With its Dahlem Junior Host Program (DJHP), the Dahlem Humanities Center (DHC) supports the international networking of junior researchers at Freie Universität Berlin. The DHC promotes

Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiter:innen (academic staff members) from the humanities faculties at Freie Universität as hosts of visiting scholars from Germany and abroad.

FUNDING: up to 5,000 EUR per application

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 24, 2024

EARLIEST BEGIN OF RESEARCH STAY: February 1, 2025

The program enables doctoral and postdoctoral researchers employed at Freie Universität Berlin to invite (a) scholar(s) to Freie Universität Berlin whose work is central to their research. The projects to be undertaken during the research stay depend on the individual scholarly objectives and goals of the applicants and must be described in the application. Examples of possible activities are the conception and work on joint publications, the editing of a joint research proposal, co-teaching projects, the implementation of digital humanities projects, the conception and implementation of specific science communication formats, or the organization of one or more guest lectures and/or working meetings. Scholars of all career stages can be invited for a period of up to 12 weeks. For the implementation of workshops, short stays of several guest scholars can be applied for at the same maximum funding amount.

Application documents

• Completed application form

• Letter of motivation, including project outline. Please outline the specific objectives of the invitation/collaboration as well as the planned activities during the guest stay. Please make clear how your own research project would benefit from the guest invitation. In addition, address the following points:

  In case of invitation of one guest: schedule for the guest stay; max. 4 pages

  In case of invitation of several guests (workshop): Concept and program of the event (including research topics of individual guests/potential workshop contributions) with reference to the own research project, reason for guest invitations, description of goals; max. 4 pages

• CVs, including publication list, of the applicant(s) and guest(s); max. 3 pages per CV
• Letter of support from the Department/Mentor/Research Group (Fachbereich/Projekt)
• Short letter of intent of the guest(s) to be invited

• Tentative budget: Overview of the requested funds (tentative calculation of travel and accommodation costs for guests and other costs/services incurred for the implementation of the projects; a maximum total amount of EUR 5,000 that can be requested)

Guest expenses: A calculation of the individual anticipated costs (flight/train/accommodation) is required for each guest invitation. The calculation should be based on the following criteria: Travel costs: 2nd class train tickets and economy class flights can be financed. Accommodation: The FU rate of 105 Euro/night is applied for the first 14 days of the stay. From the 15th day onwards, a reduced rate of 13 Euro/night applies. Daily allowances cannot be approved. 

Other costs for projects, e.g. workshops, conferences: PR work (graphic design, printing): Please provide an estimated amount. Catering: Only costs for "active" participants named on the event program can be covered. Exceptions are public events, for which an estimate should be used. The maximum amounts for the calculation of meals per person are: 11 Euro per coffee break, 25 - 35 Euro per lunch or dinner. Please note that restaurant dinners cannot be covered. 

Decisions about the final budget will be made in direct consultation with the DHC once the application has been approved, at the latest 6 weeks before the planned project.

Applications (in German or English) must be submitted by email (ne pdf file, in the order given above) to the managing director of the Dahlem Humanities Center, geschaeftsfuehrung@dhc.fu-berlin.de. The deadline for receipt of applications is November 24, 2024.

Eligibility

Prerequisite for application to the Dahlem Junior Host Program is employment at Freie Universität Berlin. Eligible to apply are academic staff (“Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeitende”: doctoral students and postdocs up to 6 years after the date of the disputation) who are employees of the Department of Philosophy and Humanities, the Department of History and Cultural Studies or the central institutes working in the humanities (e.g. JFKI, LAI) at Freie Universität Berlin at the time of the application and the planned guest stay. Child-raising periods within the time limit are credited at a standard rate of two years per child under the age of 12.

Scholars employed in the above-named departments and institutes are particularly invited to apply. In the case of applications from scholars/fellows who work in Forschungsverbünden (collaborative research projects), clusters, and other external institutions, applicants must explain why the planned activity cannot be financed through project funds.

Funding conditions

Within the DJHP, funds can be applied for to finance the travel and stay of a guest or several guests and the implementation of joint projects in the total amount of 5,000 EUR. The funds to be awarded are lump sums for guest stays and projects, not funds to finance job positions. Guest stays can begin at the earliest on February 1, 2025 and must begin at the latest on October 13, 2025. Possible projects that can be carried out during the collaboration and for which funding can be requested are:

• Guest lectures and/or workshops
• Projects with students (e.g. exhibitions)
• Digital humanities projects (e.g., digital editions, software, digitization of archival materials relevant to both scholars

• Science communication (e.g., blog, video, website, digital formats, or other innovative and creative formats to reach broader audiences)
• Supporting work for joint publications (e.g., proofreading, image acquisition, image rights, translations; excluded are flat-rate printing cost and publishing subsidies)

The awarded funds as well as what the funds can be used for may deviate from what was requested in the application. The requested project funds must be claimed within 12 months after the start of the funding.

Report

An informal report (max. 3 pages) on the projects carried out during the cooperation and their results must be submitted by December 15, 2025.

Contact:

Dr. Anne Schenderlein
Managing Director and Academic Coordinator
Dahlem Humanities Center (DHC)
Freie Universität Berlin
Silberlaube, Raum KL 26/122h
Habelschwerdter Allee 45
14195 Berlin
Email: geschaeftsfuehrung@dhc.fu-berlin.de, Phone: 030-838 67097