Periodic Reporting for period 2 - artes EUmanities (a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities - European Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne) Reporting period: 2019-04-01 to 2022-03-31 Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project With a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities, the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanties Cologne has established a pioneering doctoral programme designed specifically around the needs of individual Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) in the Humanities. Since 2017, the programme has recruited 30 young scholars (10 per year in 3 calls) for a duration of 36 months to undergo an excellent research training in the Humanities. By offering a distinct international, interdisciplinary and intersectoral environment, the research conducted by the fellows of a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities facilitates a broadened and considerate understanding of societal processes and practices and the underlying historical contexts enabling the fellows to be aware of their pivotal role in shaping the future of Europe.Located at the University of Cologne, a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities has been integrated into an ideal institutional infrastructure and has offered a doctoral training programme with stable working conditions and a career orientated approach with regard to the “triple-i” dimension intending interdisciplinary and international orientation as well as intersectoral outreach of each ESR’s individual research and career development: - a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities was based on a structured but flexible bottom-up approach bringing together a wide range of disciplines for the entire Humanities and offering each ESR manifold opportunities for disciplinary and interdisciplinary exchange and supervision tailored to the needs of the individual research project.- Best supervision and early network building have been guaranteed by compulsory international mobility phases: each ESR had to choose one out of two mobility options intending either an at least 18-months research period out of Europe (a.r.t.e.s. global) or a 12-months mobility phase at up to two research institutions inside Europe (a.r.t.e.s. EU).- Moreover, the programme invented an intersectoral and public engagement strategy encouraging each ESR to initiate cooperation with non-academic institutions and actors to improve career opportunities beyond academia and to make the research results available to non-academic audiences aiming at a stronger commitment of the Humanities in public discourse. Established as part of the institutional structure of the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School for the Humanities Cologne, a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities has complemented an interdisciplinary research environment that is integrating a wide variety of disciplines at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. Through the implementation of the whole range of MSCA standards, a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities could initiate a sustainable impact on the whole institutional structure transforming a.r.t.e.s. into a sustainable and pioneering graduate programme for the Humanities. Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far The a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities programme has been established as a new pillar of the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School’s existing structured doctoral programme, the so-called Integrated Track, offering a high-quality training concept tailored to the needs of early stage researchers in the Humanities. The programme included the following aspects: - high-class supervision concept in a vibrant interdisciplinary research environment with access to a graduate class structure for excellent guidance and peer mentoring. - mandatory international mobility phases in cooperation with international partners.- intersectoral and public engagement strategy for career orientation and to facilitate the application of the research results to non-academic contexts and public discourse.a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities awarded 30 doctoral fellowships in three calls in a transparent, multi-stage and merit-based selection and evaluation procedure involving international experts from a great variety of institutions and disciplines, including a remote evaluation procedure and on-site interviews. All fellows have been employed full-time and under stable working conditions (including social insurance benefits) for a full duration of 36 months. The selected research projects funded under a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities cover a wide range of disciplines and research questions from all areas of the Humanities relating to various academic and societal areas of application. A complete list of the funded projects is provided under the programme`s dedicated website (see below).As fellows of a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities, the ESRs have passed through a curriculum that combines research-oriented and transferable professional training activities offering both, extensive disciplinary and interdisciplinary guidance in participation in one out of ten multidisciplinary Graduate Classes and additional training aiming at the acquisition and improvement of transferable skills and to support career development and orientation as integral part of the individual career development plans. Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far) With the implementation of a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities into the existing structure of the a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School, both the individual careers of the programme fellows and the whole institutional structure have achieved a sustainable impact on the regional, national and international level. First and foremost, with the research projects selected under a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities the programme has funded in-deep research on the most challenging contemporary questions in the Humanities, relating to the most interesting research fields in the respective disciplines and to manifold areas of application in and beyond academia. The research results have been continuously disseminated in form of academic and non-academic publications, through the ESRs’ participation in conferences, workshops and public events, and as well as in individual intersectoral actions and through manifold cooperation with academic and non-academic partners. The rich academic and intersectoral outreach of the fellows shows the impact of the innovative and ambitious training programme towards the overall objective of a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities to enable the ESRs to become aware of the relevance and potential of their research to substantially enrich public debates towards the formation of more inclusive, innovative and reflective societies in the EU and worldwide. Moreover, through the improvement of transferable skills the programme strived to enable the ESRs to act as experts and mediators in public discourse und to contribute to societal debates by revealing new ways of interpretation from an, for instance, anthropological, epistemological and ethical point of view and with regard to the most challenging ideas of our time, e.g. on migration, technology, environment and populism. The programme will have a sustainable and long-term impact on the whole institutional structure of the University of Cologne’s a.r.t.e.s. Graduate School, especially in regard to the following aspects: - The selection and evaluation procedures including external experts and innovative eligibility criteria (minimizing the risk of background related bias and disadvantages during the selection procedure). - The extension of the international partner network that will be further strengthened by concluding sustainable and long-time research cooperation.- The vision of an intersectoral outreach of early stage research in the Humanities regarding both career orientation for the non-academic sector and towards the application of excellent research in the Humanities to non-academic contexts and challenging societal questions. EUmanities: Cohort of 2019 © a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities: Cohort of 2017 © a.r.t.e.s. EUmanities: Cohort of 2018 © a.r.t.e.s.
