Scholarship for preparing a postdoctoral project

Have you graduated from one of the six Dutch universities represented in the board of the KNIR and are you preparing a postdoctoral project to be conducted at one of these universities, or elsewhere? Or have you graduated elsewhere and are you preparing a postdoctoral project to be conducted at one these universities? Then you are eligible for a KNIR scholarship for preparing a postdoctoral project.

The scholarship consists of

1. Free lodging at the KNIR for a period of 10 weeks;
2. a weekly allowance of up to € 175,- for your general expenses during your stay in Rome;
3. a one-time reimbursement of € 100,- for your travelling expenses to Rome (or €125,- for those who travel by train).

Application requirements

1. You have obtained a doctorate from one of the following Dutch universities: University of Groningen, Leiden University, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and Radboud University Nijmegen and you are preparing a postdoctoral research project, that you intend to conduct at one of the above mentioned universities or elsewhere OR you have obtained your doctorate from another (Dutch or foreign) university and you are preparing a postdoctoral research project, that you intend to conduct at one of the above mentioned universities;
2. you intend to apply for research funding for this project (e.g. at the NWO, Marie Curie);
3. you have made arrangements with a professor at the university/ universities or your choice, who is willing to welcome you in their department OR with someone who is willing to supervise you in the trajectory towards an application;
4. you do not have other funds or income and are available full-time during the period of your scholarship (if you do have other funds or income, the weekly allowance and reimbursement for travel will be adjusted accordingly);
5. you can demonstrate that a stay at the KNIR will benefit your research.

Please note that if you fall within this category, you may also be eligible for the Ted Meijer Prize or the Van Woudenberg Dissertation Prize.

How to apply?

You can now apply for a fall scholarship (Semester 1, cohort 1) for preparing a postdoctoral project via the button below. The deadline for the fall semester is 15 May 2026, 23:59 CEST.

This scholarship will be for 10 weeks, between 17 September and 26 November 2026.

You will be asked to provide/answer:

• the (provisional) title of your research project
• a short summary (max. 120 words)
• whether you already received a KNIR scholarship for this project
• if you receive other (research) funding for this project

And to upload the following documents:

• a research proposal form (download here)
• a recent academic cv (max 2 A4)
• a letter of motivation for this scholarship (max 1 A4)
• Certificate of your university doctoral degree or letter of your PhD-thesis supervisor confirming the submission
• letter of intent from your prospective supervisor

When selecting applicants, we look at your motivation, the benefit of a stay at the KNIR for your research, the quality of your research proposal, your CV, and your contribution to the KNIR academic community. At KNIR we believe diversity enriches debate: different perspectives contribute to the quality of our work. We therefore value and highly encourage applications from students and researchers with diverse backgrounds and identities.

The results will follow no later than one month after the deadline. Please note that the decision of the selection committee is final and no correspondence will be entered into. If your scholarship is granted, you are asked to confirm acceptance of the grant and the conditions that come with it within 1 week.