The Institute for Human Sciences (Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen, IWM), Vienna is an independent institute of advanced study in the humanities and social sciences. Together with the Polish Academy of Sciences (Polska Akademia Nauk, PAN) and generously supported by the Polish Ministry of Education and Science (Ministerstwo Edukacji I Nauki), the IWM has established a mentoring initiative for applicants for European Research Council (ERC) Starting and Consolidator Grants in the humanities and social sciences from Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. This mentoring initiative is addressed in particular to researchers in the areas of history, anthropology, political science, sociology, science and technology studies, as well as cultural and literary studies aiming to submit in 2024 – 2025.
Internationally established scholars, who have served as members of ERC evaluation panels, or who have held ERC grants themselves will act as mentors during a workshop. The aim is to give a small group of applicants individualized advice regarding the development of their projects’ academic content through intensive discussion with each other and with the mentors. Moreover, the initiative is intended to contribute to the creation of a culture of open and collegial dialogue, as well as to the internationalization of junior researchers in the humanities and social sciences in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. The initiative’s workshops focus exclusively on the conception and design of the academic research projects and are meant to complement the work of the National Contact Points (NCPs) for the ERC program, who are able to provide detailed information on the ERC’s grant schemes and the application process.
The next workshop will be held remotely on 7–8 July 2023. Participation is free; the workshop language is English. If you are interested in taking part, please send an email with your application to the email address below. The application should consist of three parts:
- an abstract according to the specifications required for the cover of a B1 application (max. 2,000 characters);
- a two-page short version of the extended synopsis according to the specifications required for the section a of a B1 proposal;
- a curriculum vitae according to the recommended template of the section b of a B1 application (max. 2 pages).
Please follow the specified formatting guidelines and indicate clearly which grant you intend to apply for.
We also offer former participants the possibility to re-attend one of the following workshops. In case you have attended a previous workshop of our mentoring initiative, please also send us a progress report, outlining in what way your project has evolved since then.
Please note that all participants will be required to present their project proposals to the mentors and other participants.
As places are limited, please send your applications as soon as possible, but no later than 19 May 2023. A further workshop is planned for later this year.
In case of any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at erc@iwm.at.
