National Library of France/Louis Roederer Foundation - Louis Roederer Foundation Research Grant

Louis Roederer Foundation Research Grant

You will receive 15,000 EUR for one academic year (from 1 October to 30 September) to carry out a research project on the history of photography. The amount will be paid in two instalments: one at the start and one upon completion of the project. You may extend the fellowship for up to two further periods of one year each. The fellowship is awarded by the Fondation Louis Roederer in partnership with the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF), the French National Library. You will also become an ‘associate researcher’ at the BnF. This entitles you to an academic mentor (an expert who will supervise your work), a workspace, priority access to the collections, and free entry to the library’s exhibitions and events.

Your project must relate to the BnF’s photography collections. You may approach the topic from any angle: historical, technical, artistic or cultural. For example, you may focus on a single photographer, a genre, a technique, an archive or a connection between photography and other art forms.

Who can apply

• Field: Her research focuses on the history of photography and draws on the BnF’s photographic collections.
• Your research background: You are enrolled on a research Master’s programme (M2) or a PhD programme, or you have completed one of these in the last three years. Alternatively, you are a permanent researcher, lecturer or engineer. Or you are conducting your own research (including artistic work), which is reflected in publications, lectures or events.
• Presence: You can travel to the BnF in Paris as often as your project requires.
• Nationality: Applicants of all nationalities are welcome to apply. They may be studying at a French or a foreign university.
• Age: No age restriction. Where candidates are equally qualified, preference will be given to early-career researchers.
• Not a BnF employee: You cannot be a permanent employee of the BnF.
• Funding: No PhD contract may be in place during the funding year. Where two applicants are equally qualified, preference will be given to the one who is not receiving any other funding.

How to apply

Please apply online via the BnF’s research staff platform by 4 May 2026. You must submit a single PDF file containing a detailed CV and a research proposal in French (maximum 5 pages). A panel comprising BnF staff and external experts will review the applications and select the winner on 2026 in June. There will be no interview.

How realistic are your chances?

This grant is very narrowly defined: it funds just one project per year on the history of photography, based on the BnF’s collections and written in French. As a result, the pool of applicants remains small compared with open scholarships. If your research project is genuinely relevant to the BnF’s photographic collections and you are able to be in Paris on a regular basis, your chances are good, particularly if you are a early-career researcher without other funding.