24 Jan 2025

WRITE EAST – Scholarship Programme of the Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe for Media Professionals

Call for Applications

The “Write East” Scholarship programme of the Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe enables media professionals interested in Central and Eastern Europe to spend a week-long stay at one of the institutes listed below. Visits to other institutes within the network can also be arranged over the course of the scholarship. The stays will take place in 2025 and will be funded by the Leibniz Association.

The scholarship programme aims to build a network of established and emerging experts working on Central and Eastern Europe across a wide range of disciplines. During their stay, participants will gain an insight into the research topics and approaches of researchers as well as their daily work and activities.

The Scholarship

As a fellow of the Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe, media professionals who work or plan to work on Central and Eastern Europe will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the research and the region for one week and thereby develop a personal network with established and emerging scholars with proven expertise on Central and Eastern Europe. During the scholarship, fellows will work on a research project of their choice related to Central and Eastern Europe at one or more of the research network’s institutes. They will be fully involved in the institutes’ day-to-day activities. The research network will also facilitate contacts with other researchers within the network, enable fellows to participate in internal and external events at the participating institutes, and guarantee free use of all available research resources.

Key Facts about the Scholarship

  • The length of the stay can be determined individually; a stay of one week at one of the participating institutes is desirable. Visits to other institutes will be
    encouraged.
  • The scholarship amount is 850 euros. In addition, a flat rate fee of 150 euros will be granted to cover travel expenses.
  • You will carry out research on a project of your choice related to the host institution’s research.
  • The host institution will work with you to develop an programme thanks to which you will be closely involved in discussions, conferences, teaching and the scientists’ research activities.

Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe

The Leibniz Association brings together a wide range of scientific research expertise on Central and Eastern Europe in institutions outside the German university system. Many Leibniz Institutes have been conducting research on Eastern Europe for decades and maintain close links with partners in the region. Since 2015, 23 Leibniz Institutes have been cooperating across disciplines in the Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe. The regional portfolio of the Leibniz Institutes includes the eastern member states of the European Union and the south-eastern European EU candidate countries, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Belarus and the states of the Caucasus and Central Asia. Research is also being conducted on Russia, with which relations have been suspended since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. The disciplines include the humanities and social sciences; spatial sciences, economics, environmental, agricultural and climate research; health research, education and engineering.

The hosting institutions for the scholarship programme include the following Leibniz Institutes:

  • Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow, Leipzig
  • Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Studies, Regensburg
  • Leibniz Centre for Contemporary History Potsdam
  • Leibniz Peace Research Institute, Frankfurt
  • Leibniz Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe, Leipzig
  • Leibniz Center for Literary and Cultural Research, Berlin

Further information can be found on the homepage of the research network: Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe

How to Apply

We welcome applications from media professionals and creatives working with all media formats. We ask applicants to indicate at which institution they would like to carry out the scholarship.

You will determine the exact date of your stay in consultation with the selection committee.

The deadline for applications with a CV, a letter of motivation and 2 writing samples is 28 February 2025.

Please send your application as a single PDF document with the subject line “WRITE EAST” to the following email addresses:

The institutes pursue the goal of professional equality between women and men and therefore expressly encourage women to apply. With the same level of qualification, priority will be given to severely disabled applicants.

If you have any questions about the programme, please contact the coordinator of the Leibniz Research Network Central and Eastern Europe, Dorothee Riese, dorothee.riese@leibniz-gwzo.de, tel. 0341 234 264 67.

Data protection notice

Your personal data will be processed as part of the application process within the institute to which you have addressed your application. Your personal data contained in the application documents or obtained during the interview will be processed exclusively for the purposes of the selection process for this position. The legal basis for the data processing is Article 6 (1) b) of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The person responsible for the application process is the addressee of the application stated above in this advertisement. As part of the application process, your personal data will be shared within the institute with

  • Members of the Selection Committee,
  • The Human Resources Department,
  • The Equal Opportunities Officer,
  • The Inclusion Officer
  • The Works Council

within the scope of their organisational or legal responsibilities.

Your personal data will be deleted no later than six months after the selection procedure has been completed. According to the GDPR, you have the following rights vis-à-vis the recipient of the application if the relevant legal requirements are met: Right of access (Art. 15 GDPR), right to rectification of inaccurate personal data (Art. 16 GDPR); data deletion (Art. 17 GDPR), restriction of processing (Art. 18 GDPR) and objection to processing (Art. 21 GDPR). If you have any questions, you can contact the data protection officer of the institute to which you have addressed your application. Furthermore, there is a right of appeal to the publicly appointed data protection officers throughout the country. They will forward your complaint to the relevant supervisory authority.