ACLS Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe 2025

The Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (SISECSE) is a two-week residential workshop, that provides scholars of Eastern Europe time and space to dedicate to their own research and writing in a collaborative and interdisciplinary setting.

American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) in partnership with the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS) will convene leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a two-week residency in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria from June 5, 2025 to June 20, 2025. SISECSE will also provide participating scholars with the opportunity to undertake local fieldwork, including archival or collections research, interviews, site surveys, or other forms of data collection. Fieldwork is not a requirement for participation.

Benefits of Summer Institute

• The program will offer a travel stipend and cover accommodation and per diem expenses for the two-week residency.
• Scholars will also be provided with opportunities to travel locally during this time.

Check : Advance your Entrepreneurship Skill with the PowerUp Program

Eligibility for Summer Institute

• Applicants must have a PhD degree conferred (officially awarded) by an accredited university by the application deadline. An established scholar who can demonstrate the equivalent of the PhD in publications and professional experience may also qualify.
• Open to scholars in any field or discipline in the humanities or interpretive social sciences pursuing postdoctoral or advanced research in East Central and Southeastern Europe, including Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czechia, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
• Applicants must have an affiliation—a long-term regular research or teaching appointment—with an institution (i.e., college, museum, university) in North America (Canada, Mexico, US) or East Central and Southeastern Europe (see the list above). Applicants who do not have tenure-track or permanent positions should describe their future commitment to working in North America or East Central and Southeastern Europe.
• There are no restrictions as to the citizenship of applicants.
• The application must be submitted in English, but the written work produced may be in any language.

Also Check : 73rd Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany 

Evaluation Criteria

• Significance of the topic and its potential contribution to the study of East Central and Southeastern Europe.
• The quality and innovativeness of the proposal with regard to its methodology, scope, theoretical framework, and grounding in the relevant scholarly literature.
• The impact of the fieldwork on the applicant’s research project, if applicable.

Application

Applications must include:

• A completed application form including demographic information.
• An application essay (no more than four double-spaced pages in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font). The application essay should lay out the research project—what it is about, its location in the current literature, what sources are to be examined, and how the applicant plans to carry out the work.
• An optional one to two pages of images, musical scores, or other similar supporting non-text materials.
• A bibliography (no more than two pages, double-spaced between entries, in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font).
• A list of the applicant’s publications (no more than two pages, double-spaced between entries, in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font). Applicants should indicate if any of their publications resulted from prior ACLS funding.
• An applicant’s statement (no more than two double-spaced pages in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font). The statement should describe the type of research, writing, or fieldwork an applicant intends to carry out in Bulgaria, the impact of this work on the applicant’s research project, and the applicant’s interest in participating in interdisciplinary conversations. ACLS is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the fellowship application process. Use the applicant’s statement to note any relevant information about your personal background and/or ways in which your proposed research addresses issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Join us on Telegram for more opportunities!