FAQ (Fellowships)
Frequently Asked Questions
(Concerning Fellowship Applications)
Eligibility
I don't yet fulfill the eligibility requirements, but soon will - Can I still apply?
The eligibility requirements must be fulfilled by the date of appointment. For the 2012/13 announcement this means that applicants who have not yet fulfilled all requirements for receiving a PhD (e.g. have not yet passed the dissertation defense with at most minor revisions) should be certain they can do so by 15 September 2012. Such applicants should make sure that their application includes a statement from their supervisor, department or university confirming their expectation that they will have fulfilled all requirements in time.
My last degree was more than ten years ago - Can I still apply?
The fellowships announced are meant for individuals early in their career. While there is no age limit, applicants must not have received their (last) PhD more than ten years before the date of appointment (i.e. not before 15 September 2002 for the 2012/13 fellowships).
Unfortunately, we cannot make exceptions, as it would not be fair towards those who are held off from applying due to this rule.
Is it possible to apply for shorter fellowships?
While the regular fellowships are for 10 months (three terms), shorter fellowships for one or two of our terms may also be requested (see the calendar for the specific dates). The application procedure is the same, just indicate on the information sheet for which term(s) you would like to apply.
Please note, however, that as an ongoing common discussion is an important element of the fellowship programme, fellowships cannot be spread over non-contiguous terms.
We are a team - can we apply together?
The ICI Berlin welcomes collaborative work and does not exclude people applying together. However, given the limited number of fellowships offered on a competitive basis, a team with one collaborative project would have to share their stipend and the office space may have to be shared as well. Furthermore, members of the team would have to be individually eligible for a fellowship. Each should send a complete application and state clearly on the information sheet with whom they are applying.
Several stipends can only be given if the individuals in the team also have individual projects. In this case, both the individual and joint projects will be factored in when evaluating the applications. If you have a joint and individual project, please indicate on the information sheet whether you are interested in the fellowship also if your partner(s) were not selected and/or you had to share the stipend.
The requirements in the announcement and guidelines differ - how come?
The ICI Fellowship Guidelines fix the general parameters of the ICI fellowship programme and are intended to remain quite constant and to be adapted only gradually over the years.
The Announcements, by contrast, are formulated every year to reflect the emphasis that the Selection Committee seeks to set for the upcoming selection process. In addition to specifying the research focus, they may also indicate further selection criteria.
Technicalities
What is included in the character count (abstract, proposal, samples)?
The character count includes spaces and footnotes.
Additional information such as a bibliography may be added separately, if you don't consider it to be essential for the application. That is: only what is within the indicated character limit is certain to be read and considered for the evaluation.
In what language(s) may I apply?
The abstract and proposal of your application must be in English or German.
For the reference letters and work samples, French, Italian, and Spanish are also acceptable due to the current composition of the selection board. A short abstract or summary in English or German would however be appreciated for the work samples.
Can I send documents by regular mail?
As the selection comittee is distributed over several countries and we do not have the resources to duplicate and forward non-electronic documents, there is no point in sending us documents by regular mail.
If you cannot send your documents in an e-mail message of less than 4 MB, please make them available on a website.
In any case, please note that we cannot return any material that you mail to us.
Do you need official copies of transcripts, certificates etc.?
Transcripts and Certificates are no longer needed at the time of application, but please note that if you are selected and accept the fellowship, you will be asked to provide evidence of your degree as well as to sign your application and certify its correctness before beginning the fellowship at the ICI Berlin.
What is the deadline for the letters of recommendation?
The deadline for the letters of recommendation is the same as for the application itself. However, as we understand that the timely submission of the letters is not entirely in the applicant's control, we will not disqualify applications with late letters. Please make sure that the letters arrive within a week of the deadline as the selection process will have started by then and missing letters of recommendation may have an unfavourable impact on your application.
Further Questions
How precisely is the stipend level determined?
The range indicated in the fellowship announcement translates into two stipend levels, depending on whether a PhD is held for less than six years or more. When a fellow's status changes the stipend level is adapted in the subsequent month.
Can I come by the ICI Berlin to discuss some details of the application?
We hope for your understanding that for reasons of both fairness and limited resources the ICI staff cannot meet prospective fellows to discuss their applications.
You should find most questions addressed in these (continuously updated) FAQs or the application instructions and the documents indicated there.
In cases in which these documents do not specify an exact requirement for the application material, please use your own judgment to determine what material would be most helpful for the selection committee to evaluate your application.
If, after carefully reading these materials, you still have a question regarding your application, please contact us at info(at)ici-berlin.org.
