StudyDesk Scholarships
About the fellowship
The Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin (Wiko), modelled on Princeton’s Institute for Advanced Study, is one of Europe’s most prestigious residential research institutes. Each academic year it hosts a cohort of around forty Fellows from all over the world — in the sciences, humanities and social sciences, and the arts — in its villa campus in the Grunewald, Berlin. The deal is simple and unusually generous: ten months to focus entirely on your own research, with an office, an apartment, one shared meal a day and a weekly colloquium, and no teaching or administration.
The fellowship comes in several routes, and the route decides the deadline. The College for Life Sciences early-career call — for postdoctoral researchers, junior group leaders and assistant professors in biology, medicine and the natural sciences — closes on 1 November 2026 and is the call this article covers. The humanities and social sciences early-career call closed on 1 September 2026. The funding is also unusual: there is no single figure, because Wiko calculates it against your income situation — up to €5,100 a month for a fellow with no institutional income, or an €850 a month top-up where your salary continues.
Eligibility
- Be an early-career researcher in the life and natural sciences (this call): postdoctoral researchers, physicians, junior group leaders, instructors, assistant or associate professors, and early-career principal investigators.
- Hold a PhD, MD or similar doctorate by the time the fellowship begins.
- Have at least one peer-reviewed journal publication as main author.
- Be just starting out in your research career — typically at least two years of postdoctoral experience is expected of successful candidates, but that is a sign of competitiveness rather than a mandatory requirement.
- Work outside a Berlin-based organisation.
- Researchers who have been principal investigators for more than five years should apply for a standard Wissenschaftskolleg fellowship instead.
- There are no restrictions on age, nationality or specific subject within the life and natural sciences.
Benefits
- Ten months of protected research time in Berlin, in the 2027/28 academic year.
- Funding calculated against your income: up to €5,100 a month plus a social-security contribution for fellows without institutional income, or an additional €850 a month where your salary continues.
- Accommodation in Wissenschaftskolleg apartments (one room to five), plus an office.
- One shared meal a day and the weekly Tuesday colloquium with around forty Fellows from all disciplines.
- Help settling in to Berlin life for you and your family.
- No teaching, no administration and no required output.
Documents to prepare
- A project proposal (maximum 1,000 words).
- A letter of motivation (maximum 500 words).
- An updated CV.
- A list of up to five significant publications.
- Any additional supporting documents requested by the institute.
How to apply
- Confirm you belong to the life and natural sciences early-career call — the humanities and social sciences call closed on 1 September 2026.
- Prepare your 1,000-word project proposal and 500-word motivation letter, your CV and your list of up to five significant publications.
- Submit your application through the Wissenschaftskolleg’s official application platform.
- Submit by 1 November 2026, 23:59 CET.
- Selection interviews are scheduled for 18 and 19 February 2027.
FAQs
1 November 2026, 23:59 CET, for the College for Life Sciences (life and natural sciences) early-career call. The humanities and social sciences early-career call closed on 1 September 2026.
There is no single figure, because Wiko calculates funding against your income situation. A Fellow with no institutional affiliation or fixed income can receive up to €5,100 a month plus a contribution to social security; a Fellow whose full salary continues receives an additional €850 a month towards meals and local expenses.
Ten months, in the 2027/28 academic year. The exact start month differs between trackers (September 2027 vs October 2027), so this article does not state one.
Early-career researchers in the life and natural sciences — postdoctoral researchers, physicians, junior group leaders, instructors, assistant or associate professors, and early-career principal investigators — with a PhD or MD and at least one peer-reviewed publication as main author, working outside a Berlin-based organisation.
Yes. The Wissenschaftskolleg has apartments for its Fellows ranging from one room to five, along with offices. If your home institution continues to pay at least 20% of your salary, Wiko covers the net rent; otherwise you pay 10% of your stipend as net rent.
Three: live at the Wissenschaftskolleg for the ten months, come to one communal meal a day, and attend the Tuesday colloquium. There is no teaching, no administration and no required output.
Verified 26 Oct 2026: wiko-berlin.de (official application page) — next deadline 1 November 2026 (23:59 CET), project proposal max 1,000 words, motivation letter max 500 words, CV, selection interviews 18–19 February 2027; networks.h-net.org (H-Net) — humanities and social sciences early-career call closed 1 September 2026, doctorate no more than five years before the fellowship begins; europescholarships.com, scholarshipsads.com — funding up to €5,100 a month for fellows without institutional income, €850 a month top-up where salary continues, accommodation, 10 months, no teaching or administration. CORRECTION: Bright Scholarship’s 1 November 2026 deadline is the life and natural sciences (College for Life Sciences) call only — the humanities and social sciences early-career call closed 1 September 2026 and is not covered here. The exact fellowship start month differs between trackers (September 2027 vs October 2027); this article gives the 10-month duration in the 2027/28 academic year only.
