FAQs - Grants & Awards
General Questions:
What fellowships does CES offer?
Currently, the Council for European Studies offers two different pre-dissertation research fellowships, all designed to support early dissertation research on topics in European Studies. The first of these is funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, which each year supports twenty fellowships for young scholars engaged in researching a range of topics in European Studies. The second is funded by the Society for the Anthropology of Europe, which provides one fellowship each year in support of the pre-dissertation research of a promising young anthropologist of Europe.
What grants and special awards does CES offer?
Every two years, the Council for European Studies awards its European Studies Book Award, which recognizes the best first book on a topic in European Studies. Winners of the CES book award receive $1000 and recognition in the Council's publications and on its website.
The Council for European Studies offers an annual Conference Travel Grant to fund the travel of junior faculty and graduate students to CES Conferences. Winners receive a cash grant of $500 and a waiver of their registration fee as well as recognition in the conference program and on the Council's website.
And, as part of its ongoing mission to recognize and encourage excellence in European Studies, the Council for European Studies now offers two European Studies First Article Prizes, one in the humanities and one in the social sciences.
As funding becomes available, the Council for European Studies runs special competitions for travel and research grants that support scholarly exchange and the creation of new knowledge. Information about upcoming travel and research grant competitions are provided in the Council's newsletter and on its website.
Eligibility Questions:
Am I eligible to apply for a CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowship?
To be eligible to apply for any of the CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowships, applicants must meet four criteria. First, CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowships are intended to fund students’ first major research project in Europe. Students who have already engaged in extensive field work and study in Europe related to their dissertation are not eligible. Second, applicants must be in the exploratory, early stage of their research. Third, applicants are expected to have already finished the majority of their doctoral coursework. And, fourth, applicants must be currently enrolled in a doctoral program at a university that is a member of the Council for European Studies' Academic Consortium. For a list of institutions belonging to the CES Academic Consortium click here. If a prospective fellow's institution is not a member, every effort will be made by CES to reach out to the institution regarding institutional membership.
Do I need to have completed my qualifying exams or dissertation proposal to apply for a CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowship?
Not necessarily. CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowships are intended to fund a student’s first major research project in Europe. Qualified applicants are, therefore, expected to have completed the majority of their coursework so that they are adequately prepared for such a research project. However, applicants are not required to have completed their qualifying examinations in order to apply. Moreover, applicants may have begun exploratory research for their dissertation, but they are not required to have had their dissertation proposals formally approved.
Do I need to be formally affiliated with a university or research center in Europe in order to apply?
This is not a prerequisite. Nevertheless, if you have such an invitation or affiliation, please note it in your application.
What research areas does the CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowships support?
There are no strict requirement for the twenty Mellon Foundation-funded CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowships awarded each year. The Fellowship Committee takes a broad interpretation of European Studies, setting no specific parameters regarding period or discipline. Thus, applicants of all disciplines pursuing research relevant to European Studies are encouraged to apply. However, the two fellowships funded by the Luso-American Foundation and the Society for the Anthropology of Europe are restricted to students specializing, respectively, in Portuguese Studies and Anthropology.
What level of language competency is required?
This is conditional upon the nature of the research proposal. If the applicant is a native English speaker traveling to Ireland, then proof of foreign language competency is not necessary. However, if the applicant is a native English speaker conducting research in Zagreb, then he/she should be able to conduct research effectively in Serbo-Croatian. If the applicant falls into the latter category, at least one language competency form must be submitted attesting to the applicant’s linguistic abilities. The Language Competency form may be submitted by a faculty member who is also providing a general recommendation in support of the students application.
Which books are eligible for consideration for the Council's European Studies Book Award competition?
Each nominated title must meet the following criteria:
• must be the first book written by the nominee in the field of European Studies;
• must be published between October 1, 2009 and October 15, 2011;
• must not be a reprint or re-edition of a previously published book;
• must be the work of one author only;
• the author must be a member of the Council for European Studies or must hold a full-time faculty appointment at an institution that is a member.
Who is allowed to nominate books for consideration for the Council's European Studies Book Award competition?
Nominations may be submitted by the publisher, author or an admiring colleague, and must be accompanied by six (6) copies of the nominated title separately mailed to the Council for European Studies and the five members of its Book Award Committee (addresses provided below).
Application Questions:
What do I need to submit to apply for a CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowship?
In order to complete your application for a CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowship you will have to submit the online application form, which includes a 2,500-word narrative on the nature and purpose of your research project. Also, you will have to request that your three (3) faculty recommenders submit a copy of their recommendations via our online submission link. If proof of language competency is required in order to undertake your proposed research, you will also have to see to it that a faculty member familiar with your language skills completes the Language Competency form, also available on our website. All forms must be submitted electronically, and faculty recommenders may also attest to language competency.
Are notes or a bibliography included in the 2,500-word narrative statement limit?
Yes. All footnotes, endnotes and bibliographical material are included in the 2,500-word limit. Please note that as this is a narrative statement, CES prefers that applicants submit a very short bibliography or none at all.
What is the submission deadline for the 2012 CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowship program?
All application materials must be received via the Council's electronic application form no later than February 1, 2012. Applications via post or by hand are not accepted.
Can recommenders submit their recommendations on paper?
Every part of your application, including recommendations, must be submitted to CES electronically. CES will not accept any materials received by other means.
How are fellows selected?
Applications are evaluated by a committee whose members represent a range of disciplines and institutions. Applicants can expect to be notified of the select committee's decisions by late April.
How can applicants learn the status of their applications?
CES will not field requests for the status of individual applications. All applicants who have submitted applications by the February 1, 2012 deadline will be notified if their application is incomplete by February 15, 2012. If you have submitted an application and do not receive notification by that date, please assume your application is complete or contact CES at
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if you have concerns.
When will applicants be notified of the results of their applications?
CES will notify applicants of the Committee’s decision by May 1, 2012. Funding will be made available immediately upon formal acceptance of the award.
When are book award nominees notified of the results of the European Studies Book Award compeition and what does the winner receive?
A multi-disciplinary Book Award Committee appointed by the Council’s Executive Committee will choose the winner and a formal presentation of the award will be conducted at the Council’s Nineteenth International Conference of Europeanists (Boston, March 22-24, 2012). The winning author will receive $1000 and travel assistance to attend the conference and award ceremony. Both the winner and top two finalists will be recognized in the Council's publications and on its website.
Miscellaneous Questions:
What constitutes ‘comparable funding’ with respect to the CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowship? What other funding can be used in conjunction with a CES pre-dissertation award?
Other grants/scholarships/aid that is awarded for the same purpose as the CES fellowship (i.e., to fund a student’s pre-dissertation research trip in Europe) will be deducted from the CES award so that each fellowship winner receives no more than $4000. Assistantships are viewed as a form of earned income rather than aid and will not be deducted. Financial aid received for school/coursework is also not deducted.
What do winners of a CES Pre-dissertation Fellowship receive?
A CES Pre-Dissertation Fellowship has three components: 1) a $4,000 award covering a two-month stay abroad, during which time each fellow will undertake original archival and field research; 2) a one-time travel grant intended to support attendance at a CES International Conference, where each fellow will present his or her findings and receive feedback from peers and senior scholars; 3) the publication of each Fellow's research report in the Council for European Studies periodical, Perspectives on Europe.
Must Fellowship funds be spent within a certain time period?
Fellowship funding must cover a research period of at least two consecutive months and must be used before the end of the calendar year in which the money is awarded.
Are Fellowship winners required to attend the CES Conference?
Yes, fellows are required to present their research at a CES conference and to prepare a research report suitable for publication in the Council's periodical, Perspectives on Europe.
