PhD Cluster

Discover doctoral programs, workshops, supervisors, funding, and research communities across the STARS EU network.

Application deadlines approaching — 3 calls closing this month

Urban Sustainability & Climate Resilience

Funded

Interdisciplinary doctoral program exploring sustainable city planning, climate adaptation strategies, and green infrastructure across STARS EU partner cities.

HSB Bremen Deadline: Jun 30

Digital Innovation & Smart Cities

Online

Research-led doctoral track focused on AI, IoT and data-driven approaches to urban innovation. Joint supervision across three STARS EU institutions.

UNISTRA Deadline: Jul 15

Social Entrepreneurship & Impact

Campus

Examining social innovation ecosystems in European metropolitan areas. Combines ethnographic fieldwork with quantitative policy analysis.

ISCTE Lisbon Deadline: Aug 01

Health Systems & Public Policy

Funded

Comparative analysis of public health governance across STARS EU cities. Strong policy impact orientation and EU Commission engagement.

UCSC Milan Open call

Highlighted Opportunities

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship 2025

Funding

European research fellowship for early-stage researchers. STARS EU partners are eligible hosts. Up to €36,000/year.

EU Commission Deadline: Sep 11

HSB Research Excellence Scholarship

Funding

Internal scholarship for outstanding doctoral candidates at HSB Bremen. Covers tuition and living expenses for up to 3 years.

HSB Bremen Deadline: Jun 20

Research Communication for PhD Candidates

Online

A practical workshop on presenting research to diverse audiences — from academic peers to policy makers and general public.

HSB Bremen Jun 16 · 10:00–12:00

Grant Writing Masterclass

Campus

Learn how to craft winning research proposals for EU funding programs including Horizon Europe and ERC grants.

UNISTRA Jul 03 · 09:00–17:00

Open Science & Data Management

Hybrid

Best practices for data management plans, open access publishing, and reproducible research workflows.

STARS EU Network Jul 22 · 14:00–16:30

Horizon Europe Doctoral Networks

EU Funding

Collaborative doctoral programmes funded under Horizon Europe. Positions available at multiple STARS EU institutions.

EU Commission Rolling deadline

DAAD Research Grant

National

German Academic Exchange Service grants for doctoral and postdoctoral researchers at German universities including HSB Bremen.

DAAD Deadline: Aug 15

Prof. Dr. Maria Köhler

Urban Studies

Expert in sustainable urban planning and climate policy. Currently accepting doctoral candidates with strong quantitative research background.

HSB Bremen 2 positions open

Dr. Jean-Luc Rousseau

Digital Innovation

Research in AI applications for smart city infrastructure. Background in computer science and urban informatics preferred.

UNISTRA 1 position open

Prof. Ana Ferreira

Social Sciences

Specialises in social entrepreneurship, community development and policy implementation across European metropolitan regions.

ISCTE Lisbon Currently full