Safe Haven Fellowship

The NIAS Safe Haven Fellowship supports scholars and cultural actors at risk. The NIAS Safe Haven Fellowship is intended for scholars, artists, writers and journalists who are not able to do their work in their current location or circumstances, because of the consequences of conflict or war.

NIAS’ aim is to protect scholars and cultural actors 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.

This additional Call for Applications 2024-25 in our extended Safe Haven Fellowship, which specifically targets scholars affected by the war in Gaza, is open from 3 April – 21 May 2024 12:00 PM CET. Read more about why we extended the Safe Haven Fellowship here.

Practical Information

• A Safe Haven Fellowship is granted for a period of 5 months (Sept- Jan or Feb – June).
• For the academic year 2024-25, two additional Safe Haven Fellowships are available. (Four have already been allocated earlier this year).
• 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 €2,500 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.

Who can apply?

• Applicants must have at least three years academic experience since the date they were awarded a PhD, when submitting a scientific proposal;
• 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;
• For an overview of all formal requirements, please see the regulations (under “Downloads” on this page). The regulations apply for 2024-25 as well.

How to apply?

• 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) and a short motivation (max. 150 words) stating the necessity of a stay at NIAS. Please include 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.

Time path

• Application deadline: 21 May 2024 (12.00h noon CET) for a fellowship in the academic year 2024–2025;
• Applicants will be informed about the outcome of their application in July 2024.