The IV STEM Excellence Scholarship supports highly qualified and motivated high-potential students from Ukraine in taking their first steps towards entering the Austrian labour market and building professional networks. In addition, the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) supports scholarship recipients in finding suitable career entry opportunities by facilitating contacts with leading companies offering internships or trainee positions and by providing a letter of recommendation. Scholarship recipients are expected to demonstrate an outstanding academic record in a STEM field and a high level of personal initiative and commitment.
Upon receiving the scholarship, recipients commit to participating in one of the following events in 2027 and financing their participation through the scholarship funds (including travel expenses, accommodation costs, and participation fees): Technology Talks Austria (9 – 10 September 2027, two-day event, Vienna) or the IV Salzburg Summit (22 – 23 July 2027). Scholarship recipients are required to provide proof of their active participation in the selected event. This includes writing a reflection on one or more selected sessions, networking with representatives of Austrian industry and member companies of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV), and contributing to social media activities.
Applications are open to enrolled students pursuing a Bachelor's or Master's degree in a STEM field (preferably with a focus on mathematics, computer science, natural sciences, or engineering) at an Austrian higher education institution. A prerequisite for application is proof of outstanding academic performance, including at least 30 completed ECTS credits. In addition, applicants should ideally be able to demonstrate achievements in scientific competitions or comparable international competitions, or have actively contributed to research projects and published their own scientific work.
The maximum age at the application deadline is 25 years.
Complete application documents must be submitted by Monday, 23 November 2026 (11:00 p.m.) to highpotentials(at)iv.at. Applicants will be informed about the outcome of the selection process no later than 16 December 2026.
The documents required for the application and further information can be found in the call for applications. You can find the privacy policy here.
You are not sure whether your current degree programme is a STEM degree programme and whether you are eligible to apply? If you have any questions, please contact Ms Regina Aichner, M.E.S. by email at highpotentials(at)iv.at.
Scholarship holders are selected in cooperation with Prof. Michael Eichmair, PhD and Dmytro Rzhemovskyi from the University of Vienna.
We use cookies on our website. Some of them are essential for the operation of the site, while others help us to improve this site and the user experience (tracking cookies). You can decide for yourself whether you want to allow cookies or not. Please note that if you reject them, you may not be able to use all the functionalities of the site.