Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Humanities at Universities and Research Institutes in Germany and the U.S
These postdoctoral fellowships in the humanities are jointly offered by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Volkswagen Foundation. They aim at enabling postdoctoral researchers based at academic institutions in the U.S. to spend some time conducting studies at universities or research institutes in Germany. These studies can either be undertaken at a university or research institute of the candidate’s choice or at a cooperating institute (listed below). The fellowships are usually granted for a period of 9 to up to 12 months, although in exceptional cases a funding period of 18 months is also possible.
Through these fellowships, junior scholars are offered a chance to
- pursue research in the humanities in an attractive international environment,
- take advantage of interdisciplinary scholarly discussion and research networks,
- use local libraries, archives, and other facilities, and attend international conferences, symposia, etc.,
- gain experience in a non-American university system by teaching courses to undergraduate and graduate students, depending on the needs of the respective academic departments.
Eligibility and Finances
This call addresses promising young scholars in their postdoctoral research phase currently based at institutions in the U.S., who wish to strengthen their research capacity in the humanities. Scholars who work in an interdisciplinary field are especially encouraged to apply. To be eligible, applicants should have finished their PhD after October 1st, 2012. As this call addresses postdoctoral candidates, the PhD must be completed by the time of application (i.e. by September 12 th, 2017). Please also note that, to be eligible under this scheme, candidates must have been based in the U.S. for at least two years directly prior to the application.
The grants will be awarded for a period of 9 - 12 months for the academic year 2018/2019. In exceptional cases, candidates can apply for a fellowship of up to 18 months – given, of course, that this is agreed upon with both the home and host institution. In general, the starting month for a fellowship is August or September. Alternative starting dates may be arranged upon consultation with the host institution after a grant has been awarded.
Grants cover a postdoctoral fellowship (2,100 Euros per month) plus international health insurance, visa, travel expenses (two return flights U.S.- Germany-U.S.), conference participation (preferably) in Europe, and rent/additional living costs (1,000 Euros per month). Fellows can also apply for funds to cover small technical equipment (limited to up to 5% of the total budget), consumables (research and work-related), literature, etc. (Please note that non-personnel expenditure can add up to 10,000 Euros for a period of three months (i.e. up to 40,000 EUR for a fellowship of 12 months)). In addition, the Foundations provide a maximum of 3,000 Euros for administrative costs for the host institution/department as well as a total sum of 10,000 Euros for a workshop to be organized by the fellow.
Please note that these workshop funds cannot be used to cover honoraria for invited guests. Please also note that these fellowships do not cover employment of any support staff (e.g. research assistants). Please indicate in your application whether you intend to travel with family and would like to apply for an allowance for child care (and other familyrelated costs), according to the information on family-related benefits provided by the Volkswagen Foundation. We advise you to consider any additional items that result from the information on family-related benefits in your initial budget. If you apply for any such subsidies, the total sum of the fellowship increases accordingly. G
rants will be made to the German institution that hosts the respective candidate.
Selection Process
The selection of candidates is jointly organized by the Volkswagen Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in a two-stage procedure. In the first step, all proposals submitted to the Volkswagen Foundation are reviewed and assessed by international experts. Based on these reviews, a shortlist of candidates is generated, who are then invited to present their proposed project at a review panel meeting in New York. This forms the second step of the selection process and the basis for the final decisions on the applications. The personal presentations of shortlisted candidates are scheduled for the end of February or beginning of March 2018.
For more information please click "Further Official Information" below.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
https://www.volkswagenstiftung.de/fileadmin/downloads/merkblaetter/MB_97_e.pdf