Applying for a NIAS Fellowship

The application form asks for information on five subjects, namely the type of fellowship, personal details, work and career, practical information about the fellowship, and the project proposal. It is advisable to have all information and documents to hand before starting. Documents can be uploaded in PDF, DOC or DOCX format.

The sample forms below give an impression of the questions. Some details may differ in this year’s form.

• Sample form NIAS Individual Fellowships
• Sample form NIAS Theme Group Fellowships

A description of the research project of no more than 1,500 words, including footnotes and excluding references.

The proposal covers the following points.

• Title of the research project
• Research topic and research question
• Relation of the project to the existing literature
• Relevance of the project, which may be academic but also societal, cultural or artistic
• Methodological and theoretical contribution
• Time schedule
• Intended results

Proposals that are not embedded in the existing literature and do not include a short list of references are not eligible. Applicants who use generative AI in preparing their application must disclose this in the application and reference it in the list of references, as set out in the regulations.

An updated CV of no more than three pages, including the narrative section and the list of publications. The CV opens with a narrative section of no more than 300 words that addresses two questions.

• How does the proposed project relate to your academic trajectory so far?
• Why is this fellowship timely in your current academic context?

It then lists up to ten key publications, preferably recent and in refereed journals or books. Applicants involved in international collaborations are asked to mention these as well.

The names of three international experts in the applicant’s field who could review the proposal. They should have no conflict of interest with the applicant, which excludes, for example, colleagues from the same department, co-authors, personal friends, former supervisors and anyone directly involved in the proposed project. The rules are set out in the KNAW code of conduct on conflicts of interest.

In the project proposal section, the application form also asks two questions about the applicant’s place in the NIAS community.

• What would be the added value of the interdisciplinary NIAS environment for you?
• How will you contribute to the NIAS community during your stay?

The answers are assessed in the second stage of the selection procedure, in which a NIAS staff committee proposes up to 150 applicants for peer review. They carry real weight in the selection and deserve the same care as the project proposal.

Applications are submitted through the application module, which is open from 15 January until 15 March, 12.00 noon CET. The module may close earlier if the cap for this year’s call has been reached, as explained on the fellowship page. Applications cannot be changed once submitted.

Within a few minutes of submission, a confirmation email is sent to the work email address given in the form. The application must be confirmed through the link in this email within 48 hours, and in any case before the call closes on 15 March, 12.00 noon CET. Applications that are not confirmed in time are ineligible. Applicants are therefore advised not to submit at the last moment. If the email does not arrive, please check your spam folder or contact selection@nias.knaw.nl.

Only complete applications that meet the formal requirements are considered. Applicants whose application is incomplete or does not meet the requirements are notified by email no later than 1 May.

The selection procedure page explains what happens next.

All information is treated confidentially. NIAS-KNAW complies with EU privacy law and stores applicants’ data securely, with restricted access. Information from the application form is used solely for the selection procedure, by the NIAS staff committee, the Fellowship Advisory Committee, external referees, the Director and the administrative office.

Information from successful applications is retained permanently for administrative and historical purposes. Information from unsuccessful applications is kept for ten years.