Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) Fellowships 2026/2027

Deadline: April 30, 2026

Applications are open for the Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) Fellowships 2026/2027. The Centre for Applied Turkey Studies (CATS) at Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), the Berlin-based German Institute for International and Security Affairs, is offering fellowships to post-doctoral researchers, think tank members, and practitioners working on Turkey-related issues.

For the funding period 2026–2027, CATS is offering fellowships on the following topics:

• Digitalisation and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Critical Raw Materials (CRMs)
• Energy Transition and Climate Change
• Turkish Foreign and Security Policy amid Geopolitical Turmoil

Benefits

• Fellows are expected to reside in Berlin for the duration of their fellowship (except during planned research trips) and will receive a monthly grant of €3,000 as well as a budget for research trips. Travel costs to and from Berlin at the beginning and end of the fellowship will be covered separately by CATS. If a Fellow is accompanied by children for the duration of the fellowship period, additional support will be available.

Eligibility

• Open to post-doctoral researchers, think tank members, and practitioners working on Turkey-related issues.
• Researchers who have not yet completed their PhD but have a solid track record in Turkey-related research may apply, too.

Evaluation Criteria

Applications will be evaluated by a committee consisting of CATS team members and selected experts from the SWP and the partner institutions of the CATS Network. The committee will place particular emphasis on the following criteria:

• Academic and professional merit based on the applicant’s publications and work experience;
• Academic and political relevance to the research fields identified above;
• Coherence and feasibility; and
• Value of the project’s public outreach dimension.

Application

Applications must be submitted in the form of a single PDF document containing the following (in the specified order) in English or German:

• A cover letter;
• A written proposal describing the applicant’s research topic (five pages maximum, 2 cm margin, 1.5 spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font). This proposal must include:
  • A discussion of the research/project topic, relevant research questions/project objectives, and an explanation of the academic and policy relevance of the project
    • An overview of the state of research in the field
    • An overview of the theoretical and methodological approaches
    • A bibliography
• A CV that includes a list of academic publications; and
• Copies of relevant academic transcripts and/or diplomas (no translations required).

The deadline for the CATS Fellowship 2026–2027 applications is 30 April 2026. Email your application as a single PDF document to [email protected] (CATS Fellowship applications only). Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For more information, visit CATS Fellowships.