The Academy in Exile invites scholars at risk to apply for 12-month fellowships at TU Dortmund University in Dortmund and the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen. Eligible are scholars from any country who have a PhD in the humanities, social sciences, or law, and who are at risk because of their academic work and/or civic engagement in human rights, democracy, and the pursuit of academic freedom. Academy in Exile fellowships give scholars the opportunity to continue their careers in Germany and to work on a research project of their own choosing in a multidisciplinary environment. Fellows contribute to and shape the research agenda and intellectual profile of Academy in Exile.
Established in 2017, Academy in Exile preserves and cultivates critical scholarship that is threatened or de-legitimized in countries around the world. Academy in Exile has been based at TU Dortmund University since August 2023 and maintains a cooperation with the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen. Since its inception, Academy in Exile has created 87 hosting arrangements through long-term fellowships, emergency stipends, artist-in-residence fellowships, and guest professorships. The new Academy in Exile fellows, funded by the Mellon Foundation, will be hosted either at TU Dortmund University in Dortmund or the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen.
Applications will be evaluated according to academic merit, risk assessment, and suitability for the research programs at TU Dortmund University and KWI, as well as the programs of Academy in Exile. Fellowships may start as early as March 2026. The monthly stipend amounts to 2,500 EUR. In addition, Academy in Exile covers the cost of health insurance up to 500 EUR per month.
Ineligible is anyone who has dual citizenship or permanent residency in a safe country. This applies either to the applicant him- or herself or to his or her partner. Since the program is intended for scholars at risk, eligibility is restricted to applicants who are currently in their home country or who have been out of their country for no more than two years.
Applications are due by 15 November 2025 in a single PDF file, in the following order:
— a completed and signed application form (available for download here); — a letter that explains your motivation for applying to AiE, including the current circumstances of your risk and/or exile status. Please include a short rationale if you would prefer to be hosted by the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen or TU Dortmund University in Dortmund. No proof or letter from a third party is required. However, if you are registered with Scholars at Risk Network, IIE-Scholar Rescue Fund or CARA, please indicate so in your letter;
— a three-page research proposal;
— a current curriculum vitae with a list of publications;
— your PhD degree certificate;
— a published journal article or chapter;
— a signed data processing consent (available for download here).
Please submit your application to applications.aie.kuwi@tu-dortmund.de as one PDF and name the file as follows: surname_firstname_fellowships 2026. Applications will be dealt with in strict confidentiality. For questions, please send an email to the address above. Encrypted communication will be used at the applicant’s request.
For more information, visit: https://www.academy-in-exile.eu/