A rare academic opportunity has just landed for scholars who live at the crossroads of history, science, and knowledge studies. The Gerda Henkel Fellowship for the History of Knowledge and the History of Science in Halle (Saale) is now open — and for researchers dreaming of funded time in Germany, this could be the career-defining break you’ve been waiting for.
Backed by the prestigious Gerda Henkel Foundation and hosted by the Interdisciplinary Centre for European Enlightenment Studies (IZEA) at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, this fellowship is not just financial support — it’s an invitation to work where the Enlightenment itself once shaped modern thought. With monthly stipends, private research offices, and access to some of Europe’s richest historical collections, the programme is designed to turn serious academic ambition into real scholarly impact.
And here’s the headline that matters most: you get paid to focus entirely on your research — no teaching load, no distractions, just three months of fully funded academic immersion in Germany.
What Winning the Gerda Henkel Fellowship Really Means for Your Career?
Securing the Gerda Henkel Fellowship places you inside one of Europe’s most intellectually vibrant research ecosystems. Hosted at IZEA in Halle, fellows work in a setting deeply connected to Enlightenment scholarship, surrounded by world-class archives, rare collections, and interdisciplinary thinkers shaping the future of historical research.
For 2025, the programme offers:
- 2 fellowships for postdoctoral researchers
- 1 fellowship for a doctoral student
Each award supports scholars exploring how knowledge was created, ordered, and shared — especially in the 18th century, a period that still defines today’s scientific and political debates. Beyond funding, fellows become part of IZEA’s active research life, delivering public lectures and publishing through international academic platforms like Café Lumières, run in collaboration with the Voltaire Foundation in Oxford.
In short, this fellowship doesn’t just support your research — it amplifies your academic voice on a global stage.
Benefits of the Gerda Henkel Fellowship
Winning this fellowship means stepping into a paid, fully supported research residency in one of Germany’s most historically rich academic cities.
Here’s what the fellowship offers successful applicants:
- Monthly stipend of €2,760 for postdoctoral researchers, for up to three months.
- Monthly stipend of €1,920 for doctoral students, for up to three months.
- Private office space at the Interdisciplinary Centre for European Enlightenment Studies (IZEA).
- Full access to elite research resources, including the University and State Library Saxony-Anhalt, the Francke Foundations Library, the Marienbibliothek, and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.
- Platform to present your work internationally, through public lectures and academic blogging collaborations with Oxford’s Voltaire Foundation.
- Total academic focus, with no teaching or administrative obligations during your fellowship period.
For scholars in the humanities, this is exactly what a dream fellowship looks like — time, funding, resources, and visibility.
Eligibility Requirements – Who Can Apply?
If your research passion lies in understanding how knowledge and science evolved, this fellowship could be your perfect academic fit.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following basic criteria:
- You must be either a doctoral researcher or a postdoctoral scholar.
- Your research must focus on the history of knowledge or the history of science, with strong relevance to the Enlightenment period.
- You should be able to undertake a research stay of up to three months in Halle (Saale), Germany.
- You must be prepared to actively participate in IZEA’s academic programme, including public presentations of your work.
Apply: https://www.izea.uni-halle.de/en/opportunities/gerda_henkel.html
The last date to apply for the Gerda Henkel Fellowship for the History of Knowledge and the History of Science is 15 January 2026.