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.

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.

https://www.einsteinforum.de/en/about/fellowship/