Open Call of the Academy | Early Postdoc Fellowship 2026
The Early Postdoc Fellowship aims to support early postdocs in the application for their initial postdoctoral research project. The fellowship enables the intensive preparation of a project proposal, which will be submitted with the Academy of Fine Arts Vienna as the home institution to funding agencies.
Requirements
This call is open to all postdocs who
- are at an early career stage: Please read the eligibility criteria of the respective funding bodies and programs carefully. For OeAW APART-GSK it is possible to submit up to a maximum of 3 years after receipt of the doctorate, for FWF ESPRIT up to a maximum of 5 years. That means when submitting for the Early Postdoc Fellowship you should not have received your doctorate more than 2, respectively 4 years ago (depending on the funding program).
- have at least two international and quality-assured publications in line with high international standards (minimum status when applying for the fellowship: accepted).
- can convincingly convey that the successful finalization of the application to a funding agency is possible during the duration of the fellowship.
Description
- The fellowship begins upon award and can be sourced over a period of max. six months.
- The accompanying program for the scholarship includes coaching, participation is obligatory. This coaching supports working on a career and mentoring plan and is taliored to the respective funding guidelines.
- The amount of the scholarship is 4,500 euros. The scholarship must be repaid if it is drawn in breach of the guidelines.
- The payment of the scholarship is made in installments and is linked to three milestones.
- Milestone 1: a kick-off meeting, the submission of a time plan for the duration of the fellowship
- Milestone 2: the submission of draft project proposal, a career and mentoring plan, and the completion of the coaching
- Milestone 3: the submission of the project application to the funding body
- Two fellowships can be awarded in total.
Submission
Applications must be submitted in English and work via the Academy's submission system.
The submission includes
- a completed application form
- the following documents in PDF format:
- Draft of your project (max. 5 pages, plus max. 1 page reference list) with the following obligatory sections: 1) state of the art of the relevant international research, 2) clearly defined aims and hypothesis/hypotheses or research question(s) of the project, 3) methods
- Abstract of your project idea (max ½ a page)
- CV, including publication list and further research achievements (max. 3 pages)
- Detailed work and time plan for the duration of the fellowship until the submission of the project application (max. 2 pages). Applicants must clearly demonstrate that the work on a project proposal can be successfully completed within the fellowsip period.
- Certificate of PhD/doctoral degree
- A mentor's confirmation (filled in and signed PDF template). The choice of a mentor is an important step for new collaborations and in opening up new contexts. Therefore, reviewers usually recommend not choosing the dissertation supervisor as a mentor. Employment at the academy is obligatory for the mentor.
Deadline
Tuesday, 15 September 2026, 11 h
Further information is available via the Academy's submission system.
Info session
On 24 June 2026, 14–15 h, there will be an Online Info Session on the call. Zoom-Link: https://akbild-ac-at.zoom.us/j/64584854432?pwd=2tMqsY1HO3tpSLUxIRDQ51oabTr3at.1