Atlas programme
Atlas programme - Baltic States, South Caucasus, Moldova
The Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme (FMSH) and the French Institute for Research on Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and North Asia (IRECA) are launching a call for applications for postdoctoral researchers residing in France who have defended their thesis since 2020. This programme offers mobility support for a two- to three-month research stay.
Stays may be carried out in the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania), the South Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia) or Moldova. Projects focusing on Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Belarus or Russia may also be supported: in this case, the fieldwork must be carried out in one of the areas covered by the IRECA (Baltic States, South Caucasus, Moldova) or in Warsaw, where the institute is based.
Support will be given to projects that are in line with IRECA’s scientific policy and work in synergy with its researchers and partners. Interdisciplinary approaches are particularly encouraged.
This call for applications is part of the Atlas programme for short-term postdoctoral mobility, run by the FMSH and its partners.
Financial assistance of €1,600 per month (paid at the beginning of each month of the stay) is awarded to the grant recipients. It is intended to cover transport and accommodation costs.
- Nationality/residence: be a citizen of a European Union country and reside in France
- Qualifications/status: be a postdoctoral researcher in the humanities and social sciences and have defended your thesis since 2020. Be affiliated with a research centre/laboratory in France.
- Discipline: candidates will present an original research project in the humanities or social sciences involving fieldwork to be carried out in the Baltic States, the South Caucasus or Moldova. Research may also focus on Ukraine, Belarus or Russia. Particular attention will be paid to exploratory fieldwork.
- Language: proficiency in the language of the intended fieldwork location would be appreciated.
At the end of their stay, researchers must also submit a 10,000-character report (including spaces and notes) to the FMSH and the IRECA, detailing the activities carried out during their stay and their contribution to their research project.
Successful applicants may submit a publication proposal to the IRECA.
Precautions must be taken before the stay, as these postdoctoral mobility grants do not cover compulsory insurance, which is useful in the event of illness, hospitalisation and/or repatriation.
Applicants must submit a form and a scientific dossier (research project + appendices) via an online platform. The online platform will be accessible until 6 February 2026, 17:00 (Paris time).
The form and scientific dossier must be submitted in French.
Content of the scientific dossier
The research project:
The research project (between 10,000 and 20,000 characters maximum) must include the state of the art, the theoretical and methodological framework, the steps that the candidate plans to accomplish during their stay, and the institutional partners involved in the research.
Appendices:
A signed letter of motivation explaining the reasons for the stay in the Baltic countries, the South Caucasus or Moldova, the originality of the proposed work, its connection with previous thesis work, the links that will be established and the scientific partners of interest for the research project in the area.
A CV of no more than two pages accompanied by a list of publications.
A letter from the director of the laboratory/research centre with which the candidate is associated in France.
Les candidat.e.s doivent soumettre un formulaire et un dossier scientifique (projet de recherche + annex
How to apply
- Go to http://calls.msh-paris.fr and enter the ‘Researcher Workspace’ area.
- Log in if you have already created an account; if not, create an account.
- Fill in your profile and click on ‘Create a new application’.
- Select ‘Atlas outgoing programme 2026’ and then the specific call ‘FMSH-IRECA: France > Baltic States, South Caucasus, Moldova’.
- Fill in all the tabs on the form.
- In the ‘Documents’ tab, upload your application file as a single electronic document in PDF format, comprising the following items:
- Research project
- Signed letter of motivation
- CV of no more than two pages and list of publications
- Letter from the director of the laboratory/research centre with which the candidate is associated in France
You can save your application without submitting it and return to it later, or submit it definitively. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. Please note that your application will not be considered if it is not submitted. Applications that are incomplete or do not meet the above requirements will not be considered.
A selection committee composed of members of the FMSH, IRECA and external experts will analyse and select applications based on the following criteria:
- The quality of the scientific dossier and the methodology developed
- The relevance of fieldwork in the Baltic States, the South Caucasus or Moldova in relation to the project developed and the researcher’s background
- The ability to identify scientific contacts in the field
- Preference will be given to researchers who have not previously benefited from the scheme.
The results will be communicated to applicants by email at the end of March 2026.
