Jan Patočka Fellowship

Call for Applications 2025–2026

Objective

The Jan Patočka Fellowship Program aims to foster research inspired by Jan Patočka’s legacy and his intellectual endeavor to rethink Europe under post-European paradigms. It welcomes scholars working on the manifold philosophical, societal, economic, geopolitical, or historical dimensions of this challenging topic.

As a name-giver for this program, Patočka’s critical investigations into the history of philosophy, the meaning of modernity, (post)colonialism, war, technology, and the dialectics of enlightenment offer exemplary––though by no means exclusive––fields of research. The call invites project applications that offer inspiring perspectives on the idea of (post-)Europe and its critical reflection in contemporary debates.

The fellowship is open to all academic disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

Conditions

Jan Patočka Junior Visiting Fellows will be invited to spend five months between September 2025 and June 2026 at the IWM to pursue their research projects.

Postdoctoral candidates––i.e., those who have defended their PhD by the date of the fellowship application deadline––will receive a stipend of EUR 3,300 per month; candidates currently pursuing their doctoral degree will receive a stipend of EUR 2,750 per month to cover accommodation, living expenses, travel, health insurance, and any incidental costs related to their stay in Vienna. In addition, the IWM provides fellows with office space and Internet access, in-house research and administrative facilities, as well as an in-house lunch and other services free of charge.

The visiting fellows will join the scholarly community and participate in the activities of the Institute. Generally, fellowships start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.

Eligibility

Applicants to the Patočka Junior Visiting Fellowship must be currently pursuing their doctoral degree or have obtained a PhD not longer than four years ago at the time of application. 

Jan Patočka Senior Visiting Fellowships are granted by invitation only.

Application

Applications must be submitted through the IWM's online application form; we will be unable to consider applications sent via email.

Application materials consist of the following:

• Project description (max. 550 characters)
• Project proposal (max. 7,500 characters incl. spaces) containing a) a description of the project’s objectives, b) a discussion of the current state of the art, c) methods, and d) a work plan
• Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications
• A brief letter of motivation that addresses how the project would benefit from time at the IWM, the connection to the IWM’s mission and research, and concrete research/writing goals during the fellowship
• Two letters of recommendation from scholars familiar with the applicant’s academic work (Please note that the letters of recommendation need to be submitted directly by your referees within the application period. Your referees will receive an automatic email with a link to a webform after you have submitted your application.)

All application materials should be in English.

Important! Attached documents must be combined into a single PDF, as the online submission form only allows for one attachment. File names of attachments must use Latin characters. 

The deadline for applications is 16 February 2025.

Selection

The finalists will be selected by a jury of experts. Applicants will be notified of the jury’s decision in the spring semester of 2025.

The jury is not required to publicly justify its decisions, nor to provide applicants with individual feedback on their applications.