Einstein Fellowship

Awarded by the Einstein Forum and the Wittenstein Foundation
The Einstein Forum and the Wittenstein Foundation offer a fellowship for outstanding young thinkers who wish to pursue a project in a different field from that of their previous research. The purpose of the fellowship is to support those who, in addition to producing superb work in their area of specialization, are also open to other, interdisciplinary approaches – following the example set by Albert Einstein.

The fellowship includes living accommodations for five to six months in the garden cottage of Einstein`s own summerhouse in Caputh, Brandenburg, only a short distance away from the universities and academic institutions of Potsdam and Berlin. The fellow will receive a stipend of EUR 10,000 and reimbursement of travel expenses.

Call for Applications

Candidates must be under 35 and hold a university degree in the humanities, in the social sciences, or in the natural sciences. Applications for 2026 should include a CV, a two-page project proposal, and two letters of recommendation. All documents must be received by May 15, 2025.

At the end of the fellowship period, the fellow will be expected to present his or her project in a public lecture at the Einstein Forum and at the Wittenstein Foundation. The Einstein Fellowship is not intended for applicants who wish to complete an academic study they have already begun.
A successful application must demonstrate the quality, originality, and feasibility of the proposed project, as well as the superior intellectual development of the applicant. It is not relevant whether the applicant has begun working toward, or currently holds, a PhD. The proposed project need not be entirely completed during the time of the fellowship, but can be the beginning of a longer project.

PLEASE NOTE THAT NO FELLOWSHIPS WILL BE GIVEN FOR DISSERTATION RESEARCH. THE PROPOSED PROJECT MUST BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT IN CONTENT, AND PREFERABLY FIELD AND FORM, FROM THE APPLICANT’S PREVIOUS WORK.

For the online application form, visit: /
Für die Bewerbungen nutzen Sie bitte folgendes Formular: application form

For more information, call the Einstein Forum at:
phone: +49-331-271780

FAQ

1. What kind of projects can I propose?

    Your proposed project must not be part of your dissertation or thesis, and the application documents must be in English. Otherwise, there are no limitations on the project you may propose as long as you can defend your idea as interesting, original, and feasible during the fellowship period. Please also consider whether the facilities available to you here would suitably allow you to pursue your project.

2. How different should my proposed project be from my previous work?

    There is no hard and fast rule, nor is there a formula for how the proposal should look. All you need to demonstrate is that you have not already done work– e.g. master’s theses, published essays, books, etc.– directly related to your proposed project. You should have already given significant thought to your project idea.

3. Can I propose two projects?

    The fellowship is awarded for just one project. As such, we recommend focusing on strengthening just one proposal.

4. Should I attach the letters of reference in my application, or should my recommenders send them separately?

    We will accept both, but we recommend that your reference letters be emailed to us directly by their respective authors.

5. Is TOEFL/IELTS required?

    We require only the documents listed. We do not require TOEFL/IELTS results in your application, as your application should already reflect mastery of English.

6. When will I hear back about my application?

    We will acknowledge receipt of your submission as soon as possible. The application review and interview processes begin in June, with final decisions released by the end of July.

7. When does the fellowship take place?

    Although the exact dates are flexible, the 5-6 month period of the fellowship should preferably take place during the summer months and end within the calendar year.

8. Is it mandatory to stay in Einstein’s summer house?

    Yes. As part of the Einstein Fellowship, we expect the fellow to reside in Caputh.

9. What may the stipend be used for?

    The stipend is intended to cover living expenses and project expenses incurred during your fellowship period.

10. Can my family come? Does the fellowship cover travel expenses of family members?

    Your family may accompany you during the fellowship period. The fellowship will not cover their travel expenses.

11. My application was rejected. Can I reapply next year?

    As long as you still fit the other eligibility criteria, you may reapply for the fellowship next year with a new proposal.

Einstein Fellows

The Albert Einstein Fellowship supports creative, interdisciplinary thought by giving young scholars the chance to pursue research outside their previous area of work. The fellowship, previously awarded by the Einstein Forum and the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius (2007 – 2009), from 2010 until 2022 together with the Daimler and Benz Foundation and now together with the Wittenstein Foundation:

Mischa Gabowitsch (D/RUS), 2007

Exportschlager Vergangenheitsbewältigung. Russland und der deutsche Umgang mit der NS-Vergangenheit

Amber Carpenter (SA/UK), 2008

Metaphysics as Ethics in the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Tradition

Péter Zilahy (Hungary), 2009

Architectural Essays on Berlin

Amr Bargisi (Egypt), 2011

Is an Islamic Haskalah Possible? Natural Right in Communities Dominated by Religion

Tyrell Caroline Haberkorn (Australia), 2012

Sisters in Sedition

Polina Aronson (D/RUS), 2013

Yearning for Germany. A collection of short stories on migration from the former USSR to Germany

Jingyang Yu (China), 2014

Exclusions in insurance contracts: an implicit religion?

Tanya Zaharchenko (Ukraine), 2015

Memory in Flux. Murder and Legend in Post-War Kharkiv

Nimrod Reitman (Israel/USA), 2016

From Monteverdi to Mahler: Undoing Lamentation

Thomas Meaney (USA), 2017

Expectations of Modernity Revisited: Toward a History of the 1990s

Nari Shelekpayev (Kazakhstan), 2018

Making Opera in the Steppe: A Political History of Musical Theatre in Kazakhstan, 1930-2015

Ryan Ruby (USA), 2019

Into the Middle of Things: A Collection of Linked Historical Fictions on Politics and Media Technology from the Oral Epic to the Digital Present

Shyam Wuppuluri (India), 2021

From Electrons to Elephants and Elections: A Grand Unified Narrative on the content and context

Lamin Manneh (Gambia), 2022

The Jammeh Regime: Visualizing 23 Years of Dictatorship

Qiu Lin (China/USA), 2023

How She Disappeared and What We Ought to do: on Behalf of the Chained Woman

Debojit Kumar Thakur (India), 2024

The Production, Propagation, and Consumption of Historical Disinformation. The Case of Contemporary India

Eli Zuzovsky (Israel/GB), 2025

Menschen: Antisemites in Their Own Words