We invite applications for 15 Fellowships in two tracks for the period from October 2026 until July 2027.
Based on a unique concept centred around Europe-wide mobility for collaboration combined with opportunities of exchange and a European Alumni Network, the Fellowship programme provides the opportunity for early- to mid-career scholars and practitioners to work and publish on an issue related to democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
Calls for Applications
TRACK 2
FAQ
Deadline: 5 March 2026, 12 noon CET
Stipend: € 2.500 per month during mobility periods between October 2026 and July 2027
What is the re:constitution Fellowship?
The rule of law and democracy are interlinked and mutually reinforcing, however increasingly contested in Europe. A growing European Union (EU) needs to rest on a broad consensus of the rule of law and democracy and its components such as freedom, equality and dignity as primary common principles ensuring legitimacy and stability in Europe and beyond. In light of the existing and future challenges in the EU and its neighbourhood, re:constitution aims to strengthen the common ground for the rule of law and democratic principles by encouraging pan-European mobility, interdisciplinary debate and the formation of a network of scholars and practitioners of law and democracy. Since 2019, re:constitution annually awards Fellowships to early- and mid-career scholars and practitioners to work on individual projects related to the rule of law and democracy in Europe. The programme enables Fellows to contribute to the debate on the state and future of the constitution of democracy and rule of law in Europe, encourages critical debates across and within national positions, across academia and practice. Based on a unique concept centred around Europe-wide mobility for collaboration combined with opportunities of exchange and a European Alumni Network, the Fellowship programme is designed to contribute to safeguarding and strengthening the rule of law, democracy and the respect of fundamental rights.
Structure
re:constitution Fellowships are designed for both academics and practitioners and will be awarded for the period from October 2026 to July 2027. The Fellowships are offered in two tracks to better accommodate individual professional requirements and personal circumstances of the applicants. Fellows from both tracks will have equal access to all parts of the programme and together they will constitute the interdisciplinary and international re:constitution cohort of 2026/27.
TRACK 1 - Full Time
8 Fellowships available
for scholars and practitioners
Mobility period of 6 months to be taken flexibly between October 2026 and July 2027.
Research stays at TWO host institutions in EU / non-EU EEA / Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine or the United Kingdom during mobility period, divided between a research institution and an institution working in a practical context and on a full-time basis each. The host institutions’ locations must differ from the country of residence during the time of the Fellowship.
Stipend of 2.500,- € per mobility month to cover 6-month mobility phase
Participation in 3 Fellows’ Exchange Meetings over 2-3 days each mandatory:
• First meeting: October 2026 in-person in Berlin
• Second meeting: February 2027 online
• Third meeting: June 2027 in-person outside of Germany in Europe
Presentation of re:constitution research project and full participation in Online Fellow Talks series.
TRACK 2 - Shorter mobility period with part-time option
7 Fellowships available
exclusively for practitioners
Stipend
2.500,- € per mobility month to cover 3-month full-time, OR
1.250,- € per mobility month to cover 6-month part-time mobility phase.
Mobility period of 3 months full-time (or 6 months part-time) to be taken flexibly between October 2026 and July 2027
Research stay at ONE host institution in EU / non-EU EEA / Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine or the United Kingdom during mobility period, with a duration
a) of 3 months on full-time basis, OR
b) of 6 months on a part-time basis.
The location of the host institution must differ from the country of residence during the time of the Fellowship. Since the Fellowships are designed to converge academia and practice, we encourage practitioners to approach host institutions in academia if beneficial to their projects.
Participation in at least 2 out of 3 Fellows’ Exchange Meetings. Attendance of the first in-person meeting in October 2026 in Berlin is mandatory. Subsequently, Fellows should attend at least one of the additional meetings:
• Second meeting: February 2027 online,
• Third meeting: June 2027 in-person outside of Germany in Europe
Presentation of re:constitution research project in Online Fellow Talks series, participation in full series optional, but encouraged.
Eligibility
re:constitution invites applications from residents* in the European Union, non-EU EEA countries as well as from residents in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine and the United Kingdom in the early stages of their careers as
SCHOLARS (Track 1)
holding/finishing a PhD in law/legal studies and/or political sciences, social sciences, philosophy or other neighbouring disciplines (focusing on issues on and around democracy and/or the rule of law in Europe). Your PhD research should either be almost completed or should have been completed no more than 10 years ago. Scholars who are still working on their dissertation may be eligible if their PhD will be completed within one year.
PRACTITIONERS (Track 1 and 2) such as
Government officials (e.g. policy advisors) from central authorities and local selfgovernment bodies,
Judges, magistrates, prosecutors, law clerks and other legal professions or practising lawyers (attorneys),
NGO/think tank legal/policy experts working on the rule of law and/or democracy in Europe,
Journalists reporting on the rule of law and/or democracy in Europe,
General researchers/legal experts working on questions pertaining to the rule of law and/or democracy in Europe.
(This list is non-exhaustive. For practitioners, comparable work experience is expected, but a PhD is not required.)
* It is important to be a resident of one of these countries for the duration of the Fellowship. Citizenship of these states is not required.
Benefits
Independence and flexibility to research and publish on an issue of choice connected to democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
Funding for mobility via collaboration with selected host institutions across Europe offering new personal and remote work and exchange opportunities.
Exchange and debate on topical issues in interdisciplinary, high-quality and flexible environment of mutual learning and professional development among scholars, legal practitioners and journalists from across Europe.
Networking through multi-faceted exchange about democracy and the rule of law in personal meetings with leading experts and decision makers from across Europe and different backgrounds offering diverse perspectives.
Shaping the re:constitution alumni network to build a sustainable community of knowledge and discussion with potential for further collaboration and support.
Support by the coordination team and access to a secure digital collaborative working space provided by Forum Transregionale Studien.
Opportunities to become involved in the broader analytical work of the re:constitution programme run by Democracy Reporting International, based on interests and availability.
Training courses to promote Fellows’ further career development, particularly in the areas of interdisciplinary, intersectoral and transregional competences and to expand methodological knowledge.
With accepting the Fellowship, the applicants will agree
to pursue an independent research project about an issue pertaining to the programmatic scope of re:constitution,
to select host institutions in the EU, non-EU EEA, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine or the United Kingdom and to manage their own research stays of up to 6 months at up to two host institutions working in academia and practise,
to attend the Fellows’ Exchange Meetings in October 2026, February and/or June 2027,
to ensure their participation in the Fellow Talk series to present their research and discuss other Fellows’ research projects,
to publish the project results and outcomes in a suitable format. These can be re:constitution Working Papers (for any academic papers) or alternatively, other output formats (e.g. policy papers, op-eds, reports, essays, podcast episodes, blog posts etc). Producing one type of outcome is the minimal requirement; further publication and dissemination is welcome. Please specify your preference/s in the application!
How to apply
Please make sure to choose the correct Fellowship Track (1 or 2) when starting the application process. We only accept one application per person.
Important! Applications by e-mail will not be considered!
As part of your application, you will be asked to prepare and upload the following:
• Curriculum vitae including a list of publications (max. 3 pages),
• Project outline (max. 1500 words)
• Short abstract of your project (max. 300 words),
• Two references (university faculty members or practitioners in a field relevant to your project).
Please note: Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED.
• Potential host institutions (your preferred research and practice institutions in Europe to spend part of your mobility period, ideally including an indication of preferred dates and/or existing personal contacts. By the time of submitting your application you are not yet required to organise your stays.)
Any applications that do not fulfil the conditions on the document lengths as mentioned above will be excluded.
For the project outline, we recommend the following structure:
Context/problem and relevance (practical need or academic novelty)
Project description, question(s) and objectives
Methods, working plan (incl. mobility phase) and outputs
Conclusion (incl. potential impact and contributions)
The working language of re:constitution is English.
The diversity of our societies should also be reflected in the Fellowships. We therefore welcome applicants of all cultural and social backgrounds, ages, religions, world views, disabilities or sexual identities.
The applications will be evaluated by an evaluation committee of scholars and practitioners working in the fields of democracy and the rule of law. The selection is based on the plausibility of the project proposal, the Fellowship vision, the experiences and expertise of the applicant as well as the applicant’s potential for the overall programme.
All applicants will be informed of the outcome of the evaluation process by end of May 2026.
If you have any questions, please refer to the FAQ on our website or contact the programme coordination team:
reconstitution(at)trafo-berlin.de