Institute for Human Sciences - Józef Tischner Fellowships for Polish and Polish-American Scholars

Józef Tischner Fellowship

You get a monthly stipend (a cash grant to live on) to spend four consecutive months researching at the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna, scheduled between September 2026 and June 2027. The amount depends on your stage: 3,300 EUR per month if you have defended your PhD by the application deadline, or 2,750 EUR per month if you are still a doctoral student. The stipend covers all your living costs during the stay, including travel to and from Vienna, accommodation, health insurance, local transport and research expenses. On top of the money, you get free office space with internet, access to in-house research facilities and administrative support, and you join the Institute's community of scholars. The IWM runs the fellowship with support from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, in memory of the Polish philosopher Józef Tischner.

Who can apply

• Nationality or residence: You are a Polish citizen or are permanently resident in Poland.
• Degree stage: You are enrolled on a PhD programme or obtained your doctoral degree no later than four years before the application deadline (for 2026–27, not before 10 February 2022).
• Field of study: Any topic from the humanities or social sciences. A project relating to the IWM’s main areas of research or to the work of Józef Tischner is an advantage, but is not a prerequisite.
• Previous IWM fellows: If you have already received an IWM fellowship for resident researchers, you must wait two academic years before you can apply again. You cannot reapply for a fellowship that you have already received.
• One application: Only one scholarship application may be submitted per academic year.

How to apply

Applications must be submitted via the IWM’s online application form; applications sent by email will not be accepted. You must submit a personal statement, a brief project description, a research proposal, a CV and two letters of reference, all in English. A panel of experts will assess the applications and notify the finalists by email by 30 April 2026.

How realistic are your chances?

Only three junior scholarship holders are selected per academic year, meaning there is genuine competition for each place. Whilst the link to Poland and the requirement that applicants must be at doctoral level do limit the pool of applicants, the field of study remains open across all humanities and social sciences. The best applicants are those whose research proposals demonstrate a clear link to the IWM’s research topics or to Tischner’s work and are supported by strong references.