FAQ

The KUWI application deadlines can be found here. Please allow sufficient time to prepare the necessary documents and start early. Before you begin organising your documents, please come to the KUWI coordinator's office hours to clarify whether an application is possible (see: Requirements).

Please note that applicants must not already be abroad to carry out their research project at the time of submission.

After attending the KUWI consultation hour, we recommend that you register in the Mobility Online system (online application form) as the next step, obtain a letter of invitation from the host institution, then organize the two letters of recommendation, the additional questions document (BOKU supervision), and the two-page research plan, as these are the most time-consuming tasks. Please do not underestimate the fact that obtaining signatures and confirmations can often take a long time, so please allow for a time buffer.

Please also remember to register your Master's thesis/dissertation (Master's thesis registration form).

The following documents must be submitted in the online system (Mobility Online) as part of the KUWI application:

1. Financial plan (fill in the cost estimate directly in Mobility Online)
2. Travel cost estimate (screenshot of outward and return flight/train costs; the amount should match the amount in the financial plan. If a flight has already been booked, please upload the invoice)
3. Photo
4. CV (please sign)
5. Research plan, max. 2 pages
6. Letter of invitation/supervision confirmation from the host institution
7. Transcript of completed Bachelor's/Master's degree
8. BA/MA degree certificate
9. Transcript of current Master's/Doctoral degree (including weighted grade point average)
10. Proof of language proficiency (e.g. transcript of current studies with at least 15 ECTS from courses at BOKU in EN or TOEFL, Cambridge certificate, etc. – not older than 2 years)
11. Letter of recommendation no. 1 from BOKU thesis supervisor (habilitated)
12. Letter of recommendation no. 2 from BOKU professor (habilitated)
13. Additional questions form (to be completed by BOKU thesis supervisor)
14. Optionally, additional documents can be uploaded if required.

Yes. To apply for the KUWI scholarship, you must attend the consultation hour at least once.
We recommend attending the online consultation hour with the KUWI coordinator if you plan to apply for the KUWI/ MPS scholarship to clarify whether an application is possible.

You can attend the (online) consultation hours more than once. The last consultation hour before the submission deadline is for clearing up any questions you might still have. If you upload your documents early, you might even get some feedback.

When applying, it must be clearly stated whether the research stay is co-financed by other funding bodies (e.g. flight paid for from project funds, institute contribution, etc.).

Please provide this information in the comments field in Mobility Online and upload a letter from your BOKU supervisor as an ‘additional document’. This letter should describe exactly what is being paid for.

If the thesis is part of a project but there is no project funding, this should also be mentioned in the letter. The Study Abroad Advisory Board (Auslandsbeirat) will decide on each application individually.

Applications for KUWI are generally possible worldwide. However, other funding opportunities such as ERASMUS INTERNSHIPS should be used as a priority. For stays in Switzerland, please check with the Swiss host institution to see if SEMP would be possible.

Applications to conduct scientific work (in laboratories, libraries, scientific collections, archives or field research, etc.) in connection with a master's thesis, dissertation or habilitation worldwide are generally possible, even if it is not a university. The application requirements must be met.

The institution must have a scientific background; if the target institution is not a university, proof of contact with a university in the host country must be provided. For this purpose, your BOKU thesis supervisor could be consulted via existing contacts in the target country or the BOKU country coordinators could be contacted.

The KUWI grant consists of a monthly grant (calculated on a daily basis) and a one-time travel allowance. The amount depends on the destination country.

Please note that if the travel costs are lower than the KUWI travel allowance, the lower amount will be awarded. 

Depending on whether the stay is in Europe (‘other countries in Europe’ in the grant list) or outside Europe (‘other countries outside Europe’ in the grant list). 

The Study Abroad Advisory Board (Auslandsbeirat) decides on the approval of the vaccination subsidy. A maximum of €300 of the proven vaccination costs can be covered for vaccinations that are officially recommended by the WHO for the destination country.
The vaccination subsidy must be applied for at the time of application (cost estimate, detailed list of vaccinations, invoice if already available).

Please note that if you are receiving another scholarship, the Study Abroad Advisory Board (Auslandsbeirat) will decide on an individual basis whether to award you this scholarship.
If you are receiving other scholarships for your stay, please indicate this in your application (in the comments field in Mobility Online).

Please note: You are not permitted to apply for the KUWI scholarship and the funding scholarship (BOKU Förderungsstipendium) at the same time, nor are you permitted to apply for Erasmus+ scholarships! 

Please read the information for BOKU employees.

If you do not have a current language certificate (not older than 2 years; a school leaving certificate is NOT sufficient), at least 15 ECTS credits from English-language courses (subject-specific) from your current degree programme at BOKU will be accepted as proof of language proficiency. To do this, upload your transcript of records showing the English-language courses.
If your degree programme is in English, you can submit your transcript as proof of language proficiency.

You could take a language test at BOKU-International Relations to fulfil the requirements, instead. You can find more detailed information on the topic of proof of language proficiency here.

If you have already completed the English-language ECTS credits for courses but they have not yet been entered in your BOKU transcript at the time of application, please inform the KUWI coordinator.

Please upload proof of proficiency in the working language. If this is Spanish, for example, proof of Spanish level C1 is required.

No. Instead, you can upload a Word document or PDF file containing a line of explanation.

Please note that KUWI applications for research in your home country that is an OECD member are not permitted.

No, unfortunately this is not possible. Please use other funding programmes that are accessible to BA (e.g. CEEPUS, Erasmus, etc.).

Applications for the KUWI scholarship are open to citizens of all countries. However, if your research is conducted in your country of origin, which is a member of the OECD, you are not eligible for KUWI funding.

The grade point average refers to the current degree programme with which you are applying to KUWI.

Create a current digital transcript from BOKU Online (BOKUonline/Studienerfolgsnachweis/click on weighted grade point average). If you are enrolled in two Master's programmes, apply with the one in which you are writing your Master's thesis.

To apply for a Master's programme, you must also upload your Bachelor's certificate and your BA degree certificate to Mobility Online. For doctoral programmes, you must upload these documents from your Master's degree. 

Yes. If you have not received the signed documents by the submission deadline, please come to the last (online) consultation hour of the KUWI coordinator.

The Master's thesis should already have been registered via the Master's thesis registration form and signed by the Dean of Studies at the time of application, as the registered Master's thesis is one of the KUWI requirements. The form does not need to be uploaded to Mobility Online (except for joint and double degree programmes). It can be uploaded voluntarily as an ‘additional document’.
If the form has not been signed by the KUWI application deadline, please contact the KUWI coordinator. 

If the supervisors are external, submit the letter of recommendation from the BOKU professors together with the approved ‘Application for the appointment of an external examiner or supervisor’ signed by the Dean (upload as an ‘additional document’).

Enter the current semester and a brief description (in a few sentences) of your research project abroad.

Unfortunately no. The letters of recommendation have to be filled out by habilitated professors of BOKU (O.Prof., Ao.Prof., Univ.Prof., Priv.Doz., Assoc. Prof.). The professors must not be from the same institute.

On the BOKU business card of the teacher, a teaching authorization in a subject area is shown. Example: Authorization to teach in organic agriculture. 

Ideally, the professor should have seen you in a course in order to write a recommendation. Professors with whom you have completed project work or academic work (e.g. bachelor's thesis) are well suited for this purpose. Please note that the second letter of recommendation must be from a different institute than the first (which is completed by the master's thesis/dissertation supervisor). 

No. The letter of recommendation should be uploaded by the applicant in Mobility Online.

The research project should be explained on a maximum of two pages and include topics such as
questions addressed in the thesis, methods, why it is necessary to conduct research at the target institution (e.g. if the target institution has special measuring equipment that is not available at BOKU), who will provide academic supervision on site (supervisor in the host country), etc.
We recommend including a workflow for the research stay (e.g. a table showing what will be done and when).

The research plan can be written in German or English, must be formulated scientifically and include references. It is advisable to show it to your BOKU supervisor for feedback.

No. Please create an account in Mobility Online using the KUWI online application form and upload your documents there in good time. If you already have a Mobility Online account because you have been on Erasmus+ mobility in the past, you can log in with your existing account.

No. This is not possible. In this case, please contact the KUWI coordinator at the KUWI email address.

No. You can work on your application at different times; the system saves all uploaded documents.

Please note: Once you have ticked the last step in the workflow, ‘Confirmation of data accuracy’, you can no longer make any changes and your application will be submitted. Please wait with the last step until you receive approval from the KUWI coordinator (please actively request this). In addition, attend the last consultation hour before the submission deadline to receive feedback and clarify any remaining questions.

The financing plan is designed to help you consider the costs involved and how to finance your research stay.

The financing plan is automatically generated on Mobility Online; the amounts are to be entered as estimates. Please note that the amount for travel expenses must match the amount in the ‘Travel expenses estimate’ screenshot.
If, for example, your accommodation is provided free of charge by the host institution or is covered by project funds, please enter €0 for accommodation and inform the KUWI coordinator about additional fundings.

Within two months of completing your stay abroad, you must submit a report on your stay to BOKU International Relations via Mobility Online.
    
In addition, you must submit a confirmation of stay from the foreign institution via Mobility Online, which must state the exact duration of your stay at KUWI (research days, not arrival or departure days)! There is no template for this. The letter should be signed by the host institution (e.g. local supervisor) and ideally include a logo or stamp (no copy-paste signatures).
    
The confirmation of stay must also be submitted to Study Services by email so that you can re-enrol at BOKU. Send an email to Student Services informing them that you have returned from your KUWI research stay in country xy and host university xy and attach the confirmation of stay.

BOKU employees should follow the billing procedure as described on the KUWI information page for employees.