Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027

Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027 in Austria | Up to €3,300/Month

The Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027 in Austria is an international research opportunity for doctoral candidates and early-career postdoctoral researchers interested in exploring how digital technologies affect human life, society, democracy, economics, and geopolitics. The fellowship is hosted by the Institute for Human Sciences (IWM) in Vienna.

Selected researchers will spend three consecutive months in Vienna between February and June 2027 as Digital Humanism Junior Visiting Fellows. Postdoctoral researchers who have completed their PhD by the application deadline will receive a €3,300 monthly stipend, while candidates still pursuing their doctorate will receive €2,750 per month.

The application deadline is September 21, 2026, at 23:59 CEST. The fellowship is open to applicants from all academic disciplines and nationalities, provided their proposed research fits the Digital Humanism programme.

What is the Digital Humanism Fellowship?

The Digital Humanism Fellowship is part of the Digital Humanism Program at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. It supports researchers studying the relationship between technology and human beings and examining how digitalization can influence societies and democratic institutions.

The fellowship is not limited to one traditional academic discipline. Applications are welcome from different fields, but the proposed research must engage meaningfully with the social, economic, political, geopolitical, or human consequences of digitalization.

An important distinction is that Digital Humanism is not the same as Digital Humanities. Projects that simply use digital tools or technologies to conduct conventional humanities research are not the intended focus. Instead, applicants should investigate how digital technologies and transformation interact with people, societies, institutions, and human rights.

Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027 – Quick Details

Feature	Details
Fellowship Name	Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027
Host Institution	Institute for Human Sciences (IWM)
Location	Vienna, Austria
Fellowship Type	Research Fellowship
Fellowship Category	Junior Visiting Fellowship
Duration	3 consecutive months
Fellowship Period	February–June 2027
Postdoctoral Stipend	€3,300 per month
Doctoral Candidate Stipend	€2,750 per month
Eligible Nationalities	All nationalities
Academic Fields	All academic disciplines
Application Deadline	September 21, 2026
Working Language	English

The official IWM call confirms the three-month residential research period, the two stipend levels, and the September 21, 2026 deadline.

Benefits of the Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027

The fellowship provides researchers with financial support as well as an academic environment in which they can develop their research.

Selected fellows can benefit from:

• €3,300 per month for postdoctoral researchers who have defended their PhD by the application deadline.

• €2,750 per month for candidates who are still pursuing their doctorate.

• Three consecutive months of research in Vienna.

• Free office space at the IWM.

• Internet access.

• Access to in-house research facilities.

• Administrative services.

• Membership of the IWM community of scholars.

• Participation in relevant seminars, workshops, and institute activities.

• Opportunity to work alongside an international group of researchers.

The monthly stipend is intended to cover the fellow's living and research-related expenses, including accommodation, travel to and from Vienna, health insurance, utilities, local transportation, telecommunications, and research costs. These expenses are paid from the stipend rather than provided as separate allowances.

Research Areas

The fellowship is interdisciplinary and accepts applications from all academic disciplines, provided the proposed project fits the Digital Humanism theme.

Potential research areas include:

• Artificial Intelligence and Society

• Digital Democracy

• Digital Governance

• Human Rights and Technology

• AI Ethics

• Digital Platforms and Social Media

• Data Governance

• Privacy and Surveillance

• Digital Inequality

• Technology Policy

• Digital Economy

• Geopolitics and Digitalization

• Society and Digital Transformation

• Political Philosophy and Technology

• Digital Culture

• Technology and Social Justice

The strongest proposals should explain how digital transformation affects human beings, societies, institutions, or democratic life rather than simply describing the use of technology in research.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for the Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027 should meet the following requirements:

• Applicants can come from any nationality.

• Candidates can be from any academic discipline.

• Doctoral candidates must be currently enrolled in a doctoral programme.

• Postdoctoral candidates must have obtained their PhD on or after September 21, 2022.

• The proposed research must have a clear connection to Digital Humanism.

• Applicants must be able to spend three consecutive months in Vienna between February and June 2027.

• Application materials must be prepared in English.

• Applicants must provide two academic letters of recommendation.

• Previous IWM fellows must observe the applicable waiting period before applying again.

For postdoctoral applicants, the PhD date requirement is particularly important. A doctorate awarded before September 21, 2022 does not meet the current four-year eligibility window.

Required Documents

Applicants should prepare the following materials:

Letter of Motivation

The motivation letter should explain why the applicant wants to join the IWM and how the fellowship would contribute to their research and academic development.

Short Project Description

Applicants need a concise project description of no more than 550 characters.

Full Project Proposal

The main research proposal must be no longer than 7,500 characters. It should clearly explain the research objectives, existing state of research, methodology, and a realistic work plan for the three-month fellowship.

Academic CV

The CV should include the applicant's academic background and publication record.

Two Recommendation Letters

Two academic referees must provide recommendation letters. The letters are submitted directly by the referees, rather than being submitted by the applicant.

Applicants should combine the required application materials into one PDF document and use Latin characters for the filename.

How to Apply for the Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027?

Interested candidates can apply through the official IWM application system.

Follow these steps:

1. Review the official Digital Humanism Fellowship requirements.

2. Confirm that you meet the doctoral or postdoctoral eligibility criteria.

3. Develop a research project connected to Digital Humanism.

4. Prepare the 550-character project description.

5. Write the full research proposal within the 7,500-character limit.

6. Prepare your motivation letter and academic CV.

7. Contact two suitable academic referees.

8. Ask your referees to submit their recommendation letters directly.

9. Combine your application documents into one PDF.

10. Complete the online application form.

11. Submit the application before September 21, 2026, at 23:59 CEST.

Applicants should start contacting referees early because recommendation letters must arrive before the application deadline.

Application Deadline

The deadline for the Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027 is:

September 21, 2026, at 23:59 CEST

The IWM expects to notify applicants about the jury's decision by November 30, 2026. Successful fellows will then undertake their three-month research stay between February and June 2027.

Fellowship Duration

The fellowship lasts for three consecutive months.

The research period will take place between February and June 2027 in Vienna. The fellowship is deliberately scheduled to overlap with the Senior Digital Humanism Visiting Fellow, allowing the junior fellows to interact with another researcher working within the programme.

Is the Fellowship Fully Funded?

The Europe Scholarships listing describes the opportunity as fully funded, but applicants should understand how the funding actually works.

The IWM provides a monthly stipend of €3,300 for postdoctoral fellows and €2,750 for doctoral candidates. From this stipend, fellows are responsible for their living and research expenses, including accommodation, travel, health insurance, local transportation, utilities, and research costs. Office space, internet, research facilities, and administrative services are provided separately by the IWM.

Therefore, it is more accurate to describe the fellowship as funded through a monthly stipend rather than suggesting that every individual expense is separately paid by the host institution.

Why Apply for the Digital Humanism Fellowship?

The fellowship provides an opportunity to spend three months in an international research environment while concentrating on an important question: how should technology serve human beings and society?

For early-career researchers, the programme can provide valuable academic exposure, access to research facilities, and opportunities to exchange ideas with scholars from different disciplines.

The interdisciplinary nature of the IWM is particularly useful for researchers whose work connects technology with politics, economics, sociology, philosophy, law, international relations, or other areas of the humanities and social sciences.

The fellowship can also help researchers develop their projects in an environment where discussion, workshops, seminars, and interaction with other scholars are central to the academic experience.

Important Note for Applicants

Applicants should carefully distinguish Digital Humanism from Digital Humanities.

A project that merely uses digital technology to conduct research in literature, history, or another humanities discipline may not fit the programme. The IWM specifically seeks research addressing the relationship between digitalization and human life, society, economics, politics, geopolitics, or related questions.

Applicants should also remember that the fellowship is residential. Remote participation is not the intended format, as fellows are expected to spend three consecutive months at the IWM in Vienna.

Final Thoughts

The Digital Humanism Fellowship 2027 in Austria is a valuable opportunity for doctoral candidates and early-career postdoctoral researchers investigating the social and human consequences of digital transformation.

With a monthly stipend of €3,300 for postdoctoral fellows and €2,750 for doctoral candidates, three months of research in Vienna, office facilities, research resources, and access to the IWM scholarly community, the fellowship provides a strong environment for developing an interdisciplinary research project.

Applicants should focus on demonstrating a strong connection between their research and Digital Humanism. Since the deadline is September 21, 2026, candidates should begin preparing their proposal and recommendation letters well in advance. Apply Now