Only students of the degree programme in Human Medicine (StEx) at the University of Oldenburg who are planning a doctorate in Oldenburg under supervision or in co-operation with an institution of School VI are eligible to participate.

The Physikum (or Physikum equivalent) and the research work/scientific thesis must have been completed by the start of the funding programme . It is possible to apply in advance; the relevant evidence must be submitted at the beginning of the funding period. The degree programme may not be completed during the funding period.

During the programme period, it is permitted to complete a maximum of one examination under the following conditions:

• Only examination achievements whose admission and participation criteria have been met before the start of the programme will be admitted.
• It must be made clear in the application which examination is to be taken and when.
• A collision with compulsory courses taking place during the programme must be ruled out.
• Completing credits (e.g. attending courses relevant to the programme, completing internships, etc.) and the 2nd State Examination is not permitted.
• If the 2nd State Examination is to be completed immediately before the start of the academic semester, the start of the programme will be scheduled accordingly.

As the focus of the data collection must take place predominantly in the academic semester, the doctorate must not have been registered at the time of application.

A maximum of three people per semester are funded for a period of six months. The funding volume amounts to 5,130 euros gross for personnel costs. In addition, each participant is entitled to a lump sum of 3,000 euros for travel and material costs. The period can be extended to up to 12 months on proposal, in which case the funding amount will be extended accordingly.

Participants in the programme are employed as student assistants for the duration of the programme. A funding period of 6 months results in a gross monthly salary of EUR 855.

Please note
BAföG recipients should seek advice in advance about the effects on their funding entitlement.
Student assistants can be employed for a maximum of 6 years (§ 6 sentence 1 WissZeitVG). It is therefore essential for funding that this period has not yet been exhausted.

Applications must be submitted electronically. Please send all the required documents as a single PDF file to:

The following documents must be submitted:

• Application form, including
  • letter of motivation
  • Study plan, including, where applicable, information on planned examinations
  • Declaration regarding approvals to be obtained or already obtained
  • Declaration confirming the accuracy of the information provided and consent to the disclosure of the data

In addition:

• Curriculum vitae in table format
• enrolment certificate
• Current transcript of marks
• Topic and abstract of the research project/academic thesis
• Project outline for the planned PhD project

Note: When planning your doctoral project and drafting the project outline, please make use of the BAMBiE advisory service offered by the Biometrics Service Centre.

The application deadline for the programme starting in the summer semester of 2027 is 31 October 2026.

Participants are selected for the programme by the School's Commission for Academic Career Development in a two-stage process:

Pre-selection is based on the following criteria:

• Quality of the project outline
• Letter of motivation
• Grades from the medical degree programme (physics equivalent/research work)
• Previous scientific expertise (e.g. participation in competitions, conferences or summer schools, publications, etc.)
• Scholarships, prizes, awards
• Voluntary commitment

Following the pre-selection round, suitable applicants will be invited to a selection interview.

The selection interview will take place as follows

1. Presentation of the project outline and description of motivation
2. Questions from the selection committee about the presentation

Places in the programme are allocated after consultation and by decision of the members of the committee and according to the principle of best selection.

A quota of at least 50% women is aimed for. In addition, applications from students with different life and educational biographies are welcomed.

The personal presentation to the selection committee is expected to take place on 11 December 2026.

Participants are supervised in accordance with the requirements of the doctoral degree regulations of School VI for the award of the degree "Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.)/ or "Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.)" and the degree "Medical Doctor - Doctor of Philosophy (MD-Ph.D.)".

This means

• a supervision agreement must be concluded,
• Supervision is provided by a doctoral committee,
• Regular discussions between the doctoral candidate and the supervisory committee are monitored in a structured manner via the logbook.

In addition, the doctoral candidate should be integrated into a research group in the department.

Participants complete a curriculum specially tailored to the doctoral/research phase and receive qualified support as part of an interdisciplinary research colloquium.

With the help of the travel and material costs allowance (amounting to 3,000 euros), participants also have the opportunity to attend an (international) specialist conference and/or complete special (external) courses for further qualification.

The curriculum consists of three modules in which a total of 12 credit points (CP) must be earned:

Module 1: Basic introduction to academic work and methodological principles (3 CP)

Module 2: Structured supervision: colloquia and lectures (3 CP)

Module 3: Individual specialisation (6 CP)

Some of the accompanying programme can be started before the start of the academic semester and completed afterwards. In particular, participants who are planning a doctoral project based on their research work have the opportunity to take individual courses for the accompanying curriculum from the semester in which they write their research paper.

After successful completion of the programme, the credits earned will be credited towards the 6 CP to be earned in accordance with §1c of the doctoral degree regulations (see doctoral degree regulations of the School VI - Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Oldenburg for the award of the degree "Doctor of Medicine (Dr. med.)" and the degree "Medical Doctor - Doctor of Philosophy (MD-Ph.D.)" of 12.10.2021).