Call for Applications – Seed funding for junior post-doctoral scholars

The project “A small but fertile field: strengthening Southeast European Studies in Regensburg” (seeFField) aims to strengthen Southeast European Studies in Regensburg by integrating and critically examining various forms of knowledge production and knowledge transfer in academic as well as non- academic fields. The seeFField project collaborates with the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies (IOS) and other existing Area Studies initiatives at the University of Regensburg (UR). It is supported by the Volkswagen Foundation as a part of the programme "Weltwissen – Strukturelle Stärkung Kleiner Fächer" ("Global Knowledge - Structural Strengthening of Small Disciplines"). For further information about the project, see: https://seeffield.app.uni-regensburg.de/.

We are pleased to announce the call for applications for our 2024/25 seed funding programme to commence in January 2025 the earliest. This programme targets junior post-doctoral researchers, particularly (but not exclusively) from Southeastern Europe, in the disciplines of history, anthropology, linguistics, and/or cognate disciplines. It aims to provide financial support to kick-start new and innovative research projects of up to 4,000 € per application. The funds will be awarded on the condition that the project idea is feasible and follows the intellectual agenda and profile of seeFField. Openness to cross-disciplinary approaches and forms of exchange is a key precondition. The funds must be used in a project-related manner and in accordance with the principles and guidelines of the Volkswagen Foundation to cover, for example, research costs, travel, research assistance, and the preparation of a workshop. We will award a total of two seed funding scholarships in the academic 2024/2025 year.

The funds can be used locally, there is no need to come to Regensburg to be eligible for the seed funding programme.

Applicants have to be affiliated with a university or research institution; the funds will have to be paid into institutional (not private) bank accounts. The University of Regensburg is not liable for currency fluctuations or money transfer bank charges.

Please submit your application (with all documents merged into one single PDF document) by 19 July 2024, via the email address: seedfunding.see@ur.de (subject line: seeFField seed funding 2024/25). The application documents must include:

• An outline of your new research topic and/or project idea (3-4 pages in German or English), explaining the relevance of the topic and your suitability to work on this topic.
• A cover letter (max. 1 page) outlining your motivation to apply.
• A detailed academic Curriculum Vitae, also naming two referees.
• Copies of no more than three relevant articles (published or unpublished).
• A financial plan and a brief work plan and schedule (1 page max). This needs to include a specification of a series of interim milestones with specified deliverables (such as an interim project, progress, or fieldwork report), as the seed funding will be paid in rates based on the submission of these deliverables.

Please note: All application materials will be deleted after six months.