Europe’s neighbourhood has experienced armed conflict, political transition and authoritarian restoration along with profound social and economic change. These transformation processes with deep historical roots have usually resulted from an interplay of domestic and transnational actors and factors. In order to reveal their complexity, a view through a transnational and regional lens can be rewarding: Which interdependences – past and present – are constitutive for the neighbouring regions of the European Union? How can we study transnational influences and effects on change in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East and North Africa region? How to distinguish and take into account factors of change across national borders and social boundaries? To which extent do these factors shape political, social and economic realities in these regions?

The scholarship programme “Trajectories of Change” addresses historical and current transformation processes in the European neighbourhood. It offers stipends and fieldwork grants for Ph.D. students in the humanities and social sciences. For 2018, research applications dealing with transnational and regional dynamics of transformation are especially welcome.

Presentation

Europe’s neighbourhood has experienced armed conflict, political transition and authoritarian restoration along with profound social and economic change. These transformation processes with deep historical roots have usually resulted from an interplay of domestic and transnational actors and factors. In order to reveal their complexity, a view through a transnational and regional lens can be rewarding: Which interdependences – past and present – are constitutive for the neighbouring regions of the European Union? How can we study transnational influences and effects on change in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the MENA region? How to distinguish and take into account factors of change across national borders and social boundaries? To which extent do these factors shape political, social and economic realities in these regions?

Prerequisites

In order to be eligible for a Ph.D. scholarship, the applicant must have obtained a university degree that qualifies him or her for Ph.D. studies. Proof of this qualification must be submitted together with the application. Students applying for the pre-doctoral grants should expect to complete their degree in the same year. The program is aimed exclusively at graduates who in the course of their studies have shown above-average academic aptitude and whose research project promises to yield independent and new findings. The Foundation reserves the right to admit qualified applicants who have other sources of income to the program without granting them a full scholarship to cover their living costs. 

Stipend and methods of payment

The stipend for the scholarships is € 1,200 per month. Supplementary payments for married scholarship holders will not be granted by the Foundation. The stipend is paid in three-monthly instalments, payable in advance, into an account stipulated by the scholarship holder. 

In case of pre-doctoral grants the financial support is limited to max. € 5,000. This single grant should support the development of the dissertation project, including small scale preliminary research and funds for participation in academic conferences.

Fieldwork Grants support travel costs as well as research expenses and add up to max.  € 3,000. The Foundation expects to be informed about the progress of the research. This will usually be in the form of a presentation of the work in progress at the students’ conference. In their first year, the Ph.D. students are required to present their project at the scholarship conference held annually in spring, having before submitted in writing a ten-page paper on a specific aspect of their dissertation. The continuation of the scholarship must be approved by the selection committee that is present at the conference. 

The Ph.D. Scholarships end:

a) at the end of the granted period of time

b) within the granted period of time at the end of the month in which the scholarship holder submits his or her dissertation at the degree-giving university, or on the day that the scholarship holder abandons his or her dissertation to enter into a contract of employment that runs counter to the regulations listed below.

Should the scholarship holder be unable to complete the dissertation within the granted period of time, a final report must be submitted to the Foundation. In any case, the scholarship holder is under obligation to submit a copy of the degree certificate to the Foundation. 

Part-time work and other sources of income

A student who, apart from working on his or her dissertation, undertakes full-time or nearly full-time employment, is excluded from the scholarship program. The student is allowed to accept paid work at a university as a teaching assistant or in a comparable role, or outside the university for up to eight hours per week, subject to consultation with the Foundation. In any case, this income may not exceed € 500 per month. Any income over and above this sum can be deducted from the monthly stipend.

If the applicant is the recipient of another scholarship aside from the ZEIT-Stiftung, this information must be included in the application.

The scholarship is not a contract of employment. All forms of mandatory insurance must be paid for by the applicant.

Repayment of the stipend

The scholarship constitutes a stipend that does not have to be repaid. The recipient shall be obligated to repay the stipend in its entirety or in part only if the scholarship was obtained under false pretences in the form of incomplete or wilfully misleading information.  

Travel and expenses

All travel costs – except for travel to events organized by the Foundation for its current scholarship holders - and other expenses must be defrayed from the stipend. In individual cases the Foundation may agree to make available limited additional funds depending on a well-founded application.        

Application

The application must be submitted in English on the appropriate online form provided by the ZEITStiftung before the deadline.

It must contain

a research proposal (for doctoral students: max. 7 pages, for pre-doctoral candidates: 3-5 pages, references excluded, 1.5 spacing, 12 point font)

outlining the dissertation project,

a research plan with the time schedule (max. 2 pages),

a copy of the university degree, the curriculum vitae as well as a photo

Two letters of reference by university professors should be submitted through the electronic system provided by the Foundation.

For the PreDoctoral Research Grants and the Fieldwork Grants the Foundation requests also an individual budget plan.  

Selection Criteria

Scholarships are granted by the Board of Directors of the ZEIT-Stiftung on the basis of the application submitted by the candidate. The ZEIT-Stiftung reserves the right to instate a selection committee or obtain an additional external expert's opinion on the research project. 

Board of directors

• Prof. Dr. Michael Göring (chair)
• Michael Berndt