Safe Haven Fellowship

The aim of the Safe Haven Fellowship Programme is to protect scholars whose work is restricted or obstructed by state or non-state entities, by offering them temporary relocation and enabling them to continue their work. Those who are facing severe infringements on their academic freedoms due to conflict or war are also welcome to apply. NIAS does not accept applicants affiliated to institutions that are boycotted by the Dutch state. Since February 2025, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) and Maastricht University (UM) are official partners of this programme.

• A Safe Haven Fellowship is granted for a period of 5 months (Sept-Jan or Feb–June).
• Fellows are provided with an office, research facilities, communal lunch, participation in the NIAS community and commuting travel expenses or subsidized accommodation in Amsterdam. Fellows receive a stipend of of €3,500 per month.
• On the NIAS website you can find more detailed information about what a fellowship at NIAS entails and on practical matters relating to the fellowship.
• Please note that a Safe Haven Fellowship is a temporary fellowship which does not offer the possibility of long-term residence at NIAS or in The Netherlands. NIAS reimburses outward and return travel and issues all selected fellows with a letter of invitation. NIAS does not assist in arranging visas. Any visa application is the responsibility of the individual fellow.

• On the closing date of the call, applicants must have at least three years of research experience since obtaining their doctorate if submitting a scientific proposal. In the case of an artistic or journalistic research proposal, a PhD or three years of research experience is not mandatory.
• The project proposal must fit within the scope of humanities and/or social sciences;
• The working language at NIAS is English. Applicants must have a good command of English to contribute effectively to the fellows group and receive input on their own research.
• For an overview of all formal requirements, please see the regulations (under “Downloads” on this page).

• Applicants must submit a fully completed application form through the online application module. Their proposal should contain a clear description of the project which will be conducted during a stay at NIAS (max. 1000 words), a short motivation (max. 150 words) stating the necessity of a stay at NIAS, and a description of why you are or were compelled to leave your workplace if this applies;
• Applications are evaluated on the basis of a) a clear (research) topic and (research) question; b) relevance of the (research) project: academic, societal, cultural or artistic relevance; c) identification of the problems involved and methodology; d) feasibility of the time schedule; e) intended (research) output; f) added value/necessity of the NIAS environment for the fellow, g) fellow’s potential contribution to NIAS and its community.