What is the Max Weber Programme?
The Max Weber Programme (MWP) at the European University Institute (EUI) started in September 2006 and it is still a unique postdoctoral programme in social sciences and humanities in Europe.
The MWP is open to applicants who are within 5 years from the completion of their PhD, from anywhere in the world, regardless of their nationality and offers 1 and 2 year fellowships.
The working language is English.
All fellows are affiliated to one of the four EUI departments (Economics, History, Law, Political and Social Sciences), the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies or the Florence School of Transnational Governance and are welcome to participate also in departmental activities.
Two-year fellowships involve additional academic activities in the EUI departments, such as limited graduate teaching and mentoring Ph.D. researchers within the departments.
The philosophy of the MWP has two main components.
First, a belief that intellectual community, dialogue and scholarly synergetic exchanges within and between disciplines are fundamental to the early phase of one’s academic career and significantly enhance the quality of research.
Second, the conviction that a successful academic career depends not only on high quality research and publications but also on understanding the world of ‘academic practice’: teaching, assessment, writing and speaking well, competitive bidding for research funds, networking and the like.
Two main features of the MWP give expression to this philosophy: the multidisciplinary research activities (lectures, workshops organised by fellows, roundtables, interdisciplinary research clusters, conferences aiming at enhancing and stimulating interdisciplinarity) and the academic practice activities (covering all aspects of an academic career, including support for academic writing in English, applying for research grants, the opportunity to teach in some European leading universities and get the EUI Teaching Certificate, to develop a strategy for a successful approach to the academic labour market).
Most of these activities are voluntary and it is up to fellows to decide which activities to participate in according to their needs.
Compulsory elements
To ensure intellectual community building, to enhance fellows’ appreciation of each other’s disciplines and research, and to get the most from the advice and resources available within the MWP and the EUI more generally, the MWP also includes the following compulsory elements:
- Residence – To play an active role in the Programme and in the academic activities of the Departments fellows are affiliated to, it is required to live in Florence area for the duration of the fellowship.
- September Presentations – These provide an opportunity for all fellows to showcase their research and get acquainted with each other’s research, and for the MWP academic communication skills team to identify areas of potential growth in the academic communication of every fellow.
- MWP Lectures – These aim at opening up fellows’ intellectual horizons by exposing them to topical themes of broad academic interest and cutting-edge research across the disciplines of the Programme. They also provide a plenary gathering of all fellows along with many researchers and professors across the EUI community.
- Submission of a Draft Publication – All fellows are supposed to write articles and/or books and book chapters while at the EUI. This submission of a draft publication provides a check on progress but also an occasion to engage in a critical discussion that may help fellows both substantively and formally in an intensive way with a key piece of research.
- June Conference – This annual conference provides fellows with a final plenary occasion to participate in the intellectual community of the MWP and an opportunity to meet with members of the global Max Weber Fellowship network.
- Individual Page for the MWP Annual Report – This forms a core component of the MWP reporting to stakeholders on the progress of fellows over the course of the academic year. It also offers an opportunity to showcase Fellows’ achievements by providing a useful summary of what they have accomplished over your time at the EUI.
Departments and Mentors
Each MWP fellow is assigned a mentor within the affiliation unit (Economics, History, Law, SPS, RCSAS or the FSTG). Fellows can expect to see their mentors at least twice a term. Mentors should ensure fellows can regularly attend and ideally present their research at the appropriate departmental seminars and become more generally involved in the life of the department. Mentors read and comment on the working paper and research proposal and offer career advice concerning publication strategies and job and grant applications.
Is the Max Weber Programme right for you?
Find out if you are eligible to apply, for how long and how.
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