Open Society’s Civil Society Scholar Awards 2021 for Doctoral Research Students
The Civil Society Scholar Awards (CSSA) support international academic mobility to enable doctoral students and university faculty to access resources that enrich engaged research and critical scholarship in their home country or region.
Open Society’s Civil Society Scholar Awards Eligibility
The awards are open to the following academic populations:
- doctoral students of eligible fields studying at accredited universities inside or outside of their home country
- full-time faculty members (must have a minimum of a master’s degree) teaching at universities in their home country
Candidates must be citizens of the following countries:
Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burundi, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Haiti, Kosovo, Laos, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar/Burma, Nepal, Palestine, Rwanda, Serbia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
- Project duration: between three and 10 months
- Eligible dates: March 1, 2021—December 31, 2021
- Maximum funding requests: $15,000
We look to support academic research conducted within any field of the social sciences and humanities, but will prioritize research which specifically addresses pressing societal issues within the following themes, broadly defined:
- defense against rising authoritarianism
- sustainable development, climate action, and mitigating the effects of climate change
- economic justice and worker rights
- information democracy
- addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on an applicant’s home country or region
The program does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, religion or belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, disability, pregnancy and maternity, or marriage and/or civil partnership.
Selection Criteria: Civil Society Scholars are selected on the basis of their outstanding contributions to research or other engagement with local communities, to furthering debates on challenging societal questions, and to strengthening critical scholarship and academic networks within their fields.
Requests for support for first-year tuition and fees only will be considered on the basis of a clearly demonstrated need from doctoral students who have gained admission to universities outside of their home country.
Selected grantees may be invited by CSSA to attend short-term trainings/summer school, and a participant conference during the grant period. Travel costs and accommodation for these events will be covered by CSSA.
Value of Program: Maximum funding requests: $10,000 for doctoral students; $15,000 for faculty members.
The awards support short-term, international academic projects, such as: fieldwork (data collection); research visits to libraries, archives, or universities; course/curriculum development; and international research collaborations leading to peer-reviewed publication.
How to Apply for Open Society’s Civil Society Scholar Awards
Detailed guidelines on the conditions of these awards are available in the Program Webpage link below.
- Online Applications: Applicants are strongly advised to submit their application online.
- For those wishing to submit a paper application, an application form can be downloaded from the Download Files section. More details on submitting applications are available in the Guidelines.
For more information, visit the Open Society’s Civil Society Scholar Awards.
Application Deadline: 22nd July 2020
