New Europe College Fellowships in Bucharest

New Europe College – Institute for Advanced Study in Bucharest (Romania) launches the annual competition for the 2025/2026 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.

What we offer: A monthly stipend of 850 Euros (tax free); accommodation in Bucharest, comprising living quarters and working space; reimbursement of travel costs from the home/residence country to Bucharest and back. Depending on the program, fellows are offered a lump sum for a research trip to an institution of their choice. Fellows have free access to the NEC library and electronic resources.

What we expect: 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 progress of the Fellows’ work 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 the NEC yearbook.

Eligibility: NEC Fellowships are open to postdoctoral level scholars, Romanian and international, in all fields of the humanities and social sciences.

Duration: For Romanian citizens: a full academic year (10 months, starting in October 2025); for non-
Romanian citizens: a full academic year or one term (5 months, starting in October 2025 or March 2026).

How to apply: Applications (in English, French or German) will be submitted in electronic format only, using the on-line form available at applications.nec.ro. See the guidelines below to make sure you have all the needed documents to fill in the form. Please also note that English is the preferred language of communication during most NEC events.

If you have any questions, please send an e-mail to: applications@nec.ro

Selection process: Applications will be evaluated by NEC’s academic staff, in consultation with external experts.

Stages of the evaluation process:

• Pre-selection – applicants are screened by the selection committee (NEC academic staff, external experts). Candidates will be notified on the results of the pre-selection at the beginning of March 2025, by e-mail.
• Final interviews – shortlisted candidates will be invited to a Zoom interview, scheduled on April 2–3, 2025. The Academic Advisory Board of NEC plays a decisive role in the final selection of the Fellows. For selection criteria, please see the Guidelines below. Please note that NEC does not disclose to candidates the assessment reports on the applications.

The DEADLINE for submitting applications is JANUARY 10, 2025

GUIDELINES FOR APPLICANTS

Submitting an Application

Applications must be submitted online, by filling in the Application Form available on the institute’s
webpage, at the section Apply for a Fellowship: applications.nec.ro

Candidates need to answer all questions in the application form without exceeding the allotted space. The project description shall not exceed 12,000 characters (with spaces), including bibliographical references. The project should describe the state of research in the candidate’s particular area of interest and indicate the objectives.

Candidates also have the possibility to upload their CV and / or (a) reference letter(s). CVs and reference letters are not mandatory. If the candidates decide to include one (or more), following requirements have to be fulfilled:

The letters of reference (in English, French, or German) have to be written explicitly to support the application for the NEC Fellowship. Once the candidate has submitted the application, the referees receive an automatic message with the link and the deadline for uploading the letter. It is recommended that candidates announce the referees in advance that letters of reference are to be submitted by JANUARY 16, 2025.

Selection Criteria

• High quality of the candidate’s academic trajectory and publications, participation in international research;
• Innovative research proposal with significant contribution to scholarship;
• Interdisciplinary and/or comparative approaches are an advantage.

GDPR

NEC processes and stores personal data in accordance with current GDPR regulations.