The Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen, Germany, has opened applications for its International Fellowship Programme 2026, offering selected scholars a six-month residential fellowship running from October 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
The programme is aimed at post-doctoral researchers in the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences, providing a €3,000 monthly allowance, research infrastructure, and access to one of Europe’s most interconnected academic regions.
Applications close February 28, 2026 (midnight CET).
Key Fellowship Details
Duration: 6 months (October 1, 2026 – March 31, 2027)
Location: Essen, Germany (Ruhr Area)
Monthly Allowance: €3,000 (pre-tax)
Eligibility: PhD completed in 2020 or later
Fields: Humanities, cultural studies, social sciences
Application Deadline: February 28, 2026
Application Format: Single PDF (max. 20 MB), English only
Start Date: Fixed (non-negotiable)
Who Is Eligible?
The fellowship targets early-career post-doctoral scholars with up to six years of post-PhD experience, calculated from the date of PhD completion.
Key eligibility conditions include:
Open to researchers worldwide
German nationals may apply only if currently employed outside Germany
Career breaks (care responsibilities, scholars at risk, exile contexts) may be explained in a cover letter
Applications must be individual; group or team submissions are not accepted
Research Focus and Expectations
Successful applicants must demonstrate a clear intellectual alignment with KWI’s research agenda, which currently spans:
Science studies
Visual literacy
Aesthetic practices
Historical impact and memory
Dialogues between cultural and social sciences
Fellows are expected to:
Be in residence at least three days per week
Participate actively in KWI’s colloquia, lectures, reading groups, and conferences
Contribute to the KWI Blog
Attend entry and exit interviews
Acknowledge KWI in publications resulting from the fellowship
Teaching is not required, although fellows may engage voluntarily with nearby universities.
What the Fellowship Covers
KWI provides fellows with:
Dedicated office space and modern research infrastructure
Library access and research support services
Administrative, technical, and event-management assistance
The €3,000 monthly allowance is intended to cover:
Accommodation
Insurance
Living expenses
Partial reimbursement of arrival and departure travel costs may be available. Additional research or conference travel must be funded from the allowance.
Why the Ruhr Area Matters
Essen sits at the heart of Germany’s Ruhr Metropolitan Region, one of Europe’s largest urban and academic clusters.
Fellows gain proximity to:
The University Alliance Ruhr (Duisburg-Essen, Bochum, Dortmund)
Universities in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Münster, and Bielefeld
The Folkwang University of the Arts
Cross-border academic networks in Belgium and the Netherlands
With over five million inhabitants, the Ruhr combines dense academic infrastructure with a strong cultural and creative economy, following its designation as European Capital of Culture (2010).
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted electronically as one single PDF file to:
international.fellowship@uni-due.de
The application must include:
Curriculum vitae
List of publications
PhD certificate
Research proposal (maximum 5,000 characters)
Incomplete applications, late submissions, or proposals exceeding the word limit will not be considered. Selection is conducted by a committee drawn from KWI’s governing board and directorate.
Institute for Advanced Study Germany Link: https://www.kulturwissenschaften.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/call-international-fellowships-october-26.pdf
