Mercator Fellowship Program

The Mercator Fellowship Program of the Stiftung Mercator GmbH is aimed at outstanding individuals from academia and practice who wish to independently carry out an exploratory research or practical project. Within a period of three to twelve months, fellows support their projects with grants to cover living expenses, material costs, as well as travel, publication, and event expenses. The goal is to address central societal challenges within the foundation’s fields of action through fresh impulses and professional expertise and to integrate them into its networks in the long term. The selection of up to six Mercator Fellows annually is made by the management and selected members of the advisory board, with the quality, relevance, and strategic orientation of the project being the primary focus.

Applicants of all nationalities are welcome, provided they demonstrate relevant experience and qualifications in the respective subject area and already have an academic or professional career beyond a bachelor's or master's degree. A continuous application deadline allows submission with a lead time of at least four to six months before the planned start of funding. The application requires a CV, if applicable a list of publications, work samples, and a project outline (two to three pages) in German or English. The two-stage selection process begins with the presentation of the project to the thematically responsible department head, followed by the submission of the complete documents. Evaluation criteria include professional qualification, the significance of the project, and its relevance to the funding areas of Research & Innovation as well as Science.