New Europe College-Institute for Advanced Study in Bucharest launches the annual competition for the 2024-2025 NEC Fellowships. Romanian and international scholars (at postdoctoral level) in all fields of the humanities and social sciences (including law and economics) are invited to apply.
The Fellowship consists of: a monthly stipend of 850 Euro (tax free); accommodation in Bucharest, comprising living quarters and working space; reimbursement of travel costs from the home/residence country to Bucharest and back. Fellows who stay for the whole academic year are offered a one-month research trip to an institution of their choice. Fellows have free access to the NEC library and electronic resources.
Fellows are expected to work on their projects and take part in the scientific events organized by NEC; presence at the weekly seminars discussing the work of the Fellows is compulsory. At the end of their Fellowship, Fellows are expected to hand in a research paper, reflecting the results of their work over the duration of the Fellowship. The papers will be included in a NEC publication.
NEC Fellowships are open to postdoctoral level scholars, Romanian and international, in all fields of the humanities and social sciences.
For Romanian citizens: a full academic year (10 months, starting with October 2024); for foreign citizens: a full academic year or one term (5 months, starting with October 2024 or March 2025).
Applications (in English, French or German) will be submitted in electronic format only, using the on-line form available at applications.nec.ro. The deadline for submitting applications is 18 January 2024. Incomplete or late applications will not be taken into consideration.
Selection process
Applications will be evaluated by NEC’s academic staff, in consultation with external experts. Candidates will be notified on the results of the pre-selection in the first half of March 2024, by e-mail. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an interview, scheduled on 17–18 of April 2024. Decisions to select the NEC Fellows will be taken by the members of NEC Academic Advisory Board.
If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to: applications@nec.ro. Any additional information about the call are available here.
Current Fellowship Programs
NEC Fellowships (since 1994)
This is the core program, which grants Fellowships to scholars working on projects in all fields of the humanities and social sciences. Due to funding considerations, this program has been divided into two: International Fellowships, granted with the financial support of NEC’s institutional sponsors, and the Ştefan Odobleja Fellowships, targeting Romanian researchers, with financial support from UEFISCDI (The Romanian Executive Agency for Funding Higher Education, Development and Innovation).
The Gerda Henkel Fellowships (since 2017)
This program, developed with the support of Gerda Henkel Stiftung (Germany), invites young researchers and academics working in the fields of humanities and social sciences (in particular archaeology, art history, historical Islamic studies, history, history of law, history of science, prehistory and early history) from Afghanistan, Belarus, China (only Tibet and Xinjiang Autonomous Regions), Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, for a stay of one or two terms at the New Europe College, during which they have the opportunity to work on projects of their choice.
The Porticus N+N Fellowships (since 2020)
The “Nations and Nationalisms” (N+N) program, developed with financial support from the Porticus Foundation, aims to approach one of the main challenges faced by societies around the globe, but mostly in Central and Eastern Europe: a growing tension between nationalizing and globalizing forces in a world dominated by migration, digitization and automation. The N+N Fellowships are open to international candidates working in all fields of the humanities and social sciences with an interest in the study of nations, nationalism and the effects of globalization on national identities.
The Ameropa Fellowships (since 2020)
Organized with financial support from Ameropa and its subsidiaries in Romania and with academic support from the Centre for Government and Culture at the University of St. Gallen, this program aims to investigate the conditions and prerequisites for democratic stability and economic prosperity in Romania and the neighboring region. The Ameropa Fellowship Program is open to early career Romanian researchers in political science, economics, anthropology or sociology. Their projects should focus on aspects relevant for the challenges to democratic consolidation, economic development and the strengthening of civil society in Romania and the region.
The Relevance of the Humanities in the Digital Age Fellowships (since 2021)
The program, proposed jointly by the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia and the New Europe College Bucharest and developed with the financial support of the Porticus Foundation, aims to underscore the cognitive functions of the humanities and their potential as critical disciplines by opening them up to issues relevant in/for the contemporary digital world – issues that are “practical”, but also epistemological, ethical, philosophical. The program is intended to accommodate a broad range of themes pertaining to humanities and social sciences provided they link up to contemporary debates, or address major challenges to the human condition stemming from technological advances and “digital modernity”. The program addresses international scholars.