Germany Herzog August Bibliothek Fellowships 2028 Application Submission Method

Germany’s Herzog August Bibliothek Fellowships 2028 support international researchers with monthly funding of up to €2,200, travel assistance and research stays in Wolfenbüttel. Learn about eligibility, funding, the January 31, 2027 deadline and how to submit an application.

Researchers in the humanities and historically oriented disciplines can prepare applications for the Herzog August Bibliothek (HAB) Research Fellowships 2028 in Germany, with funding available for both longer postdoctoral research stays and shorter research visits.

Hosted by the Herzog August Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel, the fellowship programme is particularly relevant to scholars whose projects require substantial use of the library’s historical collections.

According to the programme information available for the 2028 funding period, researchers can choose between a Postdoctoral Fellowship lasting six to ten months and a Short-term Fellowship lasting one to three months.

Postdoctoral fellows receive €2,200 per month, while short-term fellows receive €1,800 per month. Additional travel support is available, and qualifying postdoctoral researchers travelling with children may receive family allowances.

The key application deadline for the 2028 research stays is January 31, 2027, giving researchers several months to develop a collection-specific proposal before submitting.

Detail	Information
Host institution	Herzog August Bibliothek
Location	Wolfenbüttel, Germany
Fellowship year	2028
Main opportunities	Postdoctoral and Short-term Fellowships
Postdoctoral duration	6–10 months
Postdoctoral funding	€2,200 per month
Short-term duration	1–3 months
Short-term funding	€1,800 per month
Postdoctoral travel support	Up to €2,000
Short-term travel contribution	€150–€650 depending on country of origin
Family supplement	Up to €500 per month for qualifying postdoctoral fellows
International researchers	Eligible
Application deadline	January 31, 2027
Earliest research stay	January 1, 2028
Application contact	forschung@hab.de

What Is the Herzog August Bibliothek Fellowship?

The Herzog August Bibliothek fellowship programme supports scholars who need access to the library’s collections to carry out their research.

The opportunity is different from a conventional university scholarship.

Applicants are not primarily applying to complete a degree. Instead, they propose a specific research project that requires them to work with the collections available at the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel.

This makes the connection between the proposed research and the library’s holdings one of the most important parts of an application.

A proposal that simply states that the applicant wants to conduct humanities research in Germany would not demonstrate why a residency at HAB is necessary.

Researchers should instead identify the historical materials, manuscripts, books, collections or other resources that directly support their project.

Two Fellowship Routes Are Available

Researchers should select the fellowship according to their academic career stage and the amount of time required for their research.

Postdoctoral Fellowship

The Postdoctoral Fellowship provides a longer research period of six to ten months.

It is intended for researchers relatively early in their postdoctoral careers. According to the supplied programme information, applicants should generally be within six years of completing their PhD.

For the January 2027 application round, this means applicants would normally have received their doctorate in 2021 or later.

The fellowship provides:

€2,200 per month;
a research stay of six to ten months;
reimbursement of travel costs of up to €2,000; and
possible additional family support for eligible fellows with children.

This option is likely to be more appropriate for a researcher undertaking a substantial project requiring extended engagement with HAB’s collections.

Short-term Fellowship

The Short-term Fellowship supports concentrated research visits lasting one to three months.

Successful fellows receive €1,800 per month.

The eligibility range is broader than the postdoctoral route, extending from postdoctoral scholars through experienced and emeritus researchers, provided they meet the relevant academic requirements and demonstrate a genuine need to use HAB’s collections.

Travel support is also available, ranging from €150 to €650, depending on the fellow’s country of origin.

How Much Funding Is Available?

The fellowship offers meaningful financial support, but applicants should avoid automatically describing it as a fully funded scholarship covering every possible expense.

Postdoctoral Fellowship funding

Successful postdoctoral fellows receive €2,200 per month.

For example, the base fellowship support would amount to:

6 months: €13,200
8 months: €17,600
10 months: €22,000

These figures represent the monthly fellowship multiplied by the duration and do not include any additional travel or family support that an individual fellow may qualify to receive.

Travel expenses may be reimbursed up to €2,000.

Family support

Postdoctoral researchers bringing children may also qualify for additional monthly assistance.

The supplied programme information lists:

Children	Additional monthly support
One child	€300
Two children	€400
Three or more children	€500

Applicants should confirm the applicable conditions when requesting their official application documents.

Short-term Fellowship funding

Short-term fellows receive €1,800 per month for a research visit of between one and three months.

That means base fellowship funding could range from €1,800 for a one-month stay to €5,400 for a three-month stay.

Travel support ranges from €150 to €650, depending on country of origin.

The programme information supplied does not establish separate universal funding for every possible cost such as accommodation, meals, visa charges, local transport or health insurance. Applicants should therefore budget carefully rather than assuming all expenses will automatically be reimbursed.

Who Can Apply?

Eligibility depends partly on the fellowship category.

For the longer Postdoctoral Fellowship, researchers should normally be within six years of completing their doctorate.

For the Short-term Fellowship, the programme is open more broadly to researchers with a doctorate or academic equivalent, including researchers at later career stages and emeritus scholars.

The critical requirement across the programme is the relevance of the proposed research to the Herzog August Bibliothek’s holdings.

International researchers are eligible.

However, being an international applicant or holding a PhD is not enough on its own. The research proposal needs to make a convincing case for conducting the work at HAB.

What Research Fields Are Eligible?

The programme is particularly relevant to historically oriented humanities research.

Potential areas may include:

Medieval studies
Early modern studies
Cultural history
Intellectual history
Literature
Religious studies
History
Art history
Book history
Manuscript studies
Legal history
Historical humanities research

The supplied information does not establish a narrow list restricting applications to these examples.

Instead, the more important issue is whether the applicant’s project requires access to HAB’s collections.

Researchers from interdisciplinary fields may therefore have a viable project if they can demonstrate that the relevant primary sources and materials are held by the library.

Why the Library’s Collections Matter to Your Application

This is one of the most important differences between HAB and broad research fellowships.

The selection committee needs to understand why your research must take place in Wolfenbüttel.

Before preparing the final proposal, applicants should investigate the library’s catalogues and collections.

Instead of writing:

“My project examines religious literature in early modern Europe.”

A stronger proposal would identify the particular HAB manuscripts, rare books, archival materials or collection groups that are relevant and explain what questions will be investigated using those sources.

The proposal should establish a logical connection:

Research question → relevant HAB material → research method → time required at HAB → expected scholarly outcome.

This makes the requested fellowship duration easier to justify.

Herzog August Bibliothek Fellowship 2028 Application Process

The application method differs from programmes where candidates simply click an online application button and complete a standard form.

Step 1: Determine the correct fellowship

First decide whether you are applying for:

Post-doc — for the six-to-ten-month fellowship; or

Short-term — for the one-to-three-month research fellowship.

Your career stage and research requirements should determine the appropriate route.

Step 2: Research HAB’s collections

Before requesting the application material, investigate whether the Herzog August Bibliothek actually contains resources central to your proposed project.

This step should happen before writing the full proposal.

Identify specific collections or source groups whenever possible.

Step 3: Contact Herzog August Bibliothek

Applicants should request the appropriate application documents directly from HAB.

The supplied contact is:

forschung@hab.de

When contacting the library, applicants should state their research focus and identify the fellowship category using the appropriate keyword:

“Post-doc”

“Short-term.”

This helps the library provide the correct application documents.

Step 4: Prepare your research proposal

Your proposal should clearly explain the project you intend to undertake during the fellowship.

It should answer practical questions such as:

What is the central research question?

Why is the topic academically important?

Which HAB materials are relevant?

Why do you need physical access to those resources?

What research methods will you use?

What can realistically be completed during the proposed fellowship period?

What scholarly output is expected?

The more clearly these questions are answered, the easier it becomes for reviewers to evaluate the feasibility and relevance of the proposed stay.

Step 5: Complete the required application documents

Applicants should follow the instructions contained in the official documents supplied by HAB.

Because the information provided here does not reproduce the complete official 2028 document checklist, candidates should not assume that a generic fellowship checklist is sufficient.

Use the documentation provided directly by Herzog August Bibliothek as the authoritative checklist.

Step 6: Submit before January 31, 2027

The stated deadline for the 2028 fellowship cycle is January 31, 2027.

Researchers should avoid waiting until the final day, particularly if they need additional information from the library concerning collections or application documents.

How Are Applicants Selected?

Applications are reviewed externally before the Scientific Advisory Board makes fellowship selections.

This structure reinforces the importance of academic quality.

A competitive application should therefore demonstrate more than a strong academic record. Reviewers need to see a credible research project that can benefit meaningfully from the Herzog August Bibliothek’s resources.

Potentially important factors include the originality and academic quality of the project, feasibility of the proposed research period and the connection between the project and HAB’s holdings.

Documents You May Need

The definitive application requirements should come from the application documents provided by HAB after contacting the research office.

Researchers can nevertheless prepare the core academic information normally needed to explain their project, including details of their academic background, research experience, proposed project and relevant publications.

Applicants should not rely on an unofficial checklist if the current HAB application documents specify different requirements.

Application Mistakes to Avoid

A major mistake would be writing a strong research proposal without explaining why the Herzog August Bibliothek is necessary.

The fellowship exists to facilitate research involving its collections.

Applicants should also avoid selecting the wrong fellowship category. Someone seeking a two-month research visit should examine the Short-term Fellowship rather than trying to justify a six-month Postdoctoral Fellowship unnecessarily.

Other problems can include failing to identify relevant library materials, submitting an unrealistic research schedule, overlooking the PhD timing requirement for the postdoctoral route or missing the January deadline.

Is This a DAAD Scholarship?

No.

The opportunity may appear through scholarship information services or databases associated with opportunities in Germany, but the supplied information identifies the State of Lower Saxony as the funder, with the fellowship administered through the Herzog August Bibliothek.

Applicants should therefore refer to it as the Herzog August Bibliothek Research Fellowship, rather than suggesting that DAAD itself provides the fellowship funding.

Can International Researchers Apply?

Yes.

The fellowship welcomes researchers from Germany and abroad.

This international eligibility is particularly useful for scholars whose research requires materials held in Wolfenbüttel but who are currently based at universities or research institutions elsewhere.

International applicants should still investigate the practical requirements associated with travelling to and staying in Germany for their fellowship period.

Can Current PhD Students Apply?

The Short-term Fellowship described in the supplied information requires a doctoral degree or academic equivalent.

Current doctoral students should therefore not assume they qualify for this specific postdoctoral/short-term funding route.

HAB has separate fellowship arrangements that doctoral researchers may investigate where appropriate.

When Can the Fellowship Start?

Successful applicants for this cycle can undertake research stays beginning from January 1, 2028.

This explains why applications close almost a year earlier on January 31, 2027.

Researchers should use the preparation period to develop a realistic schedule and identify the collections they need to consult.

Why This Fellowship Is Worth Considering

The programme has several advantages for researchers working with historical sources.

First, it provides dedicated research time rather than requiring fellows to balance the project with a full teaching schedule.

Second, successful researchers gain direct access to specialized historical collections.

Third, the longer Postdoctoral Fellowship can provide as much as ten months for sustained research, while the Short-term Fellowship gives established scholars an option for a concentrated visit.

Finally, international eligibility means the programme can attract researchers from outside Germany whose projects require access to HAB materials.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for the Herzog August Bibliothek Fellowships 2028?

The stated application deadline is January 31, 2027.

When can successful researchers begin?

Research stays for this cycle can begin from January 1, 2028.

How much does the Postdoctoral Fellowship pay?

The supplied information states €2,200 per month.

How long does the Postdoctoral Fellowship last?

The fellowship lasts between six and ten months.

How much does the Short-term Fellowship pay?

Short-term fellows receive €1,800 per month.

How long is the Short-term Fellowship?

It lasts between one and three months.

Is travel funding available?

Yes. Postdoctoral fellows may receive travel reimbursement of up to €2,000, while short-term fellows may receive between €150 and €650, depending on country of origin.

Is family support available?

Qualifying postdoctoral fellows with children may receive additional monthly support ranging from €300 to €500, depending on the number of children.

Are international applicants eligible?

Yes. Researchers from outside Germany may apply, provided they satisfy the relevant fellowship requirements.

Is this a fully funded fellowship?

It is better described as a funded research fellowship. The programme provides a monthly fellowship and specified travel and family support, but the supplied information does not establish that every possible living and research expense is covered.

Do applicants need a PhD?

The opportunities described here are aimed at researchers with a doctorate or equivalent academic status. The Postdoctoral Fellowship also has a career-stage condition connected to the date the PhD was awarded.

Where should applicants request the application documents?

Applicants should contact the Herzog August Bibliothek research office at forschung@hab.de, identify their research focus and indicate whether they are interested in the “Post-doc” or “Short-term” fellowship.

Final Takeaway

The Germany Herzog August Bibliothek Fellowships 2028 provide a significant opportunity for international humanities researchers whose work depends on historical resources held by the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel.

Two main routes are available. The longer Postdoctoral Fellowship provides €2,200 per month for six to ten months, plus travel support of up to €2,000 and possible family supplements. The Short-term Fellowship provides €1,800 per month for one to three months, with additional travel support determined by country of origin.

The application deadline is January 31, 2027, while successful research stays can begin from January 1, 2028.

The strongest applications will not simply demonstrate that the researcher has an interesting humanities project. They will explain specifically why the Herzog August Bibliothek’s collections are essential to that research and what can realistically be accomplished during the proposed stay.

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