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Grant for research on Russian Jewry
SEFER Center awards grants to support research projects in multiple disciplines on Russian Jewry. These research projects may cover different aspects of Jewish history and culture within the territory of former Russian Empire during various historical periods from the ancient times till post-soviet contemporary period. The range can cover the entire variety of humanitarian and social domains (history, literature, linguistics, art history, education, philosophy, religion studies, sociology, political science etc.), as well as interdisciplinary studies. The Center provides researchers, teachers and PhD students with financial support for research projects, including fundamental or applied studies, monographs, articles and dissertation theses.
The grants are funded by the Genesis Philanthropy Group.
Selection Criteria
- appropriateness of the project proposal to eligibility and requirements of the grant
- originality and creativity of the research proposal
- independent experts' reviews about the scientific value of the submitted project
The SEFER Center research award recipients will be selected by a committee of independent experts specializing in the field of Russian and Eastern European Jews from Russia, Israel and the United States.
Eligibility and Requirements
The competition offers 2 types of research grants:
а) Faculty Research Grants for the researchers with academic degree will not exceed 150 000 rubles (approx $2500) and will cover up to 50% of the total cost of the proposed research project.
б) Post-Graduate Students Research Grants for the PhD students and researchers without academic degree will not exceed 90 000 rubles (approx $1500) and may cover up to 100% of the total project cost.
The competition is open for researchers from Russia and abroad, including Europe, USA and Canada, Israel and Australia.
The grants cover following expenditure:
· Work at Russian and foreign archives and libraries to collect materials needed for the study (compensation of consular fees, travel and accommodation expenses, photocopy, as well as payments to invited experts, which cannot exceed 25% of the grant.
· Participation in international meetings and conferences on the chosen subject (compensation of travel and accommodation expenses and conference registration fees).
· Other events or activities, connected with the study.
Deadline and Proposal Submission Guidelines
Proposals must be submitted by March 30, 2017. Proposals submitted after the deadline will not be reviewed.
Decisions will be announced by May 15, 2017.
Each proposal must include the following:
1. Complete proposal form (download below)
2. Curriculum Vitae(up to 3 pages including main publications on the subject)
3. Short writing sample (full text of one of the latest publications on the subject-up to 20pages). PhD students may provide an essay
4. Two recommendation letters addressed directly to the Center (for PhD students and researchers without academic degree)
Academic and Financial Report
The grantees are expected to complete their projects within one year after announcement of the decision – till May 15, 2018.
The grant report should include:
- Detailed report on research results.
- List and full texts of published research papers or drafts of the unpublished works.
- Documents proving the supplementary funding (for the grantees with academic degree)
Grantees’ obligations:
1. The grantee agrees to present their research results as a paper at SEFER international conferences within 2 years since the receipt of the grant.
2. Any research papers published with the support of the grant must include a reference to the grant, SEFER Center and Genesis Philanthropy Group.
Grant payment order:
The winners of the competition receive the grant as a single payment of the total amount of the grant approved by the SEFER Independent Committee.
The money is paid based on a written agreement between SEFER and the competition winner within 10 days since the agreement has been signed by both parties.
The scans of the required documents may be sent in advance by email at sefer.center@gmail.com; the paper versions must be sent subsequently to the Center of Judeo-Slavic Studies, the RAS Institute of Slavic studies, 32 A, Leninsky Prospect, bld 2. r.808, 119334 Moscow, Russia.
Your questions are welcome at sefer.center@gmail.com
Contact persons: Irina Kopchenova, Anna Shayevich.