Finanțare & Premii

The call for applications is open to all academic disciplines. Digital Humanism is defined as an approach that describes, analyzes, and, most importantly, influences the complex interplay between technology and humankind—striving for a better society while maintaining full respect for universal human rights. Addressing the challenges of the digital age requires collaboration across disciplines, from computer science to the humanities, to ensure that technological advancements align with human values and social well-being. 

The program’s research area is clearly distinguished from the Digital Humanities. Please note that we will not consider applications that merely apply digital means and new technologies to research in the humanities. Candidates for Digital Humanism 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.

Conditions 

The selected candidates will be invited to spend a term of three consecutive months at the IWM in Vienna between February and June 2027 in order to pursue their research projects as Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellows. The fellowship period will be synchronized to overlap with the presence of the Senior Digital Humanism Visiting Fellow.

Postdoctoral candidates 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. From the stipend, visiting fellows are responsible for covering all living expenses during their research term, including travel to and from Vienna, accommodation costs, health insurance, utilities, local transport, telecommunications, etc., as well as research costs (i.e. for literature, conference fees). 

Fellowships start on the first day of the first month and end on the last day of the last month of the fellowship period.

The IWM provides visiting fellows with office space, internet access, in-house research facilities, and administrative services, all free of charge. The visiting fellows will join the IWM community of scholars and are invited to participate in the activities of the Institute.

Eligibility 

Candidates for the Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellowship must be enrolled in a doctoral program, or have obtained a PhD not longer than four years previously at the time of the application deadline (not before 21 September 2022).

We do not accept multiple fellowship applications from the same candidate within the same academic year. Candidates who have previously received a resident IWM fellowship must wait two academic years before applying for another fellowship.

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted through the online application form, which is accessible by clicking on the “Apply” button below. We will not consider applications sent via email.

Required materials:

• A brief letter of motivation that addresses how the project would benefit from time at the IWM, its connection to the IWM’s mission and research, and concrete research/writing goals during the fellowship.

• A project description of max. 550 characters incl. spaces

• A project proposal of max. 7,500 characters incl. spaces, containing:

  • a) a description of the project’s objectives

  • b) a discussion of the current state of research

  • c) methods

  • d) a work plan

• 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 recommenders before the application deadline. Your recommenders will receive an automatic email with a link to a webform after you have submitted your application.

All application materials must be in English.

Important! Attached documents must be combined into a single PDF, as the online submission form only allows for one attachment. File names of attachments must use Latin characters only. 

Application Deadline: 21 September 2026, 23:59 CEST

Funded by the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure of the Republic of Austria.

Crafts represent a beautiful combination of cultural heritage, technical knowledge, creativity, and local identity. Across Europe, however, many traditional skills are facing serious challenges due to an ageing workforce, shifting markets, and a lack of educational pathways.

Building directly on our ongoing mission to overcome critical data gaps, this new research will join our existing library of seven milestone sectorial studies. Together, this growing body of data helps us deeply understand the sector’s vulnerabilities, build collective resilience, and strengthen our advocacy for European crafts. We are looking for an expert consultant or research entity to undertake a comprehensive European study on rare and endangered crafts.

Key Project Details

Deliverables: A comprehensive final report, a short policy brief, and a public webinar presentation of the findings.

Budget: A maximum allocation of 16,347.00€ inclusive of all costs.

Timeline: The research will be conducted between October 2026 and April 2027.

The proposed timeline is as follows:

1July 2026 Opencall Published

15 September 2026 Deadline for Submissions

7 October 2026 Selection & Contracting of Research Partner

14 October 2026 #1Inception Meeting (online)

21 October 2026 Delivery of detailed Research Plan

28 October 2026 Workplan Plan Validation

13 January 2027 #2 Progress Meeting with Interim Results (online)

Submission Requirements

Proposals must be a maximum of 15 pages and clearly address the following points:

• Contact Details: details ofthe company, organisation or research lead.

• Proposed Methodology and Work Plan: a detailed outline ofthe research approach including the sampling plan forthe required survey.

• Relevant Experience: examples of previous relevant work or publications.

• Team Profile: profiles of the researcher(s) demonstrating relevant experience.

• Indicative Budget: a breakdown of the proposed budget in EURO within the maximum budget of €16,347.00.

The 2027 ARCHIVO Research LAB Fellowship invites proposals from researchers, scholars, visual artists developing projects at the intersection of photography, archives, visual culture, and political change. Proposals may address specific political events or geographical contexts, but comparative and transnational perspectives are equally encouraged. Projects do not need to address democracy exclusively through formal political institutions. We particularly welcome proposals that critically examine how democratic values, political participation, citizenship, belonging, dissent, representation, and collective memory are negotiated through images and archival practices.

The Research LAB supports theory and practice-based projects from their development to their dissemination through the annual initiatives of ARCHIVO. With a focus on articulating artistic practice and academic research, the fellowship creates a shared space in which both scholars and artists contribute to contemporary debates surrounding images, archives, and visual culture. This Fellowship will select a maximum of ten participants: five researchers, and five artists.

This fellowship is intended to support research in development. Applicants should propose a clearly articulated project, research question, or body of material that they wish to investigate and advance during the fellowship period. The programme provides a collaborative research environment in which Fellows develop their projects through mentoring, critical discussion, reading and writing activities, and exchange with an international cohort. Projects may result in academic, artistic, curatorial, editorial, or hybrid forms of research.

The programme particularly values proposals that demonstrate conceptual ambition, methodological awareness, and a critical relationship between research questions and archival materials. Applicants are not expected to have resolved the questions posed by their projects; rather, the Fellowship is conceived as a space in which those questions can be challenged and developed.

Format

The ARCHIVO Research LAB is delivered entirely online through Zoom and runs annually from September to July. The programme combines mentoring, webinars, reading groups, writing sessions, and collective discussions.

Sessions are held every two weeks. As the Fellowship is built around dialogue, peer exchange, and collaborative learning, participants are expected to attend at least 80% of the scheduled sessions.

Schedule

Applicants should ensure they are able to attend the online sessions, which take place between 9:00 am - 12:00 pm,  and 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm (UK time), depending on the scheduled activity.

MODULE 01: 21 SEPT - 08 OCT 2026

MODULE 02: 22 OCT - 17 DEC 2026

MODULE 03: 14 JAN - 25 FEB 2027

MODULE 04: 25 FEB - 06 MAY 2027

MODULE 05: 20 MAY - 29 JUL 2027

Submission of applications

Applications should be submitted as a single PDF file named [Surname_LAB27], to lab@archivoplatform.com, containing the following materials:

1.          Application form

2.          Motivation Letter (maximum 500 words)

3.          Project abstract (maximum 500 words)

4.          Indicative bibliography (optional)

5.          Biographical note (maximum 150 words)

6.          Short CV highlighting relevant experience from the last five years (maximum two pages)

The Fellowship is designed to bring out emerging voices working on socio-political implications of emerging AI technology. It will be run remotely for approx. 8-10 weeks starting in mid/late September 2026. We anticipate it will require four hours of time commitment per week: one hour on a weekly call and three hours of individual work. The concrete dates and programme details will be shared with shortlisted candidates.

The programme is targeting recent graduates in social sciences and humanities, as well as early career researchers. However, we encourage diversity of both thought and representation, and would be happy to receive applications from other backgrounds (STEM, arts, etc.). Whilst previous experience on the subject of AI is welcome, it is not required.

Selected candidates will be part of the exciting mission to build a community of individuals that are not indifferent to the challenges posed by rapid technological advancement, receive mentorship from one of the fellows at the AI Societal Impact Lab, work on a group project, create their own analytical piece to be published on the the AI Societal Impact Lab website, and take part in dedicated workshops and seminars. 

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the program is filled or 4 September 2026, whichever comes first. Spaces are strictly limited, so early applications are encouraged.

As part of “Liepaja – European Capital of Culture 2027”, an open call has been announced for public artworks and artistic interventions that through public engagement and listening, would respond to and reflect on wind, climate and environmental fluctuations. The project “Atmospheric Waves” is looking for original concepts and ideas for sound artworks that would respond to wind and climate conditions in Liepaja, on the West Coast of Latvia. The competition is open for applications until September 4, 2026.

The project “Atmospheric Waves” is dedicated to exploring the diverse aspects of wind, using sound art in its most diverse manifestations, public engagement and listening culture. Liepaja with its distinct seaside climate will be an ideal place for a dialogue between art, science and society. The “Atmospheric Waves” festival will take place from May 12–16, 2027 and the program of the festival includes the opening of an international exhibition and presentations of artworks, workshops, sound walks, as well as an international symposium on wind, waves and the Anthropocene, organized by CENSE (Central European Sound Ecology Network).

Through the international open call for the “Atmospheric Waves” festival five artists will be selected, whose creative practice involves sound art, natural data representation, and environmental object creation, and who are ready to participate in the international symposium, exhibition, and residency – in Liepaja and Laidi – in April and May 2027.

The festival “Atmospheric Waves” is organized by the association “ASTE. Art, Science, Technology, Education” in collaboration with artist and curator Džonas Grziničs . It has been developed in partnership with “MoKS” and with the financial support of the “Nobidinājums Liepaja 2027” foundation. The project is implemented within the framework of the “Liepaja 2027” program, using the funding allocated by the Ministry of Culture, Liepaja City, Dienvidkurzeme and Kuldīga regions, and the State Cultural Capital Fund. The “Liepaja 2027” program is supported by the main partner in the field of environmental education and sustainability AS “CleanR Grupa”, the main partner in the field of mobility and international communication AS “airBaltic Corporation”, the partner in legal matters SIA “Sorainen ZAB”, the land mobility partner SIA “Lux Express Latvia”. Informative – VSIA “Latvijas Sabiedriskais medijs”, AS “KURZEMES RADIO”.