Leo Baeck Fellowship 2025-2026 Germany

Great news for PhD candidates! Applications are now open for the Leo Baeck Fellowship Program 2025-2026.

The Leo Baeck Fellowship is a fully funded research grant for international doctoral students working on dissertations related to the history and culture of Central European Judaism. It provides a monthly stipend of €1,550 plus a €100 monthly research allowance.

This prestigious program welcomes projects from all time periods, academic disciplines (including literature, philosophy, history, and musicology), and regions (such as Europe, America, and Israel), provided they are connected to German-speaking Judaism.

In addition to one year of financial support, the fellowship fosters academic exchange and networking. It is open to doctoral candidates of all nationalities and universities worldwide. Fellows remain at their home institutions but participate in two workshops jointly organized by the Leo Baeck Institute London and the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes.

Scholarship Summary

Level of Study: Research Fellowship (Doctoral)
Host Institution: Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes
Location: Germany / Europe
Fields of Study: Any discipline connected to German-speaking Judaism (e.g., literature, philosophy, history, musicology)
Program Duration: More than one year
Deadline: March 1

Scholarship Coverage

The Leo Baeck Fellowship program provides the recipient with the following benefits:

Fellows receive a stipend of 1,550 € a month.
In addition, a monthly research allowance of 100 € is available.
Fellows can also apply for supplements for health insurance (max. 100 €/month) and childcare, as well as travel allowances to support research trips and participation at conferences abroad.
Contributions to tuition fees outside Germany may also be granted (max. 10,000 €).
All funding is provided in accordance with the general regulations issued by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

Eligibility Criteria for the Leo Baeck Fellowship Program

To qualify for the Leo Baeck Fellowship program, the candidate must fulfil all of the following requirements:

Required Language: English/German
Eligible Countries: All countries.
University degree(s) with outstanding marks
Date of latest degree not before March 2020
Formal qualification for doctoral studies/acceptance on a doctoral programme at a recognised university
Research project focusing on the history and culture of Central European Jewry

How to Apply for the Leo Baeck Fellowship Program?

Please follow the following application instructions to apply for the Leo Baeck Fellowship program :

Candidates are invited to submit the following documents in English or German:

Application form (DOC, 2.1 MB)
Cover letter outlining the motivation for participation in the programme (1 page)
Curriculum vitae with details on education, general interests and language skills
Photocopy of university degree(s), including marks and, if possible, ranking
Research proposal (5 pages)
Research schedule for the academic year 2024/25, including planned research trips
Letter of recommendation by the supervisor of the PhD project
Second letter of recommendation

We accept applications by e-mail (as a single PDF document, please; the letters of recommendation may be submitted separately). Only complete application sets will be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to two video-based interviews in April/May 2024.