Deadline:
December 2, 2025 at 9:00 PM Eastern Standard Time
The Summer Institute for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe (SISECSE) is a two-week residential workshop that provides scholars of Eastern Europe time and space to dedicate to their own research and writing in a collaborative and interdisciplinary setting. ACLS in partnership with the Centre for Advanced Study Sofia (CAS) will convene leading scholars from Eastern Europe and North America for a two-week residency in Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria from June 3, 2026 to June 19, 2026.
SISECSE will also provide participating scholars with the opportunity to undertake local fieldwork, including archival or collections research, interviews, site surveys, or other forms of data collection. Fieldwork is not a requirement for participation.
This program is made possible thanks to a generous donation by Carl and Betty Pforzheimer.
Details
- The program will offer a stipend for travel to and from Bulgaria and cover accommodation and per diem expenses for the two-week residency.
- Participating scholars will be expected to be in residence and to take part in all planned events for the duration of the institute.
- Participating scholars may undertake local fieldwork, including archival or collections research, interviews, site surveys, and other forms of data collection.
- There will be at least one weekend group trip.
- Applicants should submit their research proposals and supporting materials through the ACLS online system (see below for the application guidelines).
Immersive Discussions
In addition to conducting their own research, scholars will have the opportunity to participate in a series of immersive discussions on a broad topic of shared academic interest.
In 2026, the institute’s discussions will explore “Autonomy, Institutions, and Transnational Networks.” Social institutions such as the church, the state, the military, the press, and the academy have had varying degrees of tolerance for the free exploration of new ideas and for societal change, depending on time, place, and culture. Participants in the institute will consider a broad set of related questions: how has creative and intellectual freedom been constrained or tolerated in different East, Central, and Southeastern European contexts and why? In view of the sudden and dramatic shifts in the United States government’s stance on institutional autonomy, what globally significant lessons can be learned from South, East Central, and Southeastern Europe? Recent political changes in the US have prompted reevaluation of the degree of creative and intellectual freedom afforded by different regimes. Taking the shift in the US into account, what can we learn from past efforts to maintain strong transnational networks, and about the role of these transnational networks in supporting intellectual and creative activity?
Discussions will be held over several meals and in one seminar session.
It is not required or expected that applicants’ research projects be connected to the workshop theme. Thematic discussions are intended for the general enrichment of the participants.
Eligibility
- Applicants must have a PhD degree conferred (officially awarded) by an accredited university by the application deadline. An established scholar who can demonstrate the equivalent of the PhD in publications and professional experience may also qualify.
- The competition is open to scholars in any field or discipline in the humanities or social sciences pursuing postdoctoral or advanced research focused on East Central and Southeastern Europe, including Albania, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czechia, Croatia, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine.
- At the time of the application deadline, applicants must have an affiliation—preferably a long-term regular research or teaching appointment—with an institution (i.e., college, museum, university) in North America (Canada, Mexico, US) or East Central and Southeastern Europe (see the list above). Applicants who have an affiliation but do not have a long-term regular research or teaching appointment must include in the application essay a description of their future commitment to the field and to continued work in North America or East Central and Southeastern Europe.
- There are no restrictions as to the citizenship of applicants.
- The application must be submitted in English, but the written work produced may be in any language.
Application Guidelines
Applications must include:
- A completed application form.
- An application essay (no more than four double-spaced pages in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font). The application essay should lay out the research project—the topic and its significance, how the project relates to existing scholarship, what sources will be used, what work is required to bring the project to completion, and the expected timetable for carrying out that work. Applicants who have an affiliation but do not have a long-term regular research or teaching appointment must include in the application essay a description of their future commitment to the field and to continued work in North America or East Central and Southeastern Europe.
- An optional one to two pages of images, musical scores, or other similar supporting non-text materials.
- A bibliography (no more than two pages, double-spaced between entries, in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font).
- A list of the applicant’s publications (no more than two pages, double-spaced between entries, in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font). Applicants should indicate if any of their publications resulted from prior ACLS funding.
- An applicant’s statement of interest in the institute (no more than two double-spaced pages in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font). The statement of interest should explain how participation in the institute and the work planned in Bulgaria will advance the project. It should specifically describe the research, writing, or fieldwork to be carried out, its impact on the overall project, and the applicant’s interest in participating in interdisciplinary conversation at the institute.
- Applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship and Grant Administration (OFA) System no later than 9:00 PM Eastern Time on December 2, 2025.
ACLS is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of the fellowship application process.
Evaluation Criteria
- The significance of the topic and its potential contribution to the study of East Central and Southeastern Europe.
- The quality and innovativeness of the proposal, including its clarity, methodology, scope, theoretical framework, and grounding in the relevant scholarly literature.
- The impact of the fieldwork or other activities to be carried out during the institute on the applicant’s project, and the likelihood that the applicant will make a positive contribution to the institute.
- The feasibility of the proposed work and the likelihood the project will be completed.
- The applicant’s record of previous accomplishment and the likelihood of continued long-term contribution to the field.
Supporting Documents
- 2025-26 Sample Application for the Study of East Central and Southeastern Europe Summer Institute
- “Writing Proposals for ACLS Fellowship Competitions” by Christina M. Gillis
Contact
Questions should be directed to [email protected]. Please read the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) before making inquiries.