How to Apply for Fully Funded MECAM Fellowship 2026–2027
The Merian Centre for Advanced Studies in the Maghreb has officially opened applications for the prestigious MECAM Fellowship 2026, 2027, offering a transformative residential opportunity in Tunis for scholars in the humanities and social sciences.
This fully funded program is designed for eight high level researchers, specifically six postdoctoral fellows and two advanced scholars, who are eager to explore the complex dynamics of the Maghreb region. Under the guiding academic theme, “Imagining Futures: Dealing with Disparity,” the fellowship provides a unique platform to examine how societies negotiate inequality, historical memory, and sustainable development in an increasingly fragmented world.
The fellowship is structured around five Interdisciplinary Research Fields (IRFs), ensuring a comprehensive and multifaceted approach to modern regional challenges. Applicants must align their research proposals with at least one of these core areas:
- Aesthetics and Cultural Practice: Examining how art and culture influence the negotiation of future models.
- Inequality and Mobility: Analyzing how social disparities drive or restrain human movement.
- Memory and Justice: Discussing legacies of the past in relation to accountability and legal reform.
- Resources and Sustainability: Investigating how societies deal with environmental and economic shifts.
- Identities and Beliefs: Exploring the manifestations of diverse political and religious ideologies.
Successful candidates will relocate to Tunis for an eight month residency from September 1, 2026, to April 30, 2027. The financial package is exceptionally robust, operating on a “no gain, no loss” principle. This includes a monthly stipend tailored to the researcher’s previous income, full reimbursement for travel and relocation expenses, and a dedicated research budget of up to €1,000.
Fellows are also provided with shared office spaces at the MECAM premises, located at the Université de Tunis, and gain full access to the center’s extensive academic networks and digital collaboration tools like TrafoHub.
Eligibility for the MECAM Fellowship 2026, 2027 is inclusive yet rigorous. It is open to researchers of all nationalities, ages, and genders, including independent scholars without current institutional affiliations. Postdoctoral applicants must have completed their PhD within the last four years, while advanced researchers are those who earned their doctorate five or more years ago.
Importantly, current PhD candidates are not eligible to apply. Proficiency in at least two of MECAM’s working languages, English, French, or Arabic, is highly encouraged to facilitate deep intellectual exchange during weekly colloquia and the flagship “MECAM Spectrum” event week.
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The application deadline is set for March 2, 2026, at 12:30 CEST. Interested scholars must submit a comprehensive digital dossier through the official portal, including a CV with a list of publications, a 1,000 word research abstract, and a recent academic writing sample. Beyond the research output, MECAM seeks individuals who are committed to the collaborative life of the center, expecting fellows to contribute to peer reviewed publications and co organize workshops.
This fellowship remains one of the most significant opportunities for Global South and European scholars to converge and redefine the academic narrative of the Maghreb.