The European Institutes for Advanced Study (EURIAS) - Fellowships at the Paris IAS in 2025-2026

The 2025-2026 research residencies call at the Paris IAS offers exceptional researchers in the social sciences and humanities the opportunity to develop a research project in ideal conditions that include: a full academic year (10 months) of time for research away from teaching and administrative responsibilities, insertion in an international and interdisciplinary community of top-level researchers and the largest concentration of scientists in Europe, within an excellent work and living environment in the heart of Paris.

ELIGIBILITY

We award fellowships to outstanding researchers of all career levels, from early career researchers to senior scientists. The minimum requirement is a PhD + 2 years of research or professional experience at the time of the application. Exceptions can be made for scholars with a Master + 6 years of full-time research or professional experience after the degree (PhD training will not be considered in the calculation of experience).

We welcome applications from any discipline in the social sciences and humanities (and connected disciplines), on any topic, and on any geographical area. Researchers from all countries are eligible, but they must have spent no more than 12 months in France during the three years prior to the application deadline. 

Candidates are required to have a good level of English, as all the application materials and fellowship activities are in English (knowledge of French is useful but not required). 

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR – THE PROGRAMMES

We are looking for outstanding research projects in any topic and any discipline of the social sciences and humanities. Projects will be assessed and prioritised following four selection criteria:

1. Scientific excellence and innovation of the research project and the candidate.
2. Scientific ambition: capacity to offer insights into the functioning of human beings and societies beyond the researcher’s own discipline or field, and beond academia.
3. A strong interdisciplinary aspect.
4. Solid plans for collaboration with local scientific institutions, other fellows, and the Greater Paris research community. 

The selection process is highly competitive. Projects that do not respond explicitly to all four criteria need not apply. 

THE PARIS IAS – WHAT WE OFFER

The Paris IAS is an independent research entity that regroups 13 major universities and research institutions in the Ile-de-France Region (CNRS, École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, École normale supérieure (Paris), École pratique des hautes études (Paris), Fondation Maison des sciences de l'homme, National Institute of Oriental Languages and Cultures, Sorbonne University, Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne University, Paris Cité University, Gustave Eiffel University, Paris Nanterre University, Paris-Saclay University, Sorbonne Nouvelle University). 

It benefits from the strong support of two founding members, the City of Paris and the Ile-de- France Region, which have provided the IAS with first-class facilities for work in the heart of Paris and for residents’ accommodation, as well as of the French Ministry for Education, Research and Innovation through the Labex RFIEA+.

As a place of work, meeting place and interface between the local research community and international science, the Institute stimulates high-level research whose innovative character contributes to the understanding of the social world and its transformations. As a tool of collective intelligence, it encourages interdisciplinary dialogue and the development of new research methods and perspectives within the Institute and beyond. To meet the challenges of our time and those to come, it encourages collaboration between research, administration, the economic world, and citizens. The Paris IAS is a place where openness to collaboration and appetite to walk out of one’s comfort zone is expected.

The fellowship aims to provide researchers with uninterrupted time to develop their research agenda, in ideal conditions, away from teaching and administrative responsibilities, and in a welcoming and stimulating environment. It is also the ideal place to create strong links with the exceptionally rich research ecosystem of Paris and its area: over 100,000 scientists are located within a range of  one hour or less of travel,Many major institutions are within walking distance from the Institute in the heart of Paris.  With its strong international and interdisciplinary environment, the Institute is an ideal place to take the fellow’s research to the “next level” in terms of quality, reach beyond their own discipline, and potential impact. Support includes:

• Insertion in an interdisciplinary and international community of top-level researchers
• An office, meeting and event spaces in the prestigious Hôtel de Lauzun, a 17th century mansion in the very heart of Paris, on the Île Saint-Louis.
• Daily access to the excellent restaurant of the Institute, on the ground floor of their office, with the possibility of inviting academic guests for lunch.
• A fully furnished apartment for the fellow and their family, in a comfortable building on in the midst of the campus of the Cité Internationale with its great park and services, including a station with four metro lines to all key locations in Paris’s centre and the wider region direct by metro and RER (four stations).
• Travel expenses for the fellow from their country of origin.
• Depending on individual circumstances, a living allowance for expenses in Paris and health coverage might be provided. Once fellows are admitted, a separate application will be required for this to avoid duplications in individual funding.
• Access to a large network of university libraries in Paris and contacts with local scientific partners.
• Logistical and financial support for events or for other initiatives related to their work (intersectoral collaborations, doctoral training, publications) in collaboration with local universities.
• Communication support including a scientific publication outlet (the Proceedings of the Paris Institute for Advanced Study)