Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Hannah Arendt Fellowships are intended for outstanding international researchers in the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences — from early career researchers who have completed their doctorate to established scholars with a strong and independent research profile. Specific eligibility requirements, including career stage criteria, are defined in each call for applications.

The programme supports research projects that benefit from a period of focused work and academic exchange in Lower Saxony. Projects may include, for example, the development of publications, archival or field research, theoretical work, the preparation of collaborative projects, or other forms of scholarly inquiry.

Open to a broad range of disciplines and methodologies, the fellowships are organised around an annual theme that creates a shared space for dialogue across disciplines while allowing fellows to pursue their own research questions and approaches. The annual theme does not prescribe a specific methodology or require a particular disciplinary perspective. Instead, it provides a common point of reference for exchange among fellows and their academic hosts.

A defining feature of the Hannah Arendt Fellowships is the tandem partnership: each fellow works closely with a local academic partner at their host institution in Lower Saxony. The tandem partner connects the fellow’s research interests with local expertise, supports integration into the academic community, and creates opportunities for exchange and collaboration.

Tandem partnerships are an integral part of the fellowship application. Applicants should identify a suitable host institution and academic partner in Lower Saxony and develop the planned collaboration together before submitting their application. Partnerships may build on existing collaborations or emerge from new connections established for the fellowship. The key criterion for a successful tandem is intellectual fit rather than disciplinary identity. The model is designed to encourage exchange across institutions, disciplines, career stages, and academic traditions.

Fellows may be hosted at universities, universities of applied sciences, and publicly funded research institutions throughout Lower Saxony. Applicants are encouraged to identify potential partners whose research expertise aligns with their project. Researchers and institutions in Lower Saxony are likewise encouraged to establish collaborations with international colleagues.

Alongside their individual research, fellows participate in regular academic exchange with the annual cohort and their tandem partners, for example through internal colloquia at the Göttingen Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Lower Saxony, workshops, and other academic activities.

Fellows are encouraged to contribute their own expertise to the host institution and the wider regional network, helping to strengthen connections across Lower Saxony’s research landscape. During their stay, fellows do not have regular teaching obligations and may participate in academic exchange activities at the host institution if desired.

The Hannah Arendt Fellowships support research stays of up to six months at different institutions in Lower Saxony. The fellowship period is generally aligned with the summer semester of the German academic calendar (April to September), though individual arrangements are possible.

Fellows are hosted within local research environments and receive access to relevant academic infrastructure, including workspace and research facilities. The respective host institution supports fellows in arranging practical aspects of their stay, such as accommodation, visa-related matters, or finding schools or day care for accompanying children.

Fellows may be accompanied by partners and children. The programme provides family allowances where applicable and host institutions support fellows with practical arrangements such as accommodation, childcare, and local integration.

The programme provides financial support to enable fellows to undertake their stay without financial disadvantage. Depending on the individual situation, this may include a scholarship or compensation arrangement with the home institution, travel support, family allowances for accompanying partners and/or children, and funding for research-related activities such as fieldwork, workshops, talks, or other academic events. Fellows and their tandem partners may also apply for additional support at the host institution, for example funding for student assistants or a reduction of teaching duties for the tandem partner to facilitate the collaboration.