Purpose

The ICI Berlin grants stipendiary fellowships (hereafter simply ‘ICI Fellowships’) for individuals to carry out projects related to the Institute’s core projects and participate in the Institute’s intellectual life.

Eligibility

All disciplines, fields, and nationalities are welcome. Applicants must have completed their education (BA, MA, PhD, or equivalent degree) within ten years of the date of appointment. Fluency in English is required; some German language skills would be desirable. ICI Fellowships are announced for a particular core project and often also focus. Applications not responding to an announcement, which may include further eligibility or selection criteria, cannot be considered.

Terms

ICI Fellows are resident in Berlin, carry out their projects at the ICI Berlin, actively participate in the intellectual exchange and attend Institute events (colloquia, workshops, conferences, cultural and social events). Longer absences outside the recesses announced in the Institute’s calendar need to be communicated to the Director.

Participation in the yearly common project – aimed at bringing together the individual projects within the framework of the core project through conceptual work in colloquia and workshops in view of a common publication – is encouraged. Particularly strong engagement in the common project may form an important aspect in confirming fellowships granted for more than one academic year.

The monthly stipend is indicated in the announcement and is paid at the end of each month of the ICI Fellowship. It includes the use of a shared office and of ICI Library facilities and is paid as a subsidy to living expenses, not as remuneration for the fellow’s work on the project; it does not oblige the fellow to work for the Institute as an employee.

Unless agreed otherwise, ICI Fellowships are granted for two academic years, subject to confirmation after ten months, and incompatible with other stipendiary fellowships. They cannot be extended.

Application

Applications are accepted in English and only electronically. The application material is detailed in the application instructions for the ICI Fellowship announced and usually includes: information form, curriculum vitae, project proposal, work sample/portfolio, and two letters of recommendation. Complete application materials must be received by the announced deadline. We regret that incomplete or late applications cannot be accepted for consideration.

Review Process

ICI Fellowships are awarded on a competitive basis. Applications are evaluated by a selection committee, which may call upon external referees at its discretion. The selection is foremost based upon the applicant’s qualification, the quality of the project, and its relevance for the core project (and focus, if applicable) announced. The selection will also depend on the financial resources of the ICI Berlin and the aim of forming an interdisciplinary, thematically balanced team and of advancing diversity and equal opportunity in research.

Notification

Applicants will be notified of the selection committee’s decision via e-mail within five months of the application deadline. A justification of the decision will not be given.

Insurances, Visa, and Residency

ICI Fellows are responsible for acquiring appropriate insurance coverage that includes, in particular, a health insurance valid in Germany for the duration of their ICI Fellowship. Evidence of adequate insurance coverage, of required visa, and of residency are prerequisites for the disbursement of the monthly stipends.

Report

A report is to be presented twice, for confirmation and before concluding the fellowship. It is expected that the research enabled by the ICI Fellowship will eventually be made public and ICI Fellows are then required to acknowledge that they have received support from the ICI Berlin and to provide the ICI Berlin with copies of their publications or of material documenting their works.

End of Fellowship

The ICI Fellowship ends when the fellow’s project is finished, no longer pursued, or interrupted for more than one month, or as soon as the fellow begins another stipendiary fellowship or a paid job outside of the Institute for more than four hours per week without prior approval by the Institute. It can also be terminated if the fellow does not adequately seek to fulfil the stated goals of the ICI Fellowship, does not keep the commitments entered, or gave false or incomplete statements on the application.