Outline

The Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg (HWK) in Delmenhorst is an Institute for Advanced Study in the Northwest of Germany. Its Fellowship program offers outstanding researchers the opportunity to focus on research without the distraction of everyday routines in academia, to interact with colleagues from other disciplines, and to benefit from a diverse and vibrant Fellowship community. The HWK awards Fellowships to highly qualified researchers of all career levels from postdoctoral to senior researchers. With these Fellowships, the HWK supports interdisciplinary and international collaboration both, between its Fellows and research institutions in Germany’s Northwest region, and within the community of Fellows residing on the HWK campus.

What is funded

The HWK awards Fellowships to highly qualified researchers of all career levels from postdoctoral to senior researchers. 

Regular Fellowships are available for researchers whose PhD (or comparable degree) has been awarded more than five years ago and who have already gained substantial professional experience in academia and research.

Junior Fellowships are available for early career researchers whose PhD has been awarded less than five years ago and who have gained first professional experience in academia and research. Both, a continuation of previous research activities, or starting a new strand of research by using the expertise in the Northwestern region, are welcome, this includes crossing disciplinary boundaries.

Duration

Fellowship duration ranges from 3 to 10 months. Residence at the HWK is obligatory. Financial conditions are to be negotiated on an individual basis after successful application. Depending on the Fellowship project, Regular Fellowships and Junior Fellowships can be awarded for a minimum of three and a maximum of ten months. Regular Fellowships may be split into no more than two periods of residence, provided that accommodation is available at the HWK. Junior Fellowships cannot be split. 

Eligibility

Excellent researchers with a PhD from all disciplines and from all parts of the world (except northwestern Germany) are welcome to apply. We also accept applications involving experimental and lab research; in these cases confirmation of access to research infrastructure at a nearby institution is required.

Fellows are selected based on the following criteria:

• the candidate’s academic qualification,

• the quality and the innovative character of the candidate’s proposed research project,

• the candidate’s willingness to contribute to and to profit from a highly interdisciplinary Fellowship community,

• the fit of the proposed project with the spectrum of disciplines and research interests at the HWK.

Collaborations with colleagues at the regional universities and research institutes are appreciated but in general, they are not a necessary condition for a Fellowship. They are necessary, however, when the applicant plans to conduct an experimental project and thus needs a research infrastructure for their project. In that case, a regional collaboration partner will have to confirm that they will provide the necessary infrastructure to work on the Fellowship project.

Researchers based at institutions in the Northwestern region of Germany cannot apply for Regular or Junior Fellowships. They are encouraged, however, to motivate national or international colleagues to apply for Fellowships.

For more details on the application and eligibility criteria, see the link below: