External Grants

Below is a list of external grant opportunities that could be of interest to members and partners of the UPTAKE consortium as well as to other senior and junior scholars focusing on Russia, Eastern Europe and Eurasia.

Please note that UPTAKE is not responsible for the accuracy of the information on the pages of third parties, nor is it involved in their application and selection processes.

Academy Robert Bosch Fellowship, Chatham House (open to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine)
Deadline: 29 April
Visiting Researcher fellowship at IRES, Uppsala University
Deadline: 31 March
Visiting PhD researcher Fellowship at IRES, Uppsala University (open to PhD students based in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland or Slovakia)
Deadline: 31 March
OSF Eurasia programme fellowships at the University of Tartu
Deadline: 10 May 2018
George F. Kennan Fellowship for applicants from diverse backgrounds working on Russia, Ukraine, or the region.
Deadlines: 1 March and 1 September
Scholarships and grants from the Swedish Institute
Deadlines depend on the programme
Dora Plus programme for foreign MA and PhD students for short-term (up to 10 months) research in Estonia
Deadlines depend on the programme
Estophilus scholarship for the holders of Master or Doctoral degree to write a research paper on Estonia or gather material for it
Deadlines: 1 March and 1 October
Mobilitas Plus programme from Estonian Research Council for coming from abroad to do research in Estonia (various grants)
Visiting Fellowship Programme of the Baltic Defence College
Deadline: 31 July 2017

august

Uppsala University Gamla Torget 6, 4th floor, room 3576

26aug - 1sepAll DayFourth UPTAKE PhD Training SchoolSTRAIGHT TALK ABOUT RUSSIA Internal Developments, External Conflicts and Outside Perceptions

Event Details

The fourth UPTAKE PhD Training School will

Event Details

The fourth UPTAKE PhD Training School will be held from 26 August to 1 September, at the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden. Its main objective, as on previous occasions, is to offer an opportunity for research development, training and exchange of ideasfor PhD and postdoctoral students working in the field of Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies.

The theme of the Training School is to take stock of developments in and relations to Russia since the end of the Cold War, and the subsequent collapse of the USSR. The basic premise is that during these now close to three decades, Russia has been in more or less constant focus. In reflection of radical internal transformations, outside attitudes have swung from unbounded optimism, to doom and gloom, to re-energized beliefs in an economic boom and to perceptions, following the crisis in Ukraine, of Russia as a threat.

The purpose of the present Training School is to invite PhD and postdoctoral students to reflect on these developments, assuming that there are few if any developments in the region that have not in some way, directly or indirectly, involved Russia. Topics may be wide-ranging, from internal developments (Russian economic and political trends, including increased militarization), to external conflicts (from accusations against Russia of aggression against neighboring countries and of behaving like a bully in energy relations to increasing complications in relations with the EU and NATO), and outside perceptions (persistent failures to get Russia right, from “transition” to military confrontation and the Kremlin’s increasing foreign policy ambitions).

The approach of the Training School is interdisciplinary, meaning that we welcome participation from across the social sciences, the humanities and law. Papers may focus exclusively on Russia, on the impact of and responses to Russian actions in neighboring countries, including but not limited to the Eastern neighbourhood, the Baltics, Central Asia and the Caucasus, and on the changing geopolitical role of Russia in the global order. Comparative approaches are also welcome.

The mainstay of the Training School will be the presentation and discussion of papers submitted by the participating students. Papers will be grouped into a series of panels with 3-4 presentations in each. Panels will be chaired by senior scholars, and appointed discussants will lead off, to ensure that all participants get valuable feedback on their contribution. In addition to the panel discussions, the Training School will include invited lectures by senior scholars in the field, and by Swedish officials reflecting on the changing political and security situation in the Baltic region. The event will open with a keynote address and conclude with a panel discussion where students are expected to show active participation.

In order to ensure that all papers presented receive adequate attention, places are limited to a maximum of 20 participants. Participation by students from Uppsala, Tartu and Kent – the UPTAKE partners – is fully funded by UPTAKE, subject to the eligibility criteria (this includes travel, accommodation and selected meals). External participants are warmly welcomed, but will be expected to secure their own funding for travel and accommodation. There is no participation fee.

The summer school is funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 691818 “Building Research Excellence in Russian and East European Studies at the Universities of Tartu, Uppsala and Kent (UPTAKE).”

Time

August 26 (Sunday) - September 1 (Saturday)

Location

Uppsala University

Gamla Torget 6, 4th floor, room 3576

Organizer

Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University

september

Uppsala University Gamla Torget 6, 4th floor, room 3576

26aug - 1sepAll DayFourth UPTAKE PhD Training SchoolSTRAIGHT TALK ABOUT RUSSIA Internal Developments, External Conflicts and Outside Perceptions

Event Details

The fourth UPTAKE PhD Training School will

Event Details

Time

August 26 (Sunday) - September 1 (Saturday)

Location

Uppsala University

Gamla Torget 6, 4th floor, room 3576

Organizer

Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University

october

University of Tartu, Estonia University of Tartu, Estonia

19octAll DayUPTAKE WorkshopDemocracy in Reverse: Patterns of Autocratization in Eastern Europe and Eurasia

Event Details

Research Workshop Friday, 19

Event Details

Research Workshop
Friday, 19 October 2018
University of Tartu, Estonia

In what ways can we compare and better understand patterns of autocratization in the postcommunist world? Autocratization can be seen as a process, in which democratic institutions, rights and practices are curtailed or undermined – to the point, of course, where an autocratic regime takes hold. However, because this phenomenon is defined as a continuum, it may also involve only incremental steps away from democratic rule, therefore allowing us to view this phenomenon in greater detail.

This one‐day workshop will invite papers from scholars, doctoral candidates as well as other guests, who are interested in comparing the processes and structures of democratic decline in the post‐communist region. It is designed to look at both the more visible pathways of autocratization in areas such as Central Asia, Russia or Belarus as well as more recent cases in countries like Hungary and Poland. While many of the temporal and contextual factors driving these processes may be different, there is clearly a growing need within the study of postcommunist politics to understand how democratic orders can be weakened and how increasingly impervious autocratic regimes are built up in their place.

A special focal point for the workshop will involve examining comparative data on democratic and autocratic regime change available from the Varieties of Democracy (V‐Dem) dataset. VDem features comparative measurements of some 400 aspects (or variables) of democratic political order for more than 170 countries for the entire period 1900 to 2015. As such, VDem is the most comprehensive dataset currently available for not only evaluating, but also disaggregating patterns of political change – both democratic and autocratic.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Anna Lührmann, post‐doctoral research fellow at the V‐Dem Institute at the University of Gothenberg. Formerly a member of the German Bundestag, Dr. Lührmann will speak on “Measuring Varieties of Autocracy with V‐Dem Data”.

Fees and costs

The workshop is sponsored by the UPTAKE research consortium (funded from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme) and the V‐Dem Regional Center for Eastern Europe and Russia.

There is no participation fee. Participation of researchers from Uppsala, Tartu and Kent – the UPTAKE partners – is fully funded by UPTAKE, subject to the eligibility criteria (this includes travel, meals and accommodation). External participants are warmly welcome, but will be expected to secure their own funding for travel, meals and accommodation. UPTAKE will host a joint dinner for all participants.

Time

All Day (Friday)

Location

University of Tartu, Estonia

Organizer

Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies