Deadline: 06 February 2026
The Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH) and the Institut Français d’Etudes sur l’Asie Centrale (IFEAC) offer short-term fellowships of three months in France for postdoc researchers from Central Asia who have presented their thesis from 2020.
Laureates will receive a total stipend of €5,400 for the three months (three instalments of €1,800 paid at the beginning of each month of stay). This financial contribution from the FMSH is intended to cover living expenses and IFEAC covers travel expenses. Besides, the FMSH and the IFEAC provide support for visa and logistical support to organise the stay (possibility to have a workspace, letter for the libraries…).
This program is open to researchers originating from Kazakhstan, Kirghizstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan (nationality is a requirement) and affiliated with an institution of higher education and research or a public or private research institute based in one of these countries. Applicants must have obtained their PhD doctorate (“Kandidat” thesis) and presented their thesis from 2020.
Applicants must be involved in research in social and human sciences. Before submitting their application, applicants will have to find a French research institution to host them for the time of their stay. Applicants will have to provide a letter from the hosting institution addressed to the FMSH and the IFEAC expressing the institution’s willingness to host the applicant during the time of fellowship and explaining the work conditions offered.
At the end of their stay, laureates will have to provide the FMSH and the IFEAC with a report presenting the work done during their stay and the benefits for their research project. Applicants will be required to submit an online application form and a scientific dossier (research project + appendices).
The research proposal should consist of a short presentation from 10,000 to 20,000 characters (spaces and references included) composed of state of art, problematic, objective and specific aim of the research project, methodology with a detailed workplan, a bibliography, explanation of the choice of the host laboratory, and the detailed programme of the research stay (places and institutions to be visited, contacts, workplan).
Appendices must include a curriculum vitae (two pages maximum), a list of publications, a copy of the PhD diploma, a letter from the director of the research institution in the country of origin, and a letter of invitation from the director of the host research institution in France.
Applications can be saved and edited multiple times before the deadline but cannot be amended once submitted. An automatic email confirmation will be sent after successful submission. Incomplete or non-compliant applications will not be considered.
A selection committee composed of members of FMSH, IFEAC, and independent experts will review applications based on the quality of the scientific dossier and the methodology developed, the relevance of a research stay in France regarding the scientific project and the candidate’s curriculum, and the ability to identify scientific contacts in France.
Priority will be given to candidates who have never benefited from the programme. Results will be announced by email at the end of March 2026. Completed proposals can be uploaded to the application portal at any time before the application deadline of February 6, 2026, 5:00 p.m. (Paris time). Online applications and scientific dossiers can be submitted in French or English.
For more information, visit FMSH.
