EAJS Conference Grant Programme in European Jewish Studies

Call for Applications (2021-22)

Link to Online Application Form

The European Association for Jewish Studies (EAJS) invites applications to the EAJS Conference Grant Programme in European Jewish Studies for the academic year 2021/22, funded by the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe. The purpose of this programme is twofold: to foster cooperation among scholars involved in Jewish Studies across Europe, and to support early career researchers in this field to develop a professional network.

Grants will be offered for two types of academic events, EAJS Conferences and EAJS Summer/Winter Schools. Academic excellence and the impact on network building in Jewish Studies across Europe will be key criteria, and international cooperation in the development of proposals is strongly encouraged.

For the first time, grants will be available both for in-person events and for online events, due to the pandemic and travel restrictions. Proposals for hybrid events are also welcome.

EAJS Conferences and Summer/Winter Schools may be devoted to any topic of relevance in Jewish Studies, including but not limited to Jewish history, Jewish thought, Jewish languages and literatures, Jewish history of science and knowledge, Jewish material heritage, and Jewish topics in the social and political sciences.

The EAJS especially hopes to support online Summer/Winter Schools that create affordable opportunities for students from different European countries to meet virtually and to engage with an international team of teaching scholars.

For both EAJS Conferences and Summer/Winter Schools, a grant application must include a description of the core theme, topic or discourse to be examined, the rationale/justification for the event, the duration, the venue, and how the event will enhance international academic cooperation and networking.

The application must also outline the expected participants and explain how the proposed theme will be translated into the format of the event. For example, in the case of an EAJS Conference, this might be a discussion-focused one-day workshop or a wide-ranging synoptic conference. An application for a grant for an EAJS Conference should name scholars who have already committed to participate, although additional calls for papers and invitations to scholars in the field are possible. In the case of an EAJS Summer/Winter School, this outline should describe the faculty involved, the non-faculty participants (e.g., undergraduate/graduate students; postdocs/early-career scholars; general public), and how the theme will be translated into both lectures by faculty and active forms of involvement for the non-faculty participants (e.g., discussions, group work and presentations).

For both types of application, the applicant(s) are encouraged to invite participants from across Europe in order to allow for a broad representation of approaches and academic cultures. Cooperation between different institutions, preferably from different European countries, is encouraged. The EAJS welcomes applications that demonstrate a degree of public or Jewish communal impact.

Proposed budgets will be assessed against the academic excellence and relevance of the applications as well as its expected outcomes and outputs.

Applicants for in-person events may request between £1,600 and £8,000 for the travel, accommodation and basic maintenance expenses (i.e., lunch and coffees) of the active participants. Expenses for European keynote speakers may also be included. Applications that propose to assign a portion of these expenses to PhD students and early career researchers are encouraged.

Applicants for online events may request up to £1,500 for access to video conferencing systems, technical support, and organization.

Applicants for hybrid events may request up to £4,000 for the travel, accommodation and basic maintenance expenses (i.e., lunch and coffees) of the active in-person participants, in addition to access to video conferencing systems and technical support.

EAJS funds cannot be used to pay honoraria.

The exact amount awarded to the successful proposals will be decided by the EAJS’s award committee. In case of an event budget exceeding the award, the applicants must show evidence for the ability to provide for the remaining amount.

Applications are to be submitted by one or more scholars actively involved in Jewish Studies. The main applicant (who must be based at the host institution) must be a fully paid-up Full Member of the European Association for Jewish Studies. Co-applicants and the active participants are not required to be members of the EAJS, though the EAJS expects that the majority of the active participants will be involved in academic pursuits at European universities and academic institutions. The academic event must be hosted by a university or similar academic institution based in a European country and must be scheduled to occur between 1 September 2021 and 31 August 2022.

The successful applicants will be required to produce a short academic report of the major outcomes which will be posted on the EAJS website. English must be one of the conference/instruction languages, though it need not necessarily be the only language for the event. The academic report must be written in English.

Submission process: Applications for the Conference Grant Programme must be submitted through the Online Application Form (which must be completed in full).

The deadline for applications is 23 May 2021.

Enquiries about the programme should be sent to admin@eurojewishstudies.org

Please note that applicants should identify and contact the relevant cost centre at their home institution (Department, Faculty, University) in order to avoid complications in the transfer of funds in case of a successful application. Also, applicants must document sufficient institutional support for holding the event at the host institution, and for the adequate administration of the funds.