Doctoral stipend (smart specialisation)
SMART SPECIALISATION SCHOLARSHIPS FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS (so called entrepreneurial doctoral students)
Deadline 18 November 2019
Apply HERE.
The smart specialisation scholarships are paid to the PhD students of Estonian universities who conduct a research related to the smart specialisation growth areas. The aim of the scholarship programme is to encourage the PhD studies in smart specialisation growth areas, increase the number of students graduating from university with PhD degrees in these areas, and, as a result, give an incentive to the industries acting in the growth areas, support cooperation between R&D institutions and companies, diversify the career prospects of PhD graduates and contribute to the capacity building of research-intensive industry sector.
Smart specialisation doctoral stipend and doctoral allowance are two different scholarships. The doctoral stipend can be received simultaneously with the doctoral allowance, paid by the government.
Granting and payment of the doctoral stipend is regulated by the procedure for applying for, granting and payment of stipends and study allowances.
NB! Doctoral stipend is not paid while studying abroad more than 30 days (including visits supported by Dora Plus 1.2 doctoral student mobility scholarship).
Terms for applying
Information for entrepreneurial doctoral student
Granting and payment of the doctoral stipend
Granting and payment during academic leave
Students of doctoral studies matriculated between the academic year 2014/2015 and 2018/2019 are eligible to apply for the doctoral stipend if they
... are a first, second or third year doctoral student: doctoral students must commence their scholarship-supported studies not later than the academic year following the matriculation;
...are a citizen of Estonia or reside in Estonia on the basis of a long-term or temporary residence permit or a permanent or temporary right of residence or reside in Estonia with a long-stay visa or without a visa if there is an agreement with the foreign country for visa-free movement or the citizens of the foreign country are exempt from visa and have applied for a temporary residence permit for studies;
... study full time;
... are not on academic leave;
... the topic of their doctoral thesisis related to at least one smart specialisation field (information and communication technology (ICT) horizontally via other sectors, health technologies and services and more efficient use of resources). Find more information about smart specialisation fields here.
Preference is given to a doctoral thesis in the field of smart specialisation and considers the needs of entrepreneurship, is related to solving practical tasks for an enterprise and contributes to the applicability of research results. Support is granted to doctoral studies conducted in cooperation with an enterprise in Estonia or abroad (so called entrepreneurial doctoral student). Support is not granted to cooperation with technology development centres, the public sector, research and development institutions and hospitals.
To apply for the doctoral stipend, the doctoral student submits
- online application, including the topic of the doctoral thesis and an abstract of the planned research work.
- Entrepreneurial doctoral student must add to the application a cover letter by the enterprise with their agreement to supervise and finance the research work. A cover letter can be in free formulation (must be signed) and can be added to application in a section: Add documents.
The stipends committee established by the Vice Rector for Research works together with external experts to review the applications. Their task is to evaluate how the doctoral student’s doctoral thesis corresponds to the smart specialisation field. It must be taken into consideration that 50% of the quota is allocated to the smart specialisation field (including interdisciplinary students) and 50% to entrepreneurial doctoral students. If the quota is not divided exactly 50-50, the university shall decide whether the place is given to an entrepreneurial doctoral student or a doctoral student whose research topic is in the smart specialisation field, incl. interdisciplinary.
If a stipend is granted, a cooperation agreement is signed between the parties.
Information for entrepreneurial doctoral student
A doctoral student who cooperates with an enterprise is required to work in the respective enterprise during their doctoral studies. The enterprise shall provide the doctoral student with a supervisor from the enterprise, the required infrastructure, employment during the student’s doctoral studies with the optimal workload required for the doctoral thesis and other conditions proceeding from the project of the doctoral thesis. A cooperation agreement is signed between the university, doctoral student and an enterprise.
Granting and payment of the doctoral stipend
The amount of the doctoral stipend is 440 EUR per month (from 1st January 2018). Doctoral stipend is granted for the standard period of study. The university pays the doctoral stipend for the previous calendar month on the basis of the directive of the vice dean for academic affairs by the 10th of each month, except for the doctoral stipend for September and October which is paid by 20 November.
The eligibility period is from 1 August 2015 to 31 October 2023.
The payment of the doctoral stipend is terminated when
- the doctoral student receives a negative evaluation in the progress review or fails to pass the progress review;
- the topic of the doctoral thesis changes;
- the student starts studying part time.
If a student is deleted from the matriculation register, the payment of the doctoral stipend is terminated. The last doctoral stipend is paid for the calendar month preceding the deletion from the matriculation register. If a doctoral student is deleted from the matriculation register in relation to completing the curriculum, the doctoral stipend is also paid for the calendar month of deletion from matriculation register. If a doctoral student is deleted from the matriculation register due to a negative evaluation in the progress review or because they fail to pass the progress review, the last doctoral stipend is paid for the calendar month preceding the progress review meeting.
If there is a need to change the supervisor, topic of the doctoral thesis or enterprise during the studies, the changes shall be submitted to the stipends committee for evaluation. If the stipends committee determines that the new theme of the doctoral thesis, enterprise or supervisor does not meet the set requirements or the doctoral student does not meet the requirements of the doctoral stipend for some other reasons, the payment of the doctoral stipend is terminated.
Granting and payment during academic leave
If a doctoral student goes on academic leave, the payment of the stipend is terminated, the stipend is paid for the full month of study preceding the beginning of academic leave. If a student who went on academic leave returns from academic leave, the payment of the stipend resumes as of the month following the end date of the academic leave.
Contact: Annela Oona (Grant Office), annela.oona [ät] ut.ee, 737 6539.
Smart specialisation scholarships for PhD students (Archimedes Foundation homepage)
