NIAS-Lorentz Theme-Group Fellowships

A NIAS-Lorentz Theme Group (NLTG) is an international group of three researchers including the coordinator. All NLTG members hold fellowships at NIAS, providing them the opportunity to work as a team and engage in the kind of intensive interdisciplinary collaboration that is often difficult to realize in a regular academic setting. They specifically work as a group on cutting-edge research that bridges the divide between the humanities and/or social sciences and the natural and/or technological sciences. This can lead to concrete outcomes such as an edited volume, a scientific paper or a project proposal for external funding (e.g. ERC). Being part of an NLTG is particularly intended to benefit early/mid-career researchers who wish to explore and open a new interdisciplinary field of research through close interaction with theme group members from other scientific disciplines.

The NIAS-Lorentz Theme Group is:

• An international group of NLTG members made up of 3 persons for 5 consecutive months. The NLTG coordinator can apply for a NLTG in the second semester (February – June) of the academic year.
• All NLTG members hold individual fellowships at NIAS, including a study and daily travel expenses or, if from abroad, subsidized accommodation.
• NLTG members from abroad can apply for a stipend and NLTG members from a Dutch university can apply for a Dutch University Grant, given to their home institution. Both are set on €2.500 per month.
• A workshop at the Lorentz Center on the NLTG topic, with full organizational support and a budget of €10.000.

How to Apply

A NIAS-Lorentz Theme Group is initiated by the coordinator. The coordinator has at least 3 years of postdoctoral research experience and is affiliated to a university or research institution.

The coordinator is the formal NLTG applicant and he/she puts forward the other NLTG members. A NIAS-Lorentz Theme Group should be a mix of researchers affiliated with universities from within and outside the Netherlands so as to be an international group imbedded in the Dutch research community. All NLTG members should fulfill NIAS eligibility criteria, which includes 3 years of experience after obtaining a PhD-degree.

Practical information

• NLTG fellowships include subsidized accommodation (or local travel expenses), lunches, study, research facilities (computer, library services etc). International scholars are eligible for one return ticket to NIAS.
• NLTG members from abroad can apply for a stipend in case of loss of income due to the fellowship of €2.500 per month. NLTG members from a Dutch university receive a Dutch University Grant of €2.500, which is given to the university.
• For more information about what a fellowship entails, see practical matters. Here you find  important information on funding, rental rates, participation and more.

Application procedure

1. NLTG Pre-Proposal (deadline 1 September 2023) 
   Coordinators should submit a short NLTG Pre-Proposal for preliminary review. The Pre-Proposal is no more than three pages containing:
   • Title of the proposal.
   • List of proposed NLTG members.
   • Concise description of the interdisciplinary topic, with a brief description of the methodology and the expected research outcomes.
   • Outline of the idea for the workshop, including a list of proposed participants.

The form for the NLTG Pre-Proposal (docx) can be downloaded on the NIAS-Lorentz website.

Send the completed form to partners@nias.knaw.nl, with your name and the word NLTG in the subject.

NLTG coordinators will be informed of the outcome within six weeks of the submission deadline. Coordinators of Pre-Proposals that are considered suitable for further elaboration will be invited to compile a NLTG Main Proposal.

2. NLTG Main Proposal (deadline Monday January 8 2024)
The NLTG Main Proposal consists of:

• An expanded NLTG research proposal by the coordinator
• An outline of the NIAS-Lorentz Workshop at the Lorentz Center by the coordinator
• The individual NLTG fellowship application forms of all NLTG group members

The Main Proposal and individual NLTG fellowship applications must be submitted through the NIAS website application form.

NLTG coordinators will be informed on the outcome of the review and selection half February.

Workshop Proposal
The coordinator of the winning NLTG application will work with the Lorentz Center to prepare the NIAS-Lorentz Workshop Proposal. This plan might receive additional feedback from the NIAS-Lorentz Advisory Board as well as specific Lorentz Center Advisory Board(s) in the field(s) of the workshop topic.

NLTG applications are evaluated by the NIAS-Lorentz Fellowship Board. NLTG Main Proposals are also sent to external reviewers.

Evaluation

Evaluation criteria include:

• The topic connects the humanities and/or social sciences with the natural and/or technological sciences.
• The research proposal is bold and original.
• The composition of the theme group is international and multidisciplinary.
• Individual members display excellent academic achievements, appropriate to their academic level.
• The topic will broaden the scope of the NIAS-Lorentz Program.