Regional Fellowship Program

Building on the Open Society Small Fellowship Program Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory (IFDT) piloted in 2021 and 2022 in Serbia, and the ten-year fellowship program with 138 early-career researchers of our key partner in the region – RECAS, we propose to expand the program to the Western Balkans region and to establish a regional program targeting researchers from all of the six countries from the region. The main aim of this program pillar will be designed to provide opportunity for academicians and researchers from the region with the academic and policy community in the region (public administration, civil society, media). This program aims to inspire researchers to conduct research and share their findings within regional university centers, fostering an academic network in Western Balkans. The program provides support and resources from the University of Rijeka and Belgrade, with co-hosting options at universities in Skopje, Sarajevo, Pristina, Tirana, or Podgorica.

The thematic focus of the program is on issues related to European integration and regional cooperation, social and economic justice, digital transformation, as well as managing overarching social consequences of these megatrends.