Fellowship•Hungary · Budapest

Budapest Open Society Fellowship

Funding

Partial / Stipend

Program dates

TBA

The Budapest Open Society Fellowship is a residential fellowship run jointly by three units of Central European University (CEU) at its Budapest campus — the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS CEU), the Democracy Institute (DI) and the Blinken OSA Archivum (OSA). For 2026/27 it was the fourth joint call, organised around the theme “Modalities of Resilience and Resistance: Academia and Society in Illiberal Times,” which studies autocratic governance, its ideological dimensions and the strategies societies use to resist it. Fellows spend a defined residency in Budapest pursuing their own research or artistic project while joining the intellectual life of the three host institutions.

Benefits & funding

  • Net monthly stipend: €2,600 for Senior Fellows, €1,500 for Junior Fellows, and €2,000 for Artists in Residence.
  • Accommodation for fellows (and their families) at CEU’s Raoul Wallenberg Guesthouse.
  • Office space at the Institute for the residency; fellows pay Guesthouse utilities and are responsible for their own travel and health care.
  • Access to CEU Library Services and the Blinken OSA Archivum collections.
  • Membership of the IAS CEU fellow community and the wider CEU research environment.

Eligibility

  • Scholars must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent in the social sciences or humanities at the time of application.
  • Junior Fellows must hold a Ph.D. issued in 2018 or later.
  • Artists in Residence should hold a relevant university degree.
  • A record of publications in internationally recognised scholarly outlets is expected (for scholars).
  • Fluent English — the working language of the Institute and CEU.
  • All nationalities are encouraged to apply; applicants who need a Hungarian visa may be assessed on an individual basis.
  • Former full-time CEU staff and students are ineligible for 5 years after their contract/studies end; former IAS CEU fellows are ineligible for 7 years.

Application process

  1. 1
    Choose the fellowship category (Senior Fellow, Junior Fellow, or Artist in Residence) and prepare a research or artistic proposal addressing the call’s theme, together with a CV and supporting documents.
  2. 2
    Submit the application through the IAS CEU online application portal before the deadline.
  3. 3
    Applications are assessed by the selection committee; shortlisted candidates are notified of the outcome.

Program timeline

  1. Application deadline (academic year 2026/27 cycle)

    Sep 20, 2025

  2. Residency period for the awarded academic year (shorter 3-month, 5-month and 6-month semester options also offered)

    October–June