- The Max Weber Programme offers 1- and 2-year fellowships. Two year fellowships involve additional academic activities in the EUI departments, such as limited graduate teaching. The annual deadline for applications for these Max Weber Fellowships is 25 October but please note that, after 25 October 2013 and up to 25 March 2014, applications for self-funded fellowships are considered on a first-come first-served basis for as long as there is capacity in the Max Weber Programme.
- The Max Weber Programme is Europe’s largest postdoctoral programme in the social sciences and humanities. It is funded by the European Commission (DG Education and Culture) and hosted by the European University Institute in Florence where the research community of professors, researchers and fellows provides an excellent environment for the Programme.
- The Programme, open to all nationalities, is designed for junior post-docs who have received a doctorate in economics, law, history, social and political sciences, or a related field, within the last 5 years and who want to advance in their research and academic training, in an active multidisciplinary environment before entering the international job market, or in the early stages of their academic careers.
- Fellows are selected on the basis of their research accomplishments and potential, their academic career interests, and the availability of the EUI faculty to provide mentorship.
- Fellows are supported and encouraged to pursue their research agendas and participate in the research activities of the EUI, and in particular, the research activities of the Max Weber Programme and of the EUI Departments with which they are affiliated.
- The Max Weber Programme, hosted in the beautiful Villa La Fonte, provides excellent research facilities, a range of activities to improve communication skills (writing, presentation and teaching), and actively supports Fellows looking for an academic job; for those interested, it offers a range of teaching-training possibilities (within the EUI, Florence and abroad), and it organizes multidisciplinary research workshops and discussions on different aspects of academic careers. Many of these activities are organized by the Fellows themselves. All these elements (see the Programme of Activities for more details) make the Max Weber Fellowship a unique and productive multicultural and multidisciplinary personal and intellectual experience at the beginning of a promising academic career.
- As a service to the academic community at large – especially to those starting an academic career in the social sciences and humanities – the Programme hosts the Academic Careers Observatory.
Eligibility
- Candidates who have received their Ph.D. or officially been accepted for defense by the time of the start of the programme (1 September).
- Candidates are eligible during the five-year period following the successful completion of their Ph.D. For example, to apply for 2014/2015 you should have received or submitted your Ph.D. betweeen 1/9/2009 and 1/9/2014 and the Ph.D. defense should take place no later than 31/12/2014.
- Extensions to the five-year rule are allowed for applicants whose academic career has been interrupted for maternity leave, illness or mandatory military service. Cite circumstances in the application in the field 'Additional Notes'. Successful candidates will be asked to provide supporting documents.
- EUI graduates can only apply for Max Weber Fellowships after having been away from the EUI and in a full-time occupation or with another fellowship for at least one year after defending their Ph.D.
- Candidates of all nationalities are eligible for the Max Weber Fellowships.
Duration
The Fellowships are awarded for 12 or 24
months. Candidates should indicate the preferred period in their
application.
The EUI reserves the right to award 12 months
instead of a request for 24 months due to the high demand for MWP
Fellowships.
The period will be indicated in the award letter.
If a Fellow leaves before the Fellowship ends
(before late July), the grant will be accordingly interrupted and no
grant will be paid for the month of August.
Residence
Fellows are required to live in Florence for
the duration of their Fellowship in order that they may take an active
part in the programme and in the academic activities of their
department.
Grant
The basic grant is € 2,000 per month.
Successful applicants who receive other grants
or salaries must disclose this to the EUI. The amount of the Fellowship
will be fixed at a lower rate (minimum €1,250 per month) depending on
the amount of the additional income.
If applicable, family allowances will be added to the basic grant (see below).
Family Allowance
A household allowance of € 300 per month is
paid to Fellows with a partner if the partner lives with them in
Florence and on condition that the partner's income is not over € 2,000
per month.
There is a dependants allowance of € 200 per
month for each dependent child living with the Fellow in Florence.
Fellows are entitled to these allowances if
they are not receiving any similar allowance from another source, and on
presentation of relevant documents (marriage certificate or a document
that proves that you are living together in Florence, birth
certificates).
A school or university certificate is required
for dependent children in full-time education and over the age of 18.
Taxation
The Fellowship is not taxed by the Institute.
Fellows are, however, required to comply with any other tax provisions
which may be applicable to them.
Medical Insurance
Fellows must have adequate medical insurance cover during their stay at the Institute.
Fellows can either provide proof of their own insurance scheme or subscribe to the EUI's Van Breda Insurance Scheme at their own expense.
Travel Expenses
Fellows (but not their families) receive
reimbursement for one return trip from their home town to Florence.
- First-class rail (travel by car is also reimbursed on this basis but requires prior authorization)
- Economy class air fare
The maximum amount for travel reimbursement is €1,200 for return travel.
Removal/installation Expenses
There is no provision for removal or installation expenses.
Selection Criteria
- Research accomplishments and potential. Research excellence is assessed on the basis of the candidate’s contributions (publications, PhD thesis, etc.) and other supporting evidence (i.e. letters of reference and research plan).
- Academic career interests are assessed on the basis of the CV, the ‘Research and a academic career statement’ and other supporting evidence (i.e. letters of reference), with the aim of assigning Max Weber Fellowships to those candidates, satisfying the research excellence criteria and committed to an academic career, who can benefit the most from the Max Weber Programme, oriented towards the early stages of the post-doc academic career.
- The capacity and availability of EUI faculty to provide mentorship is taken into account; however, while having common research interests may be helpful, it is not a necessity for mentorship.
Application form
The next deadline for applications is 25 October 2013 for the academic year 2014/2015. The application form is now active.
Read this before opening the MWP application form
- See the Eligibility, Conditions of Award and Selection Criteria related to the MWP.
- Prepare your CV with a list of publications in PDF.
- Prepare a ‘Research and academic career statement’ briefly explaining your career ambitions and research plans (1-3 pages) in PDF.
- The statement should include a summary of research contributions and interests, academic career plans, fields of specialization, and teaching experience. A detailed research and academic plan is not required but, if possible, a reference should be made to how a Max Weber Fellowship can contribute to achieve your career goals.
- Use standard international fonts and avoid macros, special characters and password-protected attachments.
- Frequently Asked Questions
Filling in the MWP application form
- If you enter text exceeding a maximum field length you will have to shorten it.
- Enter your family name (surname) and first name (name) in the correct fields.
- Do not use capital letters for all fields.
- Recheck all field entries and documents before pressing the Submit button.
After submission of your application and
subsequently during the application and selection period you will
receive emails from applyfellow@eui.eu.
We advise you to check your junk email in the event that you have not
received an email that you are expecting, failing this please contact us
at applyfellow@eui.eu
Letters of reference
- Two confidential letters of reference must be sent using the on-line form directly by the referees.
- References from current full-time/part-time EUI professors will not be accepted.
Candidates with own funding
Candidates with their own funding are also
welcome to apply and will be selected following the same criteria and
procedures. They can do so either by applying for a self-funded
fellowship only by the 25 March 2014 deadline, or by
indicating in the application form when applying for a funded
Fellowship, that they wish to be considered (also) for a self-funded
fellowship. (Use the field “Additional remarks” in the application from
to state that funding is either not requested or that you are applying
to other sources of funding to participate in the Max Weber Programme).
The tuition fee for a self-funded Max Weber
Fellowship amounts to 15.000 euro for 12 months (1.250 euro pr. month).
The fee may be waived partially or completely if special circumstances
apply.
The applications (CV, Career Statement and
proof of funding, all in PDF format) should be sent directly to externally-funded-mwf@eui.eu. Two confidential letters of reference (also in PDF) should be sent directly by the referees to the same email address.
Applications for self-funded fellowships are
considered on a first-come basis for as long as there is capacity in the
Max Weber Programme.
Data protection policy
See the EUI data protection policy.
Contacts
If you cannot submit your application on-line, contact us well before the deadline at:
Academic Service
European University Institute
via dei Roccettini 9
I-50014 San Domenico di Fiesole
European University Institute
via dei Roccettini 9
I-50014 San Domenico di Fiesole
Email applyfellow@eui.eu
Tel. +39 055 4685 377
Fax +39 055 4685 444
Tel. +39 055 4685 377
Fax +39 055 4685 444
