Call for Applications: Budapest Fellowship Program (US and Hungary)

The fellows will have an opportunity to conduct research on the topic of their choosing while also gaining practical experience researching or working at a Hungarian host institution that matches their professional interests.

The program’s structure is designed to nurture an understanding of Central and Eastern European, and specifically, Hungarian history and culture. The program will offer extensive professional and personal networking opportunities and fellows will be matched with local mentors to guide them throughout their fellowship journey.

Categories

• The Budapest Fellowship Program is open to two categories of applicants:
  • The Junior Fellowship is aimed at students currently pursuing their Master’s degree or recently graduated from a Master’s program
  • The Senior Fellowship is for advanced doctoral students (i.e. pre-doctoral fellows), post-doctoral researchers, and early career professionals, who hold at least a Master’s or a Ph.D. degree

Benefits

• The scholarship provides:
  • monthly stipend to cover living expenses in Budapest ($3,000/month for Junior Fellows, $3,500/month for Junior Fellow with a family, $4,000/month for Senior Fellows, $4,500/month for Senior Fellows with a family)
  • assistance with housing in Budapest
  • roundtrip air travel to Hungary
  • health insurance assistance for the fellow’s visa application process
  • assistance in obtaining a Hungarian temporary residence permit
  • Hungarian language classes
  • book stipend and research support
  • organized field trips to neighboring countries and the Hungarian countryside

Program Highlights

• Research: Fellows will conduct independent research guided by a mentor and gain practical experience during the fellowship experience at a Budapest-based host institution (Hungarian think tank, NGO, academic research institution, government agency, parliamentary office, etc.) corresponding with the participant’s own academic or professional fields.
• Teach: Fellows will have an opportunity to develop teaching plans for lectures and workshops for students of the Schools in Mathias Corvinus Collegium (Law, International Relations, Social Sciences and History, Economics, Media, and Psychology) and for participants of MCC’s other programs, like the Women’s Public Leadership Academy, Transylvanian School of Politics, Secondary School Program.
• Learn: The program also features thematic seminars on the history of Hungary, Hungarian democratic traditions, the post-communist legacy in CEE, Hungary’s foreign policy orientations, Hungarian cultural geography, US-Hungary and EU-Hungary relations, and current human rights issues. The program will include monthly organized field trips to neighboring countries in the Carpathian Basin and cities in the countryside of Hungary. These trips will help foster a better understanding of the regional differences and dynamics within Hungary, the Visegrád countries, and the Carpathian basin. Fellows will also be enrolled in a basic Hungarian language course to support their cultural immersion process.
• Network: The program will hold regular discussions with practitioners, area experts, scholars, and business leaders allowing the fellows to refine their leadership skills, advance their professional development, and deepen their economic, political, historical, and cultural understanding of Central and Eastern Europe. Continuous mentoring is provided for fellows to help set realistic personal goals, research, and/or teaching plans, and ways to develop strong personal connections with key individuals in their respective professions or field of study. Upon completion of the program, participants are integrated into HF’s alumni activities in Washington and Budapest and will be invited back to Hungary to participate in MCC-organized events.

Duration

• This full-time, fully-funded transatlantic fellowship opportunity in Budapest, Hungary, for young American scholars and professionals will run from September 2024, through July 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

• All applicants must:
  • Be a US citizen
  • Have a research interest in Central and Eastern Europe
  • Have excellent writing skills along with outstanding research, and academic credentials
  • Have demonstrated leadership potential
  • Present or develop a research plan specifically tailored to Hungary focusing on one of the following areas: EU-Hungary relations, US-Hungary bilateral relations, and transatlantic relations, the history and legacy of communism in Hungary, contemporary Hungarian society and the neighboring countries, Visegrad cooperation, economic development, energy security, foreign and defense policy, migration, national sovereignty, freedom of speech on social media platforms, public diplomacy, environmental conservation, and human rights.

For more information, visit Hungary Foundation.