Deadline: March 30, 2018
Applications are open for the 2018/19 Mercator-IPM Research Scholarship Program. Istanbul Policy Center-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative invites academicians, journalists and experts to apply for the Mercator-IPM Research Scholarship Program. The fellows will be expected to work on academic and/or practical projects at IPC starting on September 3, 2018.
The Mercator-IPM Research Scholarship Program is part of the Istanbul Policy Center-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative. The aim of the program is mainly climate change, the scholars coming from Germany, European Union / Germany-Turkey relations with the research they did in the climate change area, Turkey-Germany and academic from the same time in Turkey and Europe, to strengthen political and social ties. İPM-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative is founded on the idea that knowledge and exchange of people and ideas is a prerequisite for preparing for the challenges of the 21st century in a globalizing world.
The Mercator-IPM Scholarship Program offers opportunities for international researchers, journalists, experts and civil society representatives, especially researchers from Germany, to make academic and practical projects in IPM. The program will support the following two projects:
- EU / Germany-Turkey Relations
- Climate Change
There are two different positions in the program:
- The Mercator-IPM Research Scholarship will be provided to young researchers, journalists and professionals with active work experience. Researchers are expected to conduct academic or practical projects at the IPC. The post graduate degree is a prerequisite for the application, but it is preferable that candidates have a doctorate degree. Candidates who do not have a PhD degree will be admitted to the program only if they are convinced that they have the work experience and expertise required by the position. Germany-Turkey relations focusing on the projects will be preferred. Candidates can not apply to finance their doctoral dissertations.
- Mercator-IPC Senior Research Fellowship with worldwide reputation, outstanding academics and Germany-Turkey or who have made a significant contribution to the Europe-Turkey relations will be given to representatives of civil society organizations. Candidates will be selected by the partners of the Istanbul Policy Center-Sabancı University-Stiftung Mercator Initiative.
Grant
Mercator-IPC Fellows will receive a monthly net payment of up to 2,700 EUR and a travel allowance of up to 2,500 EUR net in total. Fellows may furthermore be entitled to additional allowances.
Eligibility
- Open to outstanding young academics, journalists, and professionals who have significant prior work experience.
- A Master’s degree (or equivalent) is required for this position, but a PhD degree is strongly preferred.
- Applicants without a PhD degree will only be accepted if their work experience and expertise meet the program requirements according to the jury’s satisfaction.
- Projects focusing on the GermanTurkish nexus are likewise preferred.
- Applicants cannot apply for fellowships to fund their PhD dissertations.
- The fellowship program will be open to academics, journalists, and professionals who work in one of the following two thematic areas:
- EU/German-Turkish relations
- Climate change.
Fellowships are available for a period of six to twelve months and are predominantly, but not exclusively, granted to applicants from Germany and/or with a strong connection to German society. Unless the fellows are required to travel to complete their individual projects, they are encouraged to be physically present in Istanbul. Project proposals can be of an academic or practical nature.
However, in order to ensure the socio-political impact of fellowship work, applicants should also include a proposal for an outreach strategy, putting a focus on how the project results will be presented and discussed with policy makers, stakeholders, media, and/ or the general public. Please note that a Coordination Team will be assisting you in the process of realizing your outreach strategy in terms of logistics and capacity.
Selection Criteria
Mercator-IPC Fellows will be selected by an international jury consisting of leading experts in the two thematic areas. In choosing applicants, the jury will place particular emphasis on the following criteria:
- Academic and professional merit based on the applicant’s publications and work experience;
- Academic and political relevance of the applicant’s project to one of the two thematic areas;
- General impact of the project on EU-Turkish and especially German-Turkish relations;
- Applicant’s connection to German society;
- Coherence and feasibility of the applicant’s project;
- Value of the project’s public outreach dimension;
- Applicant’s language skills.
Application
All applications must be submitted in the form of a single PDF document and must contain the following documents in English:
- A cover letter;
- A completed application form
- A CV including a list of all academic publications;
- Copies of relevant academic transcripts and/or diplomas (no translations needed);
- A written proposal of the applicant’s project. This proposal must include:
- Discussion of the research/project topic, relevant research questions/project objectives, and an explanation of the academic and political relevance of the project;
- An overview of the state of research or similar projects in the field;
- An overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches to be applied in the project (if relevant);
- Key resources or background information related to the topic.
- The proposal should not exceed five pages (2 cm margin, 1.5 spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font)
- A second written proposal for an outreach strategy focusing on how the project results will be presented and discussed with policy makers, stakeholders, media, and/or the general public. This proposal must include:
- An outline describing the outreach strategy’s format and time frame; • A description of the target group, political relevance, and predicted impact of the project;
- A budget plan and a list of possible partner institutions for outreach.
- The proposal should not exceed two pages (2 cm margin, 1.5 spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font). If the fellowship project described under section e is of a practical nature and already contains a public outreach strategy, it is not necessary to attach a second proposal.
- A timeline of the proposed project;
- Two letters of recommendation from professors or employers
Please send your completed applications by email to the Program Coordinator, Ms. Çiğdem Tongal – Mercator-IPC Fellowship Coordinator Email: [email protected] Tel: +90 (0) 212 292 49 39 ext. 1418
Download the application form.
For more information, visit Mercator-IPM Research Scholarship.
