The Western Balkans–Visegrad Fellowships allow WB6 citizens to apply for short-term fellowships at V4 research institutions (in Czechia, Poland, Hungary, or Slovakia). Reciprocally, V4 applicants can apply for fellowships at WB6 institutions (in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Kosovo*, or Serbia).

The program is jointly funded by the International Visegrad Fund and the Western Balkans Fund.

The fellowships are provided for a limited period ranging from 2 to 10 weeks during which the respective fellow is to conduct (or participate in) research, hold lectures or seminars at a higher-education level, or study or review specific sets of written or other materials available in public archives or libraries.



* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

 

  • Citizens of V4 countries—Czechia (CZ), Hungary (HU), Poland (PL), Slovakia (SK)—can apply for support to be hosted by institutions in the WB6 region—Albania (AL), Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA), Kosovo (XK), Montenegro (ME), North Macedonia (MK), or Serbia (RS).

  • Citizens of the WB6 region—Albania (AL), Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA), Kosovo (XK), Montenegro (ME), North Macedonia (MK), or Serbia (RS)—can be hosted by institutions in the V4 region (CZ, HU, PL, SK).

  • The type of potential host institution is not prescribed but it shall be relevant to the nature of the fellowship. In general, the program is intended to provide access to private or public higher-education institutions (colleges, universities, science academies), research bodies, libraries/archives, laboratories, etc.

  • Fellows must either be full-time doctoral students or holders of a doctoral degree (regardless of their current affiliation).

  • Fellowships are offered for a minimum of 2 weeks and maximum 10 weeks.

  • The support is in the form of a lump sum scholarship amounting to €500/week paid in two instalments: the 1st instalment (80%) is transferred upon the fellow's confirmed arrival at the host institution, and the 2nd instalment (20%) is transferred upon the receipt of a summary report.

  • Additionally, each applicant can request a lump sum travel grant calculated based on estimated travel costs but no higher than €500. (Note that travel grants cannot be automatically claimed as part of the scholarships.)

Electronic applications are accepted via the My Visegrad system from April 15 (12 PM noon)
until June 15 (12 PM noon) and shall include the following uploaded documents:

  • Scanned valid ID document (passport);

  • Scan of the doctoral diploma including its English translation if the original document is not bilingual (note that this translation does not need to be formally certified or notarized) or a proof of enrollment in a doctoral study program;

  • Letter of invitation signed/stamped by the host institution detailing the precise length of the fellowship, its exact nature, and the intended outcomes written in English;

  • A letter of recommendation issued by the applicant’s affiliated (home) institution or by a relevant expert (for non-affiliated applicants) written in English.


The intended fellowships can start in September 2024 at the earliest and must be concluded by June 2025.

The number of applications from one applicant is not restricted. For capacity reasons, however, other candidates may be preferred over multiple proposals submitted by the same applicant.