RUB Research School

4-month Postdoc Fellowships

For Postdoctoral Researchers Affected by the War in Ukraine and Beyond

The Zimin Foundation in partnership with the Boris Nemtsov Foundation for Freedom provide financial resources to fund the “Fedor Stepun Fellowship Program”. With this, we can support postdoctoral researchers affected by the war in Ukraine and beyond.

In a Nutshell

The program provides eight (8) postdoctoral fellowships for researchers from all scientific fields who were forced to leave their countries due to political persecution in regard to the ongoing war in Ukraine. The duration of each fellowship is 4 months. Each of the eight fellowships is endowed with 2,000 € per month, i.e., a total of 8,000 €.

Your Time to Write Research Proposal

During this period, fellows are required to develop ideas and prepare grant proposals for research projects to be submitted to leading scientific institutions in Germany or/and other European countries. This will enable them to integrate into the European academic environment and work on longer-term projects. RUB Research School and the university's Research Support Office will be at your service should you seek for assistance.

Identify a Potential Host

You may hand in applications for all professors/PIs of the three universities of the University Alliance Ruhr, i.e., Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, and the University of Duisburg-Essen.

Please refrain from contacting potential hosts directly but mention your selection in the application form. The administration will reach out to the respective professors and ask for hosting you.

Funding

The duration of each fellowship is 4 months. Each of the eight fellowships is endowed with 2,000 € per month, i.e., a total of 8,000 €.


Eligibilty

The program will provide eight (8) postdoctoral fellowships for researchers from all scientific fields who were forced to leave their countries due to political persecution in regard to the ongoing war in Ukraine.


Review Criteria

Evaluation criteria include

  • Personal situation
  • Academic quality
  • Idea and feasibility of postdoc project (see below)

The joint work on a research proposal and the eventual application to a postdoc funding (DAAD, Humboldt Foundation, Foundations) is expected. We recognize that applicants may not have a fully developed research proposal at the time of application. Nevertheless, a basic idea should be available that can be translated into a research proposal during the four months on site. The description of this research idea should be written in a generally understandable way, as the decision-making Executive Board consists of researchers from all disciplines.

 


Review Process

Research School's Executive Board decides on all applications. For the decision on the Stepun Fellowships, it will be complemented by a representative of the Institute for Slavic Studies of Ruhr University/Osteuropa-Kolleg NRW, a representative of the Funding Institution, and a representative of the Liaison Office Eastern Europe/Central Asia of the University Alliance Ruhr.


Deadlines

Call opens on May 15, 2023

Application Deadline is June 30, 2023.


Application

Please download the application form here.


Testimonials from Former Fellows

Ivan Fomin

After my hasty departure from Russia, I was not at all sure that I would be able to continue my research work. In this situation, the Fyodor Stepun Program was a real salvation for me. It was thanks to it that I was able to regain some ground under my feet, catch my breath, and return to academia

Valeriy Zolotukhin

In the difficult situation caused by the outbreak of the war, the Fyodor Stepun Fellowship gave me the opportunity to return to sharply interrupted work. It helped me, above all, that when I came to Ruhr, I found myself within the wonderful community that had developed at the University of Bochum - attentive, interested, and united beyond professional interests by shared values, views, and a search for answers to the challenges that the war in Ukraine had brought

Anna Gerasimova

The fellowship allowed me, first, to develop my own project on the study of reading practices, which existed only in draft form. Second, I got to know the German academic system and the system for funding science. And thirdly, the fellowship helped me to make many new connections with my colleagues and expanded my opportunities for collaboration, both in academia and as a volunteer.”

Anonymous

The Stepun fellowship allowed me to finalise my research proposal, handle different academic systems and communicate with people interested in my topic. As a result, I got a half-year fellowship at the Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO) in Leipzig and was made a fully-funded PhD offer in Slavonic Studies at Cambridge University.

Anonymous

The Fyodor Stepun Fellowship Program allowed me to acclimatize initially to the space of European academia and to map out my future academic trajectory. The Stepun Program proved to be an important element linking my previous experience of academic work in Russia with my upcoming projects