Dresden Leibniz Graduate School (DLGS) Doctoral Scholarship

The Dresden Leibniz Graduate School runs a three-year interdisciplinary doctoral programme jointly operated by the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development and Technische Universitat Dresden. Fellows are admitted competitively on the strength of research proposals they conceive themselves, and the programme is aimed at building the next generation of researchers in spatial sustainability sciences. The current call closes on 1 September 2026, with the programme starting on 1 March 2027.

The scholarship pays 1,515 euros a month for three years, along with financial support for research activities and academic travel. In Dresden, which is considerably cheaper than Munich, Hamburg or Frankfurt, that stipend goes a long way. The dissertation may be submitted either as a monograph or as a cumulative work, and the whole programme runs in English, so German language ability is not a prerequisite for applying.

Two eligibility rules eliminate most applicants and are worth checking first. Your first master’s degree must have been obtained within the last three years, measured from the date on the certificate, and this is applied strictly. The master’s grade must also be good or better, corresponding to the German grade gut. Beyond that, your academic background needs to be relevant to spatial and mobility transformations, which in practice covers transport studies, urban and regional planning, geography, data science, urban informatics, economics, political science and sociology.

One instruction in the application process is unusual enough to catch people out. You are required to identify suitable supervisors at TU Dresden or IOER as part of your application, but DLGS explicitly asks that you do not contact them in advance. This is the opposite of the norm for European doctoral applications, where approaching a prospective supervisor early is usually encouraged, so following the standard advice here works against you. Each annual call is also built around a specific theme, currently levers for sustainable urban mobility transformations, and proposals outside it compete poorly. Applicants who already hold their own funding, or whose topic sits outside the annual theme, can instead use a separate rolling-application route that accepts submissions year round.

• Open to applicants from all countries, selected competitively on the strength of an independently conceived research proposal.
• You must hold a first master's degree obtained within the last three years, measured by the date on the certificate. This time limit is applied strictly.
• Your master's grade must be good or better, corresponding to the German grade gut, which is an above average academic requirement rather than a formality.
• Your academic background should be relevant to spatial and mobility transformations, drawn from fields such as transport studies, urban and regional planning, geography, data science, urban informatics, economics, political science or sociology.
• Your research proposal must align with the IOER research profile and, for the current annual call, with the theme of levers for sustainable urban mobility transformations.
• You must identify suitable supervisors at TU Dresden or IOER as part of the application. Importantly, DLGS asks that you do not contact potential supervisors in advance.
• The complete online application must be in English only, and applications by email or post are not accepted.
• A separate rolling-application route exists for candidates with their own funding or an open research topic, which has no fixed deadline.

• A monthly scholarship of EUR 1,515 for three years, which covers living costs comfortably in Dresden, one of Germany's more affordable major cities.
• Financial support for research activities and travel for academic purposes on top of the monthly payment.
• A structured interdisciplinary doctoral programme rather than an unsupervised research position, aimed at preparing the next generation of leaders in spatial sustainability sciences.
• Joint supervision across TU Dresden and the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development, giving access to both a major technical university and a dedicated research institute.
• The dissertation may be written as a monograph or as a cumulative work, so you are not locked into one format.
• A genuinely international cohort, with recent fellows coming from architecture, urban ecological planning, environmental governance, geography and sustainability economics backgrounds.
• Membership of the Leibniz Association research network, which carries real weight in German and European academia.
• The programme is taught and administered in English, so German language ability is not a prerequisite.

• Complete online application through the DLGS application system, in English only.
• Independently conceived research proposal aligned with the IOER research profile and the current annual topic.
• Master's degree certificate showing a completion date within the last three years and a grade of good or better.
• Full academic transcripts for previous degrees.
• Curriculum vitae setting out academic and any research or professional experience.
• Identification of suitable supervisors at TU Dresden or IOER, without contacting them beforehand.
• Letters of reference as specified in the current call.
• Proof of English proficiency where required.

• Check the three-year rule on your master's certificate date before anything else, since this is a hard cut-off and no amount of research quality compensates for falling outside it.
• Read the current annual topic carefully. Scholarships are advertised once a year, usually in June, around a specific theme, and proposals outside it will not compete well.
• Study the IOER research profile and identify which researchers there and at TU Dresden your project would sit with, but do not contact them. DLGS explicitly asks applicants not to approach potential supervisors in advance.
• Write the research proposal yourself and independently. The competitive process is built around the strength of your own conception rather than a supervisor-supplied project.
• Complete the online application in English and attach every requested document, since incomplete applications are not considered.
• Submit by 1 September 2026. Applications by email or post are refused.
• The doctoral programme begins on 1 March 2027, which leaves a reasonable window for visa processing after results.
• If you already have your own funding, or your topic sits outside the annual theme, use the separate rolling-application route instead, which accepts applications year round.