctoral Research Support grant is given within the limits of CEU's academic and financial year. Therefore the scheme should commence and be completed within the August 1 - July 31 time frame.

The announcement for the application deadline will be circulated at least two months in advance. However, doctoral students are encouraged to start making contacts with potential host institutions in order to identify the most appropriate research location as early as possible, as this period may take longer than two months.

Eligibility

The Doctoral Research Support Grant Program is open to every CEU doctoral student on approved doctoral candidacy status, i.e. who has passed the comprehensive exam, has developed a study plan and has a research supervisor identified. First-year doctoral students on probationary status who have not completed the above requirements are encouraged to start making contacts with potential host institutions in order to identify the most appropriate research location but may not submit an application for CEU funding until after these requirements are satisfied.

• Every doctoral student is eligible to take up to three months of research/study abroad at a recognized university, institute or research center as part of his/her individual study plan. In the case of additional sponsorship for the program, specific restrictions may apply. It is at the discretion of the department/program head whether to require also completion of the program's residential requirements.
• Applicants must demonstrate the relevance of the proposed research/study to their thesis as an integral part of their individual study plan. Applicants must have the written recommendation of their CEU doctoral supervisor and the endorsement of the department/program head.
• Students must have been admitted to a university or research institute as "special" or "non-degree" students and must have received some form of financial support (fee waiver, assistantship, etc.) for the period of their research. The CEU grant is designed to be supplementary and covers mainly travel and subsistence costs.
• Students enrolled in CEU Doctoral level programs can receive doctoral support or special scholarship funding one time only during the period of their doctoral studies.
• Students may apply for a maximum of up to 5,000 EUR. The amount of each grant may vary according to the financial information provided by the host university, the length of study and the international airfare. Normally, awards in the past have averaged 3,000 to 4,000 EUR .

How to Apply for the DRSG

• DRSG Application Form
• Reference Form

1. Read all instructions and information carefully before completing the application.
2. Complete all forms in the application - type or print them neatly.
3. Submit one original and three copies of the application and supporting documents to the Zsuzsa Blum, Financial Aid Officer at Student Services (Monument Building, Ground Floor). Students are responsible for making copies. All copies MUST be collated into four complete sets and submitted in separate A4 format envelopes. Reference letter MUST be in a sealed and signed envelope.

All applications should include one original and three copies of the following documents:

1. A completed CEU Doctoral Research Support Grant Program Application Form, endorsed by the Head of Department
2. A detailed budget request (part of the DRSG application form)
3. A Statement of Purpose including the benefits of the visit for your research and research plan (a description of the relevant research material/courses at the host institution, 2-3 pages)
4. A confidential Reference Form from the CEU supervisor supporting the application (no copies, just original)
5. A letter from the supervisor at the host institution. It strengthens the application by showing a closer cooperation between the student and supervisor.
6. An official letter of invitation from the host institution, outlining the details of the offer and confirming the financial award/waiver of fees; cost of research, monthly living, insurance etc.
7. CEU Transcript
8. Reservation from BCD Travel Agency (approximate round-trip-economy travel costs)
9. Curriculum Vitae

Non collated, incomplete applications will not be accepted!

The omission of one or more of these documents will render the application incomplete and could result in delay or possible disqualification. Please include any additional material that may be helpful in the evaluation of the application.

It is highly recommended that students work closely with the faculty from their department when planning a research period abroad. Faculty may have useful contacts at universities and knowledge about which universities and departments are likely to be most relevant to student researchers.

Doctoral Research Support Grant requests are reviewed by the Senate-appointed Scholarships Advisory Committee consisting of four faculty members and a representative of the Central Administration.

Other Research Programs

University of Toronto, Canada
The University of Toronto (UoT) and Central European University (CEU) have a formal student exchange agreement. The exchange program is available to enrolled students from all departments at both universities. For CEU students, the program is open to doctoral students who have passed the comprehensive exam. Each institution will select the applicants internally and will forward the selected student files (transcripts and study plan included) to the partner institution for confirmation of acceptance. For CEU students, the internal selection will be done by the Scholarships Advisory Committee. The eligibility criteria and application procedure is the same as for DRSG.

University of California, US
CEU students who are eligible for the DRSG Program may apply for the special UC/CEU study abroad program and spend up to three months at the University of California as visiting scholars.

The University of California is one of the top public research universities in the US, which hosts more than 201,000 students and 160,000 faculty and staff. The University has ten campus locations located throughout the state of California: Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, San Diego and San Francisco.

Interested students should contact UC faculty and administration and secure an invitation. In contacting UC faculty and departments, students should include a specific statement of purpose for their visit accompanied by a curriculum vitae or resume. Invitations need to be in writing (letter or email). Upon receiving an invitation, students may then apply for funding from CEU.

More information for exchange visitors at the University of California.

Contact person at the University of California:
Paulette Greisner
pgreisner [at] eap [dot] ucop [dot] edu

Helpful Application Hints

-The CEU Scholarships Advisory Committee will consider special circumstances or requests. In such situations, please, include a cover letter with your application.
-Submit a complete application.
-If you will not be at CEU, please prepare the application in advance or mail the application to your Department and ask them to make the copies. Make sure you notify the department before leaving CEU that you will require them to make copies and submit them to Zsuzsa Blum, Financial Aid Officer, Student Services.

Visa, Travel and Living Costs

-What are the visa requirements for the country? Find out and plan ahead. Visas take time and cost money. The grant will be paid in two installments. The first installment for the amount of 1,000 EUR will be paid prior to departure, which will cover visa costs and provide emergency pocket money during the travel.
-The application form asks for land travel costs, from the airport to the university, and also commuting costs during the period of study. These costs are to be included in the budget section of the application
-Living costs - contact your host university for further details of reasonable living costs for research/visiting fellows. A detailed breakdown of costs is required for the budget page of the application.
-Put all the figures in EUR. Do not use British Pounds or any other currency. Include the exchange rate you are using to calculate the costs.
-Remember to calculate living expenses for the Christmas and Easter vacations (if applicable). Some universities may already include these costs. Find out. Think about what money you will need to live for a semester. Include books, supplies etc.
-Include Health Insurance. Find out if the Health Insurance is covered by your university. A British University Health Insurance covers most nationalities. The US does not.
-Students should investigate any tax liability and plan accordingly. CEU will not cover any financial losses due to taxation.
-Students should always plan for bank charges and currency fluctuations when changing EUR into another currency.

Related pages:

Non-degree/Exchange Programs
Grants and Awards for Enrolled Students