Final Report Summary - M4HUMAN (Mobility for experienced researchers in historical humanities including Islamic studies)
Final Publishable Summary Report
Description of the work performed
Starting in 2011, the Gerda Henkel Foundation (GHF) was offering Marie Curie Fellowships in the M4HUMAN (Mobility for experienced researchers in historical humanities and Islamic studies) programme aimed at supporting outstanding scholars. The programme was dedicated to enhance two existing international fellowships of GHF by increasing the number of experienced fellows, improving the grant conditions and strengthening the trans-national mobility. One programme was in the field of historical humanities, the other one had a special focus on Islamic studies. The funding initiative was co-financed by the European Commission under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research. Due to the higher budget volume GHF was able to significantly increase the number of fellows.
One objective of this fixed-term programme was to increase networking between researchers in the historical humanities at the international level, including researchers in religious, cultural and political sciences under the special programme “Islam, the Modern Nation State and Transnational Movements”. The reason for selecting these two fellowships was the high demand for fellowships in this area and the actual scientific and political importance of the topic. Other goals of the programme included the promotion of transnational academic exchange, increasing transnational mobility, facilitating further education and the positive and long-term influencing of the research environment in both origin and destination countries. The programme provided 24-month research grants for experienced and senior researchers.
In addition to the academic suitability of the applicant, a precondition for the application was an element of mobility (either incoming or outgoing). In both cases the fellow was expected to move borders. Incoming fellowships were dedicated to experienced researchers from the EU, Associated States* or Third Countries** (including German researchers abroad) to perform research at a German host institution. Outgoing fellowships were dedicated to researchers from Germany or other EU Member States and Associated States to perform research at a host institution in another EU Member State (except Germany), Associated Country or Third country. In both programmes there was no restriction with respect to the chosen country.
Not accepted were only the cases in which a) the country of origin and destination were identical or b) the country of origin was a Third Country** but the destination country was not Germany.
* Associated Countries: Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Republic of Moldova
** Third Countries are countries which are neither EU Member States nor Associated Countries.
In order to find suitable fellows for the M4HUMAN programme the Gerda Henkel Foundation launched two calls for proposals, in 2011 and in 2012 via frequently used means of communication such as online media, press releases, print products, conferences, events, etc. Both calls met a great response from the scientific community in Germany, Europe and worldwide. Researchers were encouraged to choose their research topic freely within the programme fields of historical humanities and Islamic studies according to their own area of interest and their individual career development needs. In addition, the researchers also had complete freedom to select their host institution and supervisor from practically any country in the world. The deadline for submission of applications was three months after publication.
In 2011 the Foundation received applications from over 40 countries. The programme attracted many researchers from the European Community but also from other regions such as Southeast Asia, Northern Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The majority of applicants sought for scientific exchange within the EU. The most popular destinations were Germany, Great Britain (for incoming) and the United States (for outgoing). Concerning the fields of study, most researches applied for projects in the field of Modern History, Islamic Studies and projects with disciplinary approaches combining methods and topics from the historical humanities and other research areas.
In 2012 the mobility programme once again managed to attract many researchers from the European Community, the United States and other regions of the world. The applicants have their origin in more than 30 countries. Origins like Albania, Columbia, Estonia, Argentina, Israel, China, Iran or New Zealand and destinations like Turkey, Jamaica, Brazil or Lebanon in the granted fellowships are an evidence for the successful effort to establish an international research programme which improves scientific exchange.
402 eligible applications by 180 female and 218 male researchers were evaluated by a newly-established international advisory committee which consisted of the following experts:
Prof. Dr. Claudia Antonetti | Venice
Prof. Dr. Andreas Beyer | Paris
Prof. Dr. Philippe Bordes | Lyon
Prof. Dr. Leonid I. Borodkin | Moscow
Prof. Dr. Jane Caplan | Oxford
Prof. Dr. Anja Pistor-Hatam | Kiel
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Schlögl | Konstanz
Prof. Dr. Willibald Steinmetz | Bielefeld
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger | Münster
Prof. Dr. Bo Stråth | Helsinki
Prof. Dr. Wyger R. E. Velema | Amsterdam
Prof. Dr. Martin Zimmermann | Munich
The selection criteria were based solely on the basis of excellence. The final decision on all applications has been made by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, based on the recommendations of the Committee. The organization of the evaluation and selection process was fully transparent in order to improve the quality and reputation of the programmes and to be internationally comparable.
Within the M4HUMAN project GHF awarded 96 fellowships: 44 females and 52 males (most of them with a duration of 24 months), 90 of them were carried out; others resigned due to different reasons. The period of the 90 granted fellowships lasted until the summer of 2015.
Once the researcher was selected for the programme s/he became the main leading actor, with the support of the mentor assigned, in designing a Personal Training and Career Development Plan. In order for GHF to keep an eye on the fellow’s progress, the fellows were requested to submit interim and final reports which were assessed by a certain set of criteria. Additionally the fellows have been evaluated bi-annually by the assigned mentor who reported annually to GHF about the development of the fellow. After reviewing the project GHF reserved the right to revoke a grant and to make a claim for reimbursement if – for example – conditions imposed by GHF are not met or are not met within the deadlines or if the grant has not been used for the direct purpose stated.
GHF administrative and the programme manager supported first all applicants, and secondly all awarded fellows during their fellowship - and continue to do so afterwards. Support services included and still include a helpdesk through e-mail and telephone; the uploading of the FAQs on the website; assistance during the fellowships for all kind of questions that may arise. Additionally support was offered by suggesting and arranging contacts with qualified persons at the host location to solve child care and other practical questions. The interactive international science portal L.I.S.A. which was launched 2010 enables the world-wide exchange of ideas, experiences and knowledge between the renowned academics and researchers via conference reporting, literary reviews, event announcements, pod casts, dossiers, expert chats and online lectures. L.I.S.A. enabled and stimulated the fellows to exchange their trans-national experiences and therefore provided a huge information source. Transfer of knowledge was made easy and accessible at all times.
Description of the main results
Through the extension of the existing programmes and the experiences gathered from the M4HUMAN project, GHF was able to internationalize and optimize internal processes and work flows for the benefit of the fellows. As a consequence the project enabled a critical mass of experienced researchers to obtain quantifiable impact in research and societal value added. Thanks to the COFUND opportunity GHF was able to firstly increase the number of fellowships with a mobility element in the historical sciences by 45% and increased the number of fellowships in the Islamic studies by 220% (from 5 to 16 fellowships per call compared to 2009 figures). Secondly M4HUMAN was established as a model of the future launch of transnational projects together with co-operating foundations from the EU or other international organizations. The objective of both programmes was to generate a strategic impact in supporting the international research in the field of historical humanities.
Incoming fellows brought their research expertise and access to international networks to the host. Thereby they enriched the host institution and European science community in the respective field. After their return they strengthened the scientific capacity of their home country and promoted cooperation with the host institution.
Outgoing fellowships had a positive impact on the career development of the researchers due to manifold reasons: Improving language and research competence, gaining new professional insights and perspectives, cultural and social development, establishing new contacts and joining networks. GHF improved the reintegration element. All fellows received a 1000€ return fee for return-incurred and –related costs. Through the introduction of the integration element as a standard measure in the M4HUMAN project GHF encouraged the return of the researchers which is fully in line with the general objectives of the European Research Area (ERA).
Former fellows of the Marie Curie Fellowships increased their employability by boosting their career development through personal, scientific-technical, social and soft skills. They have a higher reputation thanks to the completion of a highly-recognized transnational mobility fellowship. Since the Gerda Henkel Foundation is a renowned institution, its’ grateful fellows are often offered promising opportunities during or shortly after the end of their fellowship. Fellows of programmes funded by the EU and Foundations are likely to attract future opportunities. Furthermore the fellows answered their individual research needs, gained experience working in an internationally organized, multidisciplinary environment and broadened and deepened their skills through training according to their development plans. Additionally they improved their foreign language skills, raised intercultural awareness and established excellent contacts world-wide. Each fellow received a certificate proving the participation in the M4HUMAN project to achieve better career opportunities when returning to their previous job or applying for a new position.
After the two-year-fellowship fellows had the chance to apply for a follow-up grant for publishing their research results. Excellent publications that will lead to interesting discussions emerged from the project.
Conclusion and Social Impact
GHF is continuously enhancing the foundation’s partnerships with outstanding international universities as Princeton or Stanford and research institutions worldwide. The established partnerships serve as a model for building up additional co-operations with research institutions in the field of humanities, for example in the Islamic world for the purpose of offering fellowships on the highest level of excellence. To arouse the awareness among humanities’ researchers participation in policy-oriented research was another contribution of the programme. Therefore the Special Programme Islam was aimed at researchers who were examining the emergence of political movements in the Islamic world at the national and/or transnational level and wanted to link this research with current developments. The developments in the Islamic world have an impact world-wide that may destabilize societies. The Islam counts 1.3 billion followers around the world. There is a large societal need to analyze historical developments in order to understand the present with the objective to help solve current intercultural conflicts. The cultural awareness that our incoming and outgoing fellows have experienced helps in setting a stable basis for intercultural communication.
The study of the Humanities like History, Archology, History of Arts and several others are necessary for the unfolding of a cultural understanding. Those fields of studies which are mainly based in the past possess the potential to contribute strongly to the future. Learning about one's own and others culture leads to a greater understanding of commonalities and differences within these cultures. The mobility element and the integration at an international host organization in a foreign country is a proven way to crosslink Europe.
Another strong intention of M4HUMAN was to establish new contacts and networks through the network of incoming and outgoing fellows and therefore creating new synergies with international organizations. Through the extended mobility of researchers, networking activities increased at an international level leading to quality boos of research in humanities. Collaboration and the exchange of experiences helped, still help and further on will help to overcome fragmented approaches to humanities on the European level. GHF is confident that the research program has been a right step towards the development of a joined European scientific community.
In some way the M4HUMAN programme led to new programmes of the Foundation going even further today, like strong initiatives in Subsaharan Africa, Nepal and Southeast Asia today. We link the world with Europe, and Europe with the world, to improve research and living conditions.
Additionally should be mentioned that all applicants which have been eligible to apply for M4HUMAN nowadays are eligible to apply within the Basic Funding Programmes of the Foundation which are open for researchers from all over the world. GHF as an institution has internationalized as well during the last five years, and surely faster than it would have done without the programme.
- The address of the public website of the project as well as relevant contact details.
http://www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/programme-m4human-mobility-for-experienced-researchers-in-historical-humanities-and-islamic-studies?page_id=93661&language=en
Contact details:
Jens Christian Schneider M. A.
Gerda Henkel Stiftung
Project Manager
Marie Curie Fellowships
Malkastenstraße 15
40211 Duesseldorf
Germany
Tel.: +49 211 93 65 24 23
Fax: +49 211 93 65 24 44
schneider@gerda-henkel-stiftung.de
www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de
Attached:
- Host institutions
Description of the work performed
Starting in 2011, the Gerda Henkel Foundation (GHF) was offering Marie Curie Fellowships in the M4HUMAN (Mobility for experienced researchers in historical humanities and Islamic studies) programme aimed at supporting outstanding scholars. The programme was dedicated to enhance two existing international fellowships of GHF by increasing the number of experienced fellows, improving the grant conditions and strengthening the trans-national mobility. One programme was in the field of historical humanities, the other one had a special focus on Islamic studies. The funding initiative was co-financed by the European Commission under the EU’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research. Due to the higher budget volume GHF was able to significantly increase the number of fellows.
One objective of this fixed-term programme was to increase networking between researchers in the historical humanities at the international level, including researchers in religious, cultural and political sciences under the special programme “Islam, the Modern Nation State and Transnational Movements”. The reason for selecting these two fellowships was the high demand for fellowships in this area and the actual scientific and political importance of the topic. Other goals of the programme included the promotion of transnational academic exchange, increasing transnational mobility, facilitating further education and the positive and long-term influencing of the research environment in both origin and destination countries. The programme provided 24-month research grants for experienced and senior researchers.
In addition to the academic suitability of the applicant, a precondition for the application was an element of mobility (either incoming or outgoing). In both cases the fellow was expected to move borders. Incoming fellowships were dedicated to experienced researchers from the EU, Associated States* or Third Countries** (including German researchers abroad) to perform research at a German host institution. Outgoing fellowships were dedicated to researchers from Germany or other EU Member States and Associated States to perform research at a host institution in another EU Member State (except Germany), Associated Country or Third country. In both programmes there was no restriction with respect to the chosen country.
Not accepted were only the cases in which a) the country of origin and destination were identical or b) the country of origin was a Third Country** but the destination country was not Germany.
* Associated Countries: Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Croatia, Republic of Macedonia, Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Faroe Islands, Republic of Moldova
** Third Countries are countries which are neither EU Member States nor Associated Countries.
In order to find suitable fellows for the M4HUMAN programme the Gerda Henkel Foundation launched two calls for proposals, in 2011 and in 2012 via frequently used means of communication such as online media, press releases, print products, conferences, events, etc. Both calls met a great response from the scientific community in Germany, Europe and worldwide. Researchers were encouraged to choose their research topic freely within the programme fields of historical humanities and Islamic studies according to their own area of interest and their individual career development needs. In addition, the researchers also had complete freedom to select their host institution and supervisor from practically any country in the world. The deadline for submission of applications was three months after publication.
In 2011 the Foundation received applications from over 40 countries. The programme attracted many researchers from the European Community but also from other regions such as Southeast Asia, Northern Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The majority of applicants sought for scientific exchange within the EU. The most popular destinations were Germany, Great Britain (for incoming) and the United States (for outgoing). Concerning the fields of study, most researches applied for projects in the field of Modern History, Islamic Studies and projects with disciplinary approaches combining methods and topics from the historical humanities and other research areas.
In 2012 the mobility programme once again managed to attract many researchers from the European Community, the United States and other regions of the world. The applicants have their origin in more than 30 countries. Origins like Albania, Columbia, Estonia, Argentina, Israel, China, Iran or New Zealand and destinations like Turkey, Jamaica, Brazil or Lebanon in the granted fellowships are an evidence for the successful effort to establish an international research programme which improves scientific exchange.
402 eligible applications by 180 female and 218 male researchers were evaluated by a newly-established international advisory committee which consisted of the following experts:
Prof. Dr. Claudia Antonetti | Venice
Prof. Dr. Andreas Beyer | Paris
Prof. Dr. Philippe Bordes | Lyon
Prof. Dr. Leonid I. Borodkin | Moscow
Prof. Dr. Jane Caplan | Oxford
Prof. Dr. Anja Pistor-Hatam | Kiel
Prof. Dr. Rudolf Schlögl | Konstanz
Prof. Dr. Willibald Steinmetz | Bielefeld
Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Barbara Stollberg-Rilinger | Münster
Prof. Dr. Bo Stråth | Helsinki
Prof. Dr. Wyger R. E. Velema | Amsterdam
Prof. Dr. Martin Zimmermann | Munich
The selection criteria were based solely on the basis of excellence. The final decision on all applications has been made by the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, based on the recommendations of the Committee. The organization of the evaluation and selection process was fully transparent in order to improve the quality and reputation of the programmes and to be internationally comparable.
Within the M4HUMAN project GHF awarded 96 fellowships: 44 females and 52 males (most of them with a duration of 24 months), 90 of them were carried out; others resigned due to different reasons. The period of the 90 granted fellowships lasted until the summer of 2015.
Once the researcher was selected for the programme s/he became the main leading actor, with the support of the mentor assigned, in designing a Personal Training and Career Development Plan. In order for GHF to keep an eye on the fellow’s progress, the fellows were requested to submit interim and final reports which were assessed by a certain set of criteria. Additionally the fellows have been evaluated bi-annually by the assigned mentor who reported annually to GHF about the development of the fellow. After reviewing the project GHF reserved the right to revoke a grant and to make a claim for reimbursement if – for example – conditions imposed by GHF are not met or are not met within the deadlines or if the grant has not been used for the direct purpose stated.
GHF administrative and the programme manager supported first all applicants, and secondly all awarded fellows during their fellowship - and continue to do so afterwards. Support services included and still include a helpdesk through e-mail and telephone; the uploading of the FAQs on the website; assistance during the fellowships for all kind of questions that may arise. Additionally support was offered by suggesting and arranging contacts with qualified persons at the host location to solve child care and other practical questions. The interactive international science portal L.I.S.A. which was launched 2010 enables the world-wide exchange of ideas, experiences and knowledge between the renowned academics and researchers via conference reporting, literary reviews, event announcements, pod casts, dossiers, expert chats and online lectures. L.I.S.A. enabled and stimulated the fellows to exchange their trans-national experiences and therefore provided a huge information source. Transfer of knowledge was made easy and accessible at all times.
Description of the main results
Through the extension of the existing programmes and the experiences gathered from the M4HUMAN project, GHF was able to internationalize and optimize internal processes and work flows for the benefit of the fellows. As a consequence the project enabled a critical mass of experienced researchers to obtain quantifiable impact in research and societal value added. Thanks to the COFUND opportunity GHF was able to firstly increase the number of fellowships with a mobility element in the historical sciences by 45% and increased the number of fellowships in the Islamic studies by 220% (from 5 to 16 fellowships per call compared to 2009 figures). Secondly M4HUMAN was established as a model of the future launch of transnational projects together with co-operating foundations from the EU or other international organizations. The objective of both programmes was to generate a strategic impact in supporting the international research in the field of historical humanities.
Incoming fellows brought their research expertise and access to international networks to the host. Thereby they enriched the host institution and European science community in the respective field. After their return they strengthened the scientific capacity of their home country and promoted cooperation with the host institution.
Outgoing fellowships had a positive impact on the career development of the researchers due to manifold reasons: Improving language and research competence, gaining new professional insights and perspectives, cultural and social development, establishing new contacts and joining networks. GHF improved the reintegration element. All fellows received a 1000€ return fee for return-incurred and –related costs. Through the introduction of the integration element as a standard measure in the M4HUMAN project GHF encouraged the return of the researchers which is fully in line with the general objectives of the European Research Area (ERA).
Former fellows of the Marie Curie Fellowships increased their employability by boosting their career development through personal, scientific-technical, social and soft skills. They have a higher reputation thanks to the completion of a highly-recognized transnational mobility fellowship. Since the Gerda Henkel Foundation is a renowned institution, its’ grateful fellows are often offered promising opportunities during or shortly after the end of their fellowship. Fellows of programmes funded by the EU and Foundations are likely to attract future opportunities. Furthermore the fellows answered their individual research needs, gained experience working in an internationally organized, multidisciplinary environment and broadened and deepened their skills through training according to their development plans. Additionally they improved their foreign language skills, raised intercultural awareness and established excellent contacts world-wide. Each fellow received a certificate proving the participation in the M4HUMAN project to achieve better career opportunities when returning to their previous job or applying for a new position.
After the two-year-fellowship fellows had the chance to apply for a follow-up grant for publishing their research results. Excellent publications that will lead to interesting discussions emerged from the project.
Conclusion and Social Impact
GHF is continuously enhancing the foundation’s partnerships with outstanding international universities as Princeton or Stanford and research institutions worldwide. The established partnerships serve as a model for building up additional co-operations with research institutions in the field of humanities, for example in the Islamic world for the purpose of offering fellowships on the highest level of excellence. To arouse the awareness among humanities’ researchers participation in policy-oriented research was another contribution of the programme. Therefore the Special Programme Islam was aimed at researchers who were examining the emergence of political movements in the Islamic world at the national and/or transnational level and wanted to link this research with current developments. The developments in the Islamic world have an impact world-wide that may destabilize societies. The Islam counts 1.3 billion followers around the world. There is a large societal need to analyze historical developments in order to understand the present with the objective to help solve current intercultural conflicts. The cultural awareness that our incoming and outgoing fellows have experienced helps in setting a stable basis for intercultural communication.
The study of the Humanities like History, Archology, History of Arts and several others are necessary for the unfolding of a cultural understanding. Those fields of studies which are mainly based in the past possess the potential to contribute strongly to the future. Learning about one's own and others culture leads to a greater understanding of commonalities and differences within these cultures. The mobility element and the integration at an international host organization in a foreign country is a proven way to crosslink Europe.
Another strong intention of M4HUMAN was to establish new contacts and networks through the network of incoming and outgoing fellows and therefore creating new synergies with international organizations. Through the extended mobility of researchers, networking activities increased at an international level leading to quality boos of research in humanities. Collaboration and the exchange of experiences helped, still help and further on will help to overcome fragmented approaches to humanities on the European level. GHF is confident that the research program has been a right step towards the development of a joined European scientific community.
In some way the M4HUMAN programme led to new programmes of the Foundation going even further today, like strong initiatives in Subsaharan Africa, Nepal and Southeast Asia today. We link the world with Europe, and Europe with the world, to improve research and living conditions.
Additionally should be mentioned that all applicants which have been eligible to apply for M4HUMAN nowadays are eligible to apply within the Basic Funding Programmes of the Foundation which are open for researchers from all over the world. GHF as an institution has internationalized as well during the last five years, and surely faster than it would have done without the programme.
- The address of the public website of the project as well as relevant contact details.
http://www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de/programme-m4human-mobility-for-experienced-researchers-in-historical-humanities-and-islamic-studies?page_id=93661&language=en
Contact details:
Jens Christian Schneider M. A.
Gerda Henkel Stiftung
Project Manager
Marie Curie Fellowships
Malkastenstraße 15
40211 Duesseldorf
Germany
Tel.: +49 211 93 65 24 23
Fax: +49 211 93 65 24 44
schneider@gerda-henkel-stiftung.de
www.gerda-henkel-stiftung.de
Attached:
- Host institutions
