Funding of Disability-Related Additional Needs

The funding of disability-related additional needs for doctoral researchers with health impairments depends on the type of their funding:

• Doctoral Position: Doctoral researchers with an employment contract that is subject to social insurance contributions are entitled to benefits for participation in working life (e.g., workplace adjustments, assistance), financed by the employer, provided that the qualification goal of a doctorate is part of the employment contract. Doctoral researchers can contact the representative body for severely disabled employees at RUB in consultation with their supervisors.
• Third-Party Funded Doctoral Position: Funding organizations such as the German Research Foundation (DFG) may cover disability-related additional needs or compensation for disadvantages as part of project funding. Project leaders can contact the funding organization directly.
• Scholarships: Scholarship providers usually do not fund disability-related additional needs, but the funding period cab be extended up to one year in case of health impairments.
• Without Employment Contract or Scholarship: Funding of disability-related additional needs is only possible “in justified individual cases” through the social welfare office ("Sozialamt").
• Fixed-Term Doctoral Positions: Doctoral Researchers with health impairments can extend a maximum fixed-term contract by two years according to the German Act on Fixed-Term Employment Contracts in Academia (WissZeitVG); however, there is no legal entitlement to this extension (§2 WissZeitVG).