Semesterstipendien und Kurzfristige Forschungsstipendien der AKTION Osterreich – Tschechische Republik (AT to CZ)

What you get

You get a monthly grant for a research stay of 1 to 5 months at a public university in the Czech Republic. The amount depends on your status: students receive 13,000 CZK per month (about 530 EUR), doctoral candidates 15,000 CZK per month (about 610 EUR), and researchers or postdocs 27,000 CZK per month (about 1,100 EUR). If your stay lasts at least two months, you can also apply for a monthly mobility allowance (extra money for travel and living costs) of 350 EUR from the OeAD. The stay is meant for work on a thesis, dissertation or habilitation, or for research and teaching. This includes searching libraries and archives, lab or studio work, field research, expert interviews and talks with Czech academics. The programme is run by AKTION Austria - Czech Republic and managed on the Czech side by the Dům zahraniční spolupráce (DZS).

Who can apply

• Level: You are a master's or doctoral student, or a researcher, university teacher or postdoc. Medical students who do not write a thesis can also apply.
• Field of study: Open to all subjects.
• Where you study or work now: You study or work at an Austrian state university, university of applied sciences, teacher-training college or accredited private university.
• Where you go: Your stay must be at a public university in the Czech Republic.
• Nationality: You are a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland.
• Study progress (students): You have studied at least 2 semesters at your Austrian university, with at least 8 ECTS per semester. A bachelor's degree alone is not enough; you must be past it.
• Timing (habilitation grant): Your doctorate is no more than 10 years old at the application deadline.
• Language: You have German or English skills.
• Age: No age limit.
• Other job: You may not take paid work in the Czech Republic while you hold the grant.

How to apply

You apply online through scholarships.at by 15 March for a stay in the following winter semester, or by 15 October for the following summer semester. Students need two recommendation letters from Austrian teachers and a confirmation from a Czech host university that a supervisor will take you on. Selection is based on your documents, with no interview, except for habilitation grants. You hear back within about 8 weeks of the deadline.

How realistic are your chances?

This award is cut narrowly: you must study or work at an Austrian institution, hold EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship, and plan a concrete research stay in the Czech Republic. That keeps the applicant pool small. If you clearly fit those conditions and can show a solid research plan with a Czech supervisor already on board, your prospects are good. A well-prepared supervision confirmation and strong recommendation letters count for a lot.