The fellowship aims to bring eminent scholars from a wide range of academic fields to the Institute and allow them to pursue cutting-edge research on all aspects of the digital society. Every semester, a new Senior Visiting Fellow arrives to spend a one-month fellowship at the IWM. Additionally, two Junior Visiting Fellows come to the Institute each semester; they carry out their own research projects, and enjoy possible collaboration and discussion with the Senior Visiting Fellow. 

Candidates for Junior Visiting Fellowships are expected to pursue research on digitalization’s intersection with societal, economic, and geopolitical dimensions, as well as other relevant research foci from the humanities and social sciences.

Junior Visiting Fellows will be invited to spend a period of three consecutive months at the Institute in Spring 2026. Generally, fellowships start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.

The visiting fellows will join the scholarly community and participate in the activities of the Institute.

Conditions 

Postdoctoral candidates––i.e., those who have defended their PhD by the date of the fellowship application deadline––will receive a stipend of EUR 3,300 per month; candidates currently pursuing their doctoral degree will receive a stipend of EUR 2,750 per month to cover accommodation, living expenses, travel, health insurance and any incidental costs related to their stay in Vienna. In addition, the IWM provides the fellows with an office space including internet access, in-house research and administrative facilities, as well as an in-house lunch and other services free of charge.

Eligibility 

Senior Visiting Fellowships are awarded by invitation only. 

Applicants to the Junior Visiting Fellowship must be currently pursuing their doctoral degree or have obtained a PhD no longer than four years before at the time of application. 

Application

Applications must be submitted through the IWM’s online application form; we will be unable to consider applications sent via email.

Application materials consist of the following:

• A brief letter of motivation that addresses how the candidate would benefit from their time at the IWM, their connection to the IWM’s mission and research, and concrete research/writing goals during the fellowship
• A project description summary (max. 550 characters)
• A project proposal (max. 7,500 characters incl. spaces) containing a) a description of the project’s objectives, b) a discussion of the current state of the art, c) methods, and d) a project schedule
• A curriculum vitae including a list of publications
• Two letters of recommendation from scholars familiar with the applicant’s academic work (Please note that the letters of recommendation need to be submitted directly by your referees within the application period. Your referees will receive an automatic email with a link to a webform after you have submitted your application.)