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    Panorama WZB-Gebäude
    Nadim Bazze

    WZB Visiting Scholars Program

    The WZB Berlin Social Science Center is Germany’s largest publicly funded social science research institute, with a long-standing tradition of welcoming international researchers and scholarship holders. In addition to visitors hosted by individual research units, the institute offers an institute-wide Visiting Scholars Program.

    Through the Program, the WZB actively promotes national and international collaboration by inviting outstanding researchers at different career stages to initiate cooperation, exchange knowledge, and engage in academic dialogue. The program is designed to strengthen scholarly networks and to create vibrant spaces for intellectual exchange within the institute that extend beyond the duration of each visit.

    The WZB offers three visiting formats tailored to distinct career levels:

    All Visiting Scholars are expected to actively participate in the academic life of the WZB, contribute their topical and methodological expertise, and engage with researchers across career stages. Whereas the Karl W. Deutsch Visiting Professorship is awarded to distinguished, internationally renowned scholars, the Senior Visiting Scholars and Early Career Visiting Scholars programs are open to self-nomination.

     

    Senior Visiting Scholars and Early Career Visiting Scholars program

    Applications are accepted once a year usually in autumn. The program offers funded short‑term research visits of up to two months at the WZB in Berlin. It is highly competitive: up to 20 funded visits are awarded annually across junior and senior career levels. Applications are assessed on academic excellence and fit with research at the WZB.

    Please find all information about requirements and applications here:

    Visiting scholars receive an expense allowance to support their stay. The allowance is granted in accordance with the German Federal Travel Expenses Act (Bundesreisekostengesetz). The expense allowance consists of two components:

    1. a monthly basic rate to cover living expenses ─ graded according to career level (senior and early-career visitors) ─ during the period of attendance at the WZB; and

    2. travel expenses, which are reimbursed in accordance with the provisions of the Bundesreisekostengesetz.

    Please note that the granting of this allowance does not establish an employment or service relationship. Visitors are responsible for independently verifying with their home institution whether any secondary employment or reporting obligations apply and whether the allowance must, if applicable, be offset against their monthly salary.