NEC Bucharest & CAS Sofia Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship
Fellowship + Support Programme
The Centre for Advanced Study (CAS Sofia) is announcing a Call for Applications for the “Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship” (SUS) fellowship programme for the Academic year 2025/2026. The SUS programme, proposed jointly by the New Europe College Bucharest and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia, aims to support scholars from the regions affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine. The programme is aimed at qualified researchers (post-doctoral level) in the Humanities and Social Sciences, including Law and Economics, who intend to pursue a project of their own choosing. The selected applicants will have the opportunity to spend an extended period (ideally one or two semesters) as fellows, resident in either Bucharest or Sofia, where they will enjoy all the benefits associated with a fellowship. By agreement, financial support can also be granted to researchers who are not in residence for the full period and who want or need to continue their work in Ukraine. Seed funding to support the fellows’ scholarly activities is also available, e.g., for the organisation of small events, for cooperative projects with partners in the host country or at home, or for the provision, development or reconstruction of research infrastructure, especially in the digital arena. Overall, NEC and CAS hope to contribute with this programme to sustainability and renewal of scientific life and work in Ukraine and beyond. Through this fellowship programme, both institutes take part in the initiative promoted by the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin and supported by the VolkswagenStiftung aiming to found a (for now Virtual) Institute for Advanced Study (VUIAS) in Kyiv.
What we offer:
- Monthly stipend of 850 Euro
- Accommodation in Sofia
- Reimbursement of travel costs
- Access to the institute’s Library and electronic resources
- Additional support for scientific activities such as workshops, collaboration with local scholars, attending networking meetings abroad or other academic events can also be solicited
What we expect:
- Fellows are expected to work on their projects and take part in the scientific events organised by CAS Sofia
- Presence (physical or virtual) at the weekly seminars discussing the work in progress of the Fellows is compulsory. While, as a rule, Fellows are expected to be in-residence in Sofia, more flexible arrangements for scholars based in Ukraine will be considered due to war conditions
- At the end of their affiliation, the fellows must submit a research article, based on their work, that is to be published (electronically) by the institutes.
Eligibility:
- The Fellowships are open to scholars at postdoctoral level who present a meaningful proposal of fundamental research in the sphere of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Please note that English is the primary language of communication at CAS Sofia and high communication skills in English (written and spoken) are thus required
Duration:
- A full academic year of 10 months or one term of 5 months (starting from October 2025 or March 2026). Flexibility is also possible here.
How to apply:
- Please use the Form available for download below (under ‘Submitting an Application’ section)
- Please respect the CAS Guidelines (attached below) to make sure you have all needed documents and to fill in the form correctly
Selection process:
- The selection is carried out by the international Academic Advisory Council of CAS, with support from NEC and the Wissenshaftskolleg zu Berlin
- The short-listed candidates will be invited for an on-line interview in the second half of June 2025. The results will be announced in July 2025 by e-mail and at the website of the institute: https://cas.bg/. Members of the CAS Academic Council do not disclose their assessment reports on the applications to candidates.
- For selection criteria, please see the guidelines (as mentioned above)
The DEADLINE for submitting applications is 31 MARCH 2025
Submitting an Application:
To apply for the CAS module of the Fellowship, please fill in the form available in the list. CAS accepts applications in English only:
GDPR: Personal data are processed and stored in accordance with current GDPR regulations.
Contact person: Irena Mihaylova, Project Coordinator at CAS Sofia
E-mail: mihaylova@cas.bg
Centre for Advanced Study Sofia; 7-B, Stefan Karadja Str, Sofia 1000
The project “Sustaining Ukrainian Scholarship – A Fellowship Programme for 3 years, 2023 – 2026” has been established with the financial support of the VolkswagenStiftung, in partnership with the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, and is managed in cooperation with the New Europe College Bucharest (NEC) and the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS). It is part of a wider initiative for the creation of an Institute for Advanced Study in Kyiv, together with the worldwide Network of Institutes for Advanced Study. This year, on the 8th of November in Berlin, The Ukrainian institute has started successfully, albeit for now, because of the ongoing war, only in its virtual form as a Virtual Ukrainian Institute for Advanced Study (VUIAS).
