The aim of the Carl Zeiss Foundation is to promote the scientific colleges in the three federal states of Baden-Württemberg, Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia. Scholarships are awarded to graduate students in the amount of €1 500. Initial funding is for two years but it may be extended for a further year.
The scholarship is available to doctoral students of science and engineering. Every year new thematic priorities are set, normally in fields such as energy research, sustainable mobility, mathematics and physics.