For the purposes of the State Graduate Funding (Landesgraduiertenförderung, LGF), the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) of Baden-Württemberg provides funding for:
- the individual funding of highly qualified early-career researchers through an annual budget allocated to KIT.
- Cooperative Doctoral Programs jointly run by universities and universities of applied sciences.
These funds may be used to award doctoral scholarships or to co-finance employment-based research positions during the doctoral phase. All funding is subject to the provision of funds by the MWK.
The legal basis for the award of scholarships is the ▶ State Graduate Funding Act (LGFG) of 23 July 2008 in conjunction with the ▶ LGF Statutes of KIT of 11 August 2025. Both documents are only available in German. The co-financing of employment-based research positions likewise follows the fundamental principles of the LGFG and the LGF Statutes of KIT.
AnnouncementsInformation on the future form of LGF Individual Funding at KIT in connection with the Graduate Excellence Program (GradExcPro) will be published in mid-November 2026.
Person in charge: ▶ Andreas Hahmann E-Mail: ▶ lgf15∂khys kit edu |
Starting in 2027, LGF Individual Funding at KIT will be implemented through the Graduate Excellence Program (GradExcPro). The program builds on the excellence-based doctoral funding of the LGF and is aimed at outstanding prospective doctoral researchers who have not yet started their doctoral project at KIT.
Within GradExcPro, research positions during the doctoral phase are co-financed. The funding is complemented by integration into KIT's graduate school structures and additional opportunities for networking and professional development.
The first call for applications under GradExcPro will be published on the ▶ GradExcPro website (link will be added here) presumably in mid-November 2026. There you will find further information.
External funding opportunities specifically targeting the final phase of a doctorate are limited. Doctoral researchers are therefore strongly encouraged to discuss funding options for the final stage of their doctorate with their supervisors at an early stage.
Only on an exceptional basis and through dedicated calls may funding from the LGF Individual Funding budget be used to support doctoral researchers during the final phase of their doctorate until the completion of their dissertation. The program is currently not open for applications, and no information on future LGF Completion Funding calls is currently available. Any future calls and application procedures will be announced and linked here.
In the current funding period (2022–2027), KIT participates in two Cooperative Doctoral Programs together with the Universities of Applied Sciences in Karlsruhe and Pforzheim. For both programs, the State of Baden-Württemberg provides funding for up to ten doctoral scholarships. The award of these scholarships has been organized through independent selection procedures conducted by the respective programs.
All scholarships available for the current funding period have already been awarded.