About the Max Weber Programme

What is the Max Weber Programme

The Max Weber Programme started in September 2006 and is now the largest international postdoctoral programme in the Social Sciences and Humanities in Europe. The Programme is located at the European University Institute in Florence. It is funded by the European Commission (DG Education and Culture), which provides bursaries of one or two years for around 50-55 Fellowships. These bursaries are open to scholars from anywhere in the world (not just nationals of an EU Member State) who have received a doctorate in economics, law, history, social and political sciences, or a related field, within the past 5 years. The Programme also includes a number of Fellows supported by other funders, such as national and other non-EU research bodies. Fellows are selected on the basis of their research accomplishments and potential, their academic career interests, and the availability of the EUI faculty to provide mentorship.

All Fellows are affiliated with one of the four EUI departments or the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies and are welcome to participate in departmental activities. Two year Fellowships involve additional academic activities in the EUI departments, such as limited graduate teaching and mentoring Ph.D students.

The Programme also organizes each year a series of Lectures bringing to the EUI community prestigious scholars from around the world and across disciplines. 

The working language of the Programme is English.

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Why become a Max Weber Fellow

The aim of the Max Weber Programme is to provide the Fellows with the experience of membership of a vibrant academic community, to which they make a central contribution. The Programme offers Fellows the unique opportunity to share their research experience with peers from different disciplines and nationalities on a daily basis, whilst enhancing professional academic skills and acquiring the MWP Teaching Certificate. The Programme not only supports their research but also helps them develop the skills they will need in their future academic careers.

Located in Villa Paola within the magnificent setting of the European University Institute campus in San Domenico di Fiesole near Florence, the Programme gives Fellows access to some of the best research facilities in the world, provides them with research funds, and encourages them to collaborate and learn from each other through thematic research groups and the organisation of workshops and conferences involving Fellows, members of the Professoriate and distinguished academics from outside the EUI.

Support is provided for academic writing in English and applying for research grants by the EUI Language Centre/FIESOLE Group under the umbrella Academic Communication Skills. A structured Programme covers all aspects of an academic career, including the opportunity to teach in some of Europe’s top universities.

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The Academic Careers Observatory

As a service to the wider academic community the Programme hosts the Academic Careers Observatory (ACO), an open access online resource for scholars at any stage in their careers. The ACO website provides a comparative framework on the state of affairs of academic careers around the world. It offers exhaustive data on topics such as career curricula, salary levels, degree of openness and job security in 40 different national settings and updated information about available research funding opportunities.

The Academic Careers Observatory and the Programme help Fellows develop a strategy for identifying and applying for jobs, and Max Weber Fellows can be found in top academic institutions across the globe.

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Deadlines for applications

The annual deadline for applications for the Max Weber Fellowships is 18 October but please note that applications for self-funded Fellowships are accepted up to the following 25 March and are considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Read more about why to apply to the Max Weber Programme.

Find out how to apply to the Max Weber Programme.

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