KB Fellowship

NIAS and the KB, the National Library of the Netherlands, established the current fellowship in 2025. It continues an earlier KB Fellowship that brought scholars to NIAS between 2004 and 2018.

It is open to researchers in all scholarly and artistic disciplines whose project relates to the KB research agenda or extends its scope. Projects may address challenges for society or for the library field as a whole, or questions concerning the KB’s own collections, digital or otherwise. Proposals that take an international or comparative perspective are especially welcome.

At NIAS, the fellow joins an international community of scholars, writers and artists and can concentrate fully on their own work while taking part in the work of others. KB Fellows are also encouraged to exchange ideas with the KB and to make full use of its collections, facilities, services and expertise.

The fellowship is open to scholars, with or without an institutional affiliation, who have at least three years of research experience after obtaining their PhD on the closing date of the call. It is also open to creative practitioners, with or without an affiliation, who have at least three years of independent practice since graduating or equivalent experience. Artists are welcome to apply for artistic production as a research strategy or for research ahead of production. NIAS does not provide studios, materials or tools for artistic work.

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. A test or interview may form part of the selection procedure.

The KB offers one five-month fellowship each academic year, from September to January. The fellow receives a personal stipend. For scholars 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 local public transport. The fellow takes part in the academic, community and outreach programme.

Any publications resulting from the fellowship are published under the Creative Commons licence CC BY 4.0.

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 semester. 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 four parts:

• the completed form
• a project proposal of no more than 1,500 words, excluding the bibliography
• an academic or artistic CV of no more than four pages, including any international collaborations and a list of key publications, preferably recent and in refereed journals or books
• a statement of no more than 300 words explaining how the project relates to the applicant’s work so far and why the fellowship comes at the right time

NIAS checks all applications for eligibility. A ranking committee appointed by the KB then ranks the eligible candidates, giving preference to proposals that bring new questions or unexpected dimensions to the KB research agenda. Candidates are ranked on four criteria:

• the quality and originality of the proposal
• the candidate’s scholarly or artistic achievements so far
• what the candidate expects from the NIAS community and will contribute to it
• the significance of the project for the policies and practices of the KB or of libraries in general, or for the place of the library in a liberal democracy

The KB returns its ranking to NIAS. The Fellowship Advisory Committee assesses it with a view to a cohort balanced in discipline, location, career stage and gender, and advises the NIAS Director, who makes the final decision.

The KB, the National Library of the Netherlands, was founded in 1798. It keeps the national collection visible, usable and sustainable as a resource for research, a place for public information and debate, and a store of cultural heritage. It plays a central part in academia, public library work and the heritage sector, and works with developers of library design and technology.