EISA Dissertation Fieldwork Support Grant

Application is open

Rationale

Many PhD candidates writing their dissertations in International Studies use fieldwork data. However, due to various reasons (scholarship type, institutional budgetary cuts), they lack the finances for fieldwork travel. EISA Dissertation Fieldwork Support Grant aims to support this crucial part of PhD research through the provision of a one-time payment aimed at covering travel and accommodation expenses.

25% of EISA members and PEC/EWIS attendees are PhD candidates. Apart from the Mobility Fund and Early Career Workshops at PEC, the EISA has also supported their academic work after the PhD through the Postdoctoral Bridge Grants in the last year. This new grant scheme supporting dissertation fieldwork will add to our existing funding schemes to support early career researchers, especially those who face different forms of precarity and structural inequality and discrimination.

 

Scope and goals

The EISA DIssertation Fieldwork Support Grant will contribute up to 3,500 Euros for each of the 5 selected candidates. Applicants are required to prepare a preliminary budget with cost break-downs. The requested amount must be realistic and justified by the applicant in line with the specifics of the fieldwork (duration, travel from place of residence to place of fieldwork, living costs in the place of fieldwork, etc.). The EISA has the discretion to approve/disapprove a lower/higher amount than requested.

Grants are nonrenewable and dependent upon the number of applications, available funds and the existence of other sources of funding from the applicant. The amount given to each grantee will be a case-by-case analysis of living and travel costs, taking into account the time spent on fieldwork, the place of residence and the fieldwork destination. Each application must be accompanied by a declaration stating which - if any - types of alternative funding will be used to support the fieldwork and why the requested amount from EISA is needed.

The goal of this funding scheme is to support fieldwork-based research in International Studies or related subfields, as long as the main contribution of the thesis is situated within the former’s concepts, theories and/or debates.

 

Target group

The award is designed to support EISA members enrolled in any PhD program in International Studies or related fields whose thesis research aims to contribute to advance knowledge in the broader field of IR.

 

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are EISA members enrolled in PhD programs whose memberships are active at the time of the application and who lack the finances for fieldwork travel.

What can be supported

  • Costs relating to physical travel from place of residence to fieldwork site, as well as accommodation

What can not be supported

  • Remote fieldwork (online interviews, etc.)
  • Purchase of digital materials and access to digital platforms (e.g. artistic work, archival documents)

 

Application Process:

Apply using the Application Form.

Applicants must submit:

- a motivation letter (up to 2 pages, Times New Roman 12pt., margins of 3 cm each side and 1.5 space) briefly explaining their PhD project, work plan and the need for the funds

- a short CV (up to 2 pages)

- a declaration stating the existence or not of any other financial support and amount, as well as the need for the grant

- a preliminary budget with a break-down of each expense item and explanation of the rationale for each cost. Amounts can be estimative, though these must be realistic, feasible and justifiable. A table outlining each cost would be helpful.

- proof of PhD status

Selected candidates must submit a mission report and proof of travel and other costs within a month of their return. The payment of the total amount of the grant is due before the beginning of the fieldwork. Applicants must commit to refund any amount whose usage was not duly justified.

If you have any questions about the scheme or the application form, please contact info@eisa-net.org.

 

Important dates

Applications deadline -  May 3rd, 2024

Decision - June 2024

Start of the grant - from October 1st 2024 to 1 year after the grant results are announced

Mission report and proof of expenses - one month after the end of the fieldwork