Instituut Gak Fellowship

The fellowship allows researchers to concentrate fully on a topic in social security or labour market policy. Fellows may produce new academic knowledge, preferably leading to publications, develop a grant proposal, or work on solutions to practical problems. At NIAS they join an international community of scholars from many disciplines.

Former fellows have worked on a wide range of questions, including the effectiveness of income support, the declining role of collective labour agreements, and public attitudes towards anti-discrimination measures. An overview of past fellows and their projects is available on the Instituut Gak website (in Dutch).

The fellowship is open to researchers who obtained their PhD between three and ten years before the closing date of the call. Applicants must hold a temporary or permanent contract at a Dutch or Flemish university or research institute.

The working language at NIAS is English. Applicants should speak and write it well enough to take a full part in the life of the institute and to benefit from the responses of their peers.

Instituut Gak offers up to two five-month fellowships each academic year. Fellows receive a personal stipend. For researchers affiliated with a Dutch university or research institute, a Dutch University Grant is paid to their institution instead. NIAS provides an office and research facilities and, where eligible, subsidised accommodation in Amsterdam or reimbursement of travel costs.

A fellowship at NIAS is a full-time commitment. Fellows are expected to be at the institute four days a week from the start to the end of their fellowship, including Thursdays for the weekly seminar. They are also expected to take part in the introduction period in the first two weeks, and to acknowledge NIAS in publications and other work resulting from it. More information is available under What NIAS offers and Commitment, rules and regulations.

Applications are submitted through the online application form. An application consists of the completed form, a project proposal and a CV.

NIAS checks all applications for eligibility. The Board of Instituut Gak, advised by its Scientific Council, then selects suitable candidates on four criteria:

• the scientific quality and originality of the proposal
• the significance of the project for social security and labour market policy in the Netherlands
• the candidate’s academic achievements
• the potential for valorisation and implications for policy

The NIAS Director makes the final decision.

Instituut Gak is a foundation that aims to improve social security and labour market policy in the Netherlands by funding projects and scientific research. It has established twenty endowed chairs at Dutch universities and universities of applied sciences.