Roberto Franceschi Foundation (Milan/Italy) - Roberto Franceschi Scholarship

What you get

You will receive up to 6,000 EUR (before tax) as a one-off grant to collect primary data for your Master’s or PhD thesis. This is not a monthly living allowance. The money covers the costs of data collection, for example travel and accommodation costs for fieldwork, interviews, surveys, laboratory samples, the payment of a research assistant, software or the processing of archive material into a usable dataset. The 6,000 EUR may be awarded to a single researcher or divided amongst several. The grant is provided by the Fondazione Roberto Franceschi in Milan. It is paid in three instalments over the entire duration of the project, which may last up to 18 months. You will also become a member of the Roberto Franceschi research network, and the dataset you create will later be made freely available to other researchers.

Who can apply

• Level: You are enrolled on a Master’s programme (laurea magistrale) or a PhD programme (dottorato).
• Where you study: You are studying at a university in Lombardy, Italy, for example at Bocconi University in Milan (including joint degree programmes with other universities). PhD students at other Italian or foreign universities are also eligible to apply, provided they have obtained their Master’s degree from a university in Lombardy.
• Research topic: In your dissertation, you will be examining a social issue such as poverty, inequality, migration, civil rights, social exclusion or marginalisation, and you plan to collect your own original dataset for this purpose.
• Nationality: Applicants of any nationality may apply, provided they meet the above entry requirements. New international students who have not yet studied in Lombardy are not eligible to apply.

How to apply

Applications should be submitted by email to the Foundation. Please send a CV, a personal statement, a detailed research proposal with a budget, a project summary form, a letter of recommendation from your PhD supervisor, and a list of any other funding you are currently receiving. The application deadline is 15 December. An academic committee will review the applications and announce the successful candidates. There will be no interview.

How realistic are your chances?

This funding scheme is very narrowly defined. You must be studying at a university in Lombardy, be enrolled on a Master’s or PhD programme, and be writing a thesis on the subject of social exclusion, for which you will need to collect your own data. The pool of eligible applicants is therefore small. If you meet these criteria, your chances will depend on the quality of your project proposal, which will be assessed in terms of originality, feasibility and a realistic budget. A clear, well-thought-out research plan is more important here than a polished presentation.