Lorentz Center -

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Lorentz Fellowships and collaboration with NIAS

General

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The Lorentz Fellowship program is a joint venture between the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Social Sciences and Humanities in Wassenaar (NIAS) and the Lorentz Center in Leiden. The programme was (formally) launched in 2006 to promote interdisciplinary research that bridges the gap between the humanities and/or the social sciences on the one hand and the natural sciences on the other; Lorentz Fellowships are awarded by NIAS to scholars whose research reaches across this boundary. Project proposals are welcomed that approach research topics from an inherently interdisciplinary viewpoint.

Lorentz Fellowship

Lorentz Fellowships are residential fellowships at NIAS (in Wassenaar). Lorentz Fellowships are generally awarded for a full research year, from 1 September - 30 June, although one semester of 5 months also is possible. As part of the fellowship, the Lorentz Fellow is expected to organize a workshop that reflects the interdisciplinary nature of their research.
Recently, the Distinguished Lorentz Fellowship has been installed. This fellowship is awarded by invitation only and carries a personal prize. The first DLF was presented on 11 March 2009 .

Resources

The Lorentz Fellowship carries a stipend, the exact amount of which varies according to the rank, academic position and current salary of the applicant, as well as the other sources of income available to the applicant. The ultimate goal is to ensure that Lorentz Fellows have sufficient funds to live in reasonable comfort while at NIAS. Both the Institute and the Lorentz Center are willing to contribute towards this goal.

The Lorentz Fellowship workshop

The Lorentz Fellowship workshop should be connected to the research project and specifically highlight the interdisciplinary nature. A Lorentz Fellowship workshop usually lasts one or two weeks and involves groups of 30-40 scientists. The Lorentz workshop is held and organised at the Lorentz Center in Leiden. The objective of the workshops and the layout of facilities at the Lorentz center are all aimed at promoting informal discussion and interaction while providing all participants with office facilities and accommodation where necessary. Scientists are free to decide which format will work best for their needs and their particular project. Funding is available to cover (a substantial part of) the costs of organizing the workshop.

Applications

Fellowship applications are welcomed from scholars, from any country, whose research interests could be served by a project that matches the profile of the Lorentz Fellowship. Additional information on the fellowship and the special application form can be found at the NIAS website http://www.nias.knaw.nl/en/fellowships/lorentz_fellowships.
All applications will be reviewed by the Lorentz Center interdisciplinary advisory board and the NIAS scholarship committee.

Interdisciplinary Lorentz Center Workshops -
fellowship independent

In the context of the NIAS-Lorentz Center collaboration, interdisciplinary workshops may also be organised independent of a Lorentz Felloweship. The Lorentz Center has already hosted a number of interdisciplinary workshops which were organised by non-Lorentz Fellowship holders. The workshops must fulfill the same interdisciplinary requirements as the Lorentz Fellowships, the applications are written following the guidelines for Lorentz Center workshops, and, in addition, a 1 page summary of the workshop should be provided which is accessible to the lay person. These proposals are evaluated by the interdisciplinary advisory board.