Deadline: April 30, 2026
Applications are open for the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) Fellowships 2026/2027. The Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, is offering fellowships to post-doctoral researchers, think tank members, and practitioners working on Turkey-related issues.
For the funding period 2026–2027, CATS is offering fellowships on the following topics:
- Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
- Critical Raw Materials (CRMs)
- Energy Transition and Climate Change
- Turkish Foreign and Security Policy amid Geopolitical Turmoil
Benefits
- Fellows are expected to reside in Berlin for the duration of their fellowship (except during planned research trips) and will receive a monthly grant of €3,000 as well as a budget for research trips. Travel costs to and from Berlin at the beginning and end of the fellowship will be covered separately by CATS. If a Fellow is accompanied by children for the duration of the fellowship period, additional support will be available.
Eligibility
- Open to post-doctoral researchers, think tank members, and practitioners working on Turkey-related issues.
- Researchers who have not yet completed their PhD but have a solid track record in Turkey-related research may apply, too.
Evaluation Criteria
Applications will be evaluated by a committee consisting of CATS team members and selected experts from the SWP and the partner institutions of the CATS Network. The committee 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 to the research fields identified above;
- Coherence and feasibility; and
- Value of the project’s public outreach dimension.
Application
Applications must be submitted in the form of a single PDF document containing the following (in the specified order) in English or German:
- A cover letter;
- A written proposal describing the applicant’s research topic (five pages maximum, 2 cm margin, 1.5 spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font). This proposal must include:
- A discussion of the research/project topic, relevant research questions/project objectives, and an explanation of the academic and policy relevance of the project
- An overview of the state of research in the field
- An overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches
- A bibliography
- A discussion of the research/project topic, relevant research questions/project objectives, and an explanation of the academic and policy relevance of the project
- A CV that includes a list of academic publications; and
- Copies of relevant academic transcripts and/or diplomas (no translations required).
The deadline for the CATS Fellowship 2026–2027 applications is 30 April 2026. Email your application as a single PDF document to [email protected] (CATS Fellowship applications only). Incomplete applications will not be considered.
For more information, visit CATS Fellowships.
