Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin

At the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, internationally recognized senior researchers, promising younger scientists and scholars, as well as outstanding public intellectuals or personalities from the creative arts are offered the opportunity to concentrate for one academic year on projects of their own choice. Every year since 1981, around forty Fellows have been invited to live and work side by side. They constitute a temporary learning community characterized by diversity (of disciplines, cultures, languages, etc.) and promising potential for stimulation and critique. The institution strives to provide optimal conditions and assistance for the invited researchers and offers a wide range of services. The Wissenschaftskolleg selects its fellows irrespective of their country of origin, academic discipline, or formal academic position. However, a doctoral degree is a prerequisite. Candidates are subjected to a thorough evaluation with regard to both their academic achievements as well as their proposed projects. Upon consultation with an international Advisory Board, invitations are issued with a view to composing a most stimulating group for each year, including representatives from the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities alike. Focus groups on topics of particular interest and usually composed of three to five fellows also constitute an important element within the fellow classes.