Call for proposals: ECR Pre-Workshops in conjunction with the SGEU 2026 Biennial Conference in Catania, 1-3 July 2026

• Thematic exchanges around a specific research topic, whereby junior scholars receive detailed input on their draft papers from senior colleagues
• Workshops focused on research methodology and design in the context of EU studies
• Research workshops bringing authors together for planned collaborative publications 
• Exchange of information and training on career-related issues such as applications for postdoctoral or tenure-track positions, the process of academic publishing or guidance on the writing of grant proposals

• the envisaged participants (names or career stage, if already pre-selected) or mechanism for selection
• any senior scholars that you have invited or plan to invite as lecturers, discussants or moderators of the workshop, and 
• a detailed budget.

From the Standing Group on European Union
 

New call for the SGEU FUTURE Grants

The Standing Group of the European Union (SGEU) of the European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR) is pleased to announce the second edition of the SGEU Future Grants, a competitive grant scheme for supporting the data collection of Ph.D. students doing research on European integration and/or the European Union.

Aim

The aim of the SGEU Future Grants is to support the fieldwork and data collection of Ph.D. students in the field of EU studies, broadly defined, who have limited sources of funding for their research activities. As a standing group, we want to encourage excellence in research on all aspects of European integration and the EU among young and aspiring scholars. The grants will allow promising young researchers from all ECPR member institutions to conduct the fieldwork necessary in order to make their Ph.D. dissertations real contributions to the study of European integration and the EU.

What do we offer?

We offer grants up to €5,000. The grants will be awarded on a competitive basis according to the scientific quality of the research proposal, the need for fieldwork or other forms of data collection for conducting the research, and a demonstrated need for external support for these activities. 

Eligible costs

The grant can be used to cover costs directly related to fieldwork and data collection. Various forms of fieldwork and data collection are eligible, including but not restricted to archival research, elite interviews, focus groups, participant observation, large-N surveys, laboratory and survey experiments. The fieldwork must be original and not have been conducted yet (we are not able to fund activities completed before the start of the grant period retrospectively). Eligible costs include (a) access and subscription fees for archives and data collections (including digitized data collections available online), (b) reasonable travel and accommodation costs for the duration of fieldwork, (c) design and implementation of surveys, etc. The grants cannot be used to cover salaries, honoraria, financial bonuses, equipment costs, hiring of personnel or fees for advisors and promoters, travel and accommodation costs for conferences and other dissemination activities, publication costs or article processing charges.

Who can apply?

The grants can be awarded to regularly enrolled Ph.D. students who:

1)     Conduct research on a topic directly related to European integration, including the governance, politics, international relations, history, sociology, and economics of the EU;

2)     Are enrolled in a PhD degree at an ECPR member institution;

3)     Do not dispose of funding via an existing research grant that already covers the costs of fieldwork and data collection indicated in the proposal, such as, but not limited to, Horizon Europe, European Research Council (ERC) grants, or grants by national science foundations.

What are the award criteria?

The award criteria are:

1)     Scientific excellence of the research proposal, including originality of the proposed empirical contribution and soundness of the proposed methodology;

2)     The demonstrated need for original data collection and fieldwork to achieve the goals of the research proposal;

3)     Lack of funding for the planned fieldwork from external sources (as confirmed by the supervisor).

In addition, all applications need to be supported by a letter from the candidate’s main Ph.D. supervisor, who endorses the research goals as stated in the proposal and confirms the need for external funding to cover the fieldwork and data collection activities.

Successful applicants will be expected to provide a short report of their activities and main outcomes for the SGEU website once the activities funded by their grant have been completed.

When and how to apply?

The application deadline is 30 September 2025. Please submit your application package as a single pdf file to sgeu.ecpr@gmail.com, including:

1)     A research proposal outlining the overall goals and research questions of the Ph.D. project, a statement of its scientific and/or societal relevance, and a brief sketch of the proposed research methodology with a justification of how it enables reaching the research goals. The proposal should also make clear the type of fieldwork or data collection to be conducted and explain in detail what information will be collected and how, as well as the type of data analysis that will follow.

2)     A letter of motivation that explains why the applicant needs the external funding for the proposed fieldwork, outlines the progress made in the Ph.D. research activities so far and the plans for the near future, and introduces any institutional context of the Ph.D. project that might be relevant (e.g. sources of funding, connection to other projects, external grants, etc.)

3)     A detailed budget.

4)     A CV.

5)     A letter of support by the main Ph.D. supervisor recommending the applicant for the grant, endorsing the research goals as stated in the proposal and confirming the necessity of external funding for the fieldwork and data collection activities.

Who and when will decide?

The grant applications will be reviewed and assessed by a committee of senior scholars from different subfields of EU studies. The selection process will be completed, and grant winners notified by 1 November 2025. The fieldwork activities eligible for the grants need to take place between 1 December 2025 and 30 June 2026.

Note

We commit to a fair and transparent review and assessment process. We are open to applications from Ph.D. students from all nationalities, social backgrounds, academic disciplines, regions of the world, and methodological traditions, within the criteria specific above. We especially encourage Ph.D. students from underrepresented and marginalized groups to apply.

For more information

Please direct your\ questions and inquiries for further information to sgeu.ecpr@gmail.com.