The program provides up to one year of research support at the Freie Universität Berlin— one of Germany’s leading research universities. It is open to scholars in all social science and humanities disciplines, including historians working on German and European history since the mid-18th century.
Under the umbrella of our program, we offer five different fellowships to scholars from North America, Africa and China: the Berlin Program Dissertation Fellowship, the Berlin Program Postdoc Fellowship, the Max Kade Berlin Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Kerstin Leitner Berlin Dissertation Fellowship and – starting this fall – the Kerstin Leitner Berlin Postdoctoral Fellowship. For key features of our awards, check our Fellowships Overview.
The program offers a stimulating academic environment that combines excellent research opportunities at one of Germany’s most distinguished research universities with intellectual and cultural interaction. Our colloquium – which is held in German – serves as a central meeting point for all fellows to share, discuss and support each other’s work.
Essential to our mission is our close cooperation with our North American partner and co-sponsor, the German Studies Association (GSA), – the largest organization of scholars, professionals, and students who focus on the study of German-speaking Europe from all periods of history and all relevant disciplines (www.thegsa.org). Each year, our Summer Workshop and the GSA Distinguished Lecture at the Freie Universität Berlin as well as our Alumni Panel at the GSA Annual Conference in the U.S. provide a forum for scholarly exchange and seek to strengthen ties between fellows, alumni and the academic community in Berlin and beyond.
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