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Personal Support Through Mentoring
Throughout the programme, shiftTanks offers accompanying mentoring. You will receive personal support, guidance and input for your academic path and your further professional development.
Our aim is not only to support your studies, but also to help you develop your skills, advance your own ideas and contribute to sustainable, future-oriented solutions in the long term.
Do you want to shape your future and use your knowledge to make a difference? Then we look forward to receiving your application.
Your Application – Show Us What Drives You
An application for our scholarship is more than a collection of grades and documents. We want to get to know you as a person: your experience so far, your interests and strengths, your motivation and, above all, your vision of how you want to use your studies to help shape your own future and the future of others.
What matters to us in your application:
Please submit a complete application with all required documents. Only complete applications can be considered in the selection process.
In the initial selection, we look in particular at your academic and educational achievements to date, your educational background and your language skills. Relevant internships or work experience can also play an important role.
It is equally important to us that you have made a conscious decision about your planned studies. We want to understand why you chose this degree programme and this university, how well you have prepared for it, and how your study plans fit with your path so far and your future goals.
What Do You Bring – and What Do You Want to Achieve?
Beyond your academic achievements, we are particularly interested in your personal potential. Tell us about your motivation, your goals and the prospects you associate with your studies.

The following questions, among others, may help you:

• What excites you about your chosen field?

• Why do you want to attend this degree programme and this university?

• What academic and personal goals are you pursuing?

• How can your studies contribute to your further academic and professional development?

• What ideas do you have for your future and for making a positive contribution to your society?

• What experience, skills or interests do you bring with you?

• Are you involved in activities outside of school, university or work?

We are not looking for a particular kind of CV. Different experiences, perspectives and life paths can be a valuable foundation for personal and professional development.

 

Special Personal Circumstances:
We want to create fair opportunities and therefore also take special personal circumstances into account where relevant. These may include, for example, a disability or long-term illness, raising children, caring for relatives, a refugee background, or substantial paid work to finance your studies.
You can provide this information confidentially in the application form. It helps the selection committee to properly understand your path so far and your individual situation.
Women in STEM:
A particular focus of the programme is supporting women in STEM fields. Where qualifications and application quality are equal, female applicants will be given preference.
Personal Interview
If you are shortlisted, we will invite you to a personal interview with an independent selection committee. The interview will take place online.
The interview gives you the opportunity to add to your application in person, explain your motivation and talk to us about your goals and plans for the future. At the same time, we want to get to know you as a person and gain a better understanding of what drives you and the prospects you associate with your studies.
Your Letter of Motivation
The letter of motivation is an important part of your application. In at least one and no more than three pages, you can tell us in your own words who you are, what drives you and where you want to go.
Your letter of motivation should cover the following areas in particular:

 

Your Education and Skills

• academic and educational background to date

• subject-specific knowledge and skills

• language skills

• relevant internships or work experience

• prizes and awards, if any

 

Your Motivation for Your Studies

• Why did you choose this degree programme?

• What interests you about your field?

• Why did you choose this university?

• What do you want to achieve personally and professionally through your studies?

 

Your Motivation for the Scholarship

• Why do you want to become part of the scholarship programme?

• What kind of support are you hoping for?

• How can the scholarship support you on your academic, professional and personal path?

 

Your Personal Interests and Involvement

• What interests and special skills do you bring with you?

• Where are you involved outside of your studies or training?

• Which experiences have shaped you, and what perspectives do you bring as a result?

Above all, use your letter of motivation to tell your own story. The point is not to list as much information as possible, but to give us an authentic picture of you, your goals and your potential.

 

Good Grades Matter – But They Are Not Everything
The programme is aimed particularly at high-achieving applicants. However, there is no fixed minimum grade average.
Your academic performance is an important selection criterion. Beyond that, however, we also consider the quality of your study plans, your motivation, language skills, extracurricular involvement, personal perspectives and, where applicable, special personal circumstances.

 

What Requirements Should You Meet?

• Age: In principle, there is no fixed age limit. Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.

• Language skills: English skills at B2–C1 level are generally required for the studies. Knowledge of German is an advantage.

• University: Funding is provided for studies at a public or state-recognised university. Private universities are not funded.

• Studies: Funding is provided for Bachelor's and Master's programmes in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and engineering.

 

May AI Be Used for the Application?
Yes. AI applications may be used as tools. What matters is that your own personality, experience and motivation remain recognisable.
Please observe the following principles:

• The application must be authentic and reflect your own experiences and beliefs.

• The rules of good scientific practice and the protection of intellectual property must be observed.

• The use of AI must be disclosed. If you used AI to create passages of text, please mark them with the note: "Created with the assistance of [tool used]".

• Carefully check all content for accuracy and truthfulness.

• Please handle personal data responsibly, especially when using external AI applications.

By submitting your application, you confirm that you prepared the documents yourself, disclosed any tools used, and checked the content for accuracy and truthfulness.

 

When Will You Hear About the Decision?
After the selection meeting, you will usually receive a response from shiftTanks within about three weeks. If there is a particularly high number of applications, processing may take longer.
In any case, you will be personally informed of the outcome of your application, whether or not you have been selected for a scholarship.
If you have any questions or problems with your submission, please contact act@shifttanks.at
Your Next Step
Take your time with your application and tell us where you come from, what drives you and where you want to go. We want to support people who want to actively shape their own future and the future of their community with knowledge, ideas and commitment.

 

We look forward to getting to know you and learning more about your ideas for a sustainable world!