Southeast European Solidarity Fellowships for Threatened Scholars

The Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe (CAS SEE) is the first research centre in advanced studies founded on the territory of former Yugoslavia. It promotes freedom of research and ensures the necessary prerequisites for innovative, intellectual, and scientific development, striving to strengthen transnational and regional scientific cooperation on a range of socially pressing issues relevant to the Humanistic and Social Sciences and Arts.

The Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT) is the leading research institution in HSS in Serbia; founded in the early 1980s by the dissidents expelled from the University of Belgrade for their unorthodox, publicly voiced views, it retains its critical edge, focusing on engagement, philosophy, social movements, deliberative democracy, regional cooperation and reconciliation. IFDT is a part of the Open Society University Network, a global partnership of educational institutions that integrates learning and the advancement of knowledge–in the social sciences, the humanities, the sciences and the arts, promotes civic engagement on behalf of open societies and expands access to higher education.

The call is aimed at Ukrainian scholars–both home and abroad–who are affected by war, as well as those from the Russian Federation who, because of their opposition to the war and the regime, are seeking academic research opportunities outside of Russia. Its purpose is to provide conditions for scholars to develop their research projects, which they are unable to do within the abovementioned conditions of war or under a repressive regime. There are no strict thematic requirements of the call; research topics can cover broad area of humanities and social sciences and arts, including those where our institutions have greater expertise (see websites), such as democracy studies, social engagement, social movements, philosophy, urbanism, educational studies, nationalism studies etc… Fundamental, applied and interdisciplinary research projects are equally welcome.

Eligible applicants include Ukrainian and Russian citizens, residing home or abroad, who are either PhD students or obtained their PhD in the last 10 years and are enrolled or affiliated with a Ukrainian/Russian higher institution. Fellowships are flexible, with possibility to opt for non-resident and resident term. The stipend will correspond to an average Croatian/Serbian researchers’ monthly salary. In addition, we will be covering travel costs and participate in flat rental for residing fellows.

Fellows can suggest projects starting from January 2023 and ranging between 4 and 12 months in length. Scholars applying for a residence can chose as their residence between Belgrade, Novi Sad, Rijeka, as well as other Western Balkan institutions within the broad CAS/IFDT network, reflecting our focus on regional and international cooperation. Resident scholars will be able to use office space and will be assisted in providing accommodation and other related issues. Both non-resident and resident scholars are due to attend two Fellows meetings during the course of the Fellowship, taking place in Rijeka and Belgrade, and to regularly attend seminars and events organized by host institution.

Applicants are kindly asked to send their 1000 words research proposals and CV with bibliography, specifying their Fellowship residence or non-residence preference, by October 15th, to cas@uniri.hr and institut@ifdt.bg.ac.rs.

The results of the First Call of the Solidarity Fellowship will be available by end of November 2022 at the latest.