Call for the IFA Research Award on International Cultural Relations 2026 is open now!!!
The IFA Research Award on International Cultural Relations is aimed towards young academics who explore the significance and effectiveness of soft power, international cultural relations and Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy. Its purpose is to foster academic reflection and innovation in the field as well as its relevance to society. The idea is to strengthen Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy, to promote interdisciplinary exchange to broaden perspectives and bring ifa’s international expertise into German and international debates. In 25 years, 27 academics have been honored with the award.
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The ifa Research Award on International Cultural Relations supports different career levels, giving award winners a high degree of flexibility. Showcasing award winners and their research effectively is the central aim, proposed and co-developed in terms of content by the award winners themselves. This may take the form of a public lecture, a podcast, a short video or another suitable format. The decisive factor is that the chosen format is well suited to the respective research, the researcher’s personal career situation and the intended visibility.
The ifa Research Award also covers printing costs for publication in ifa’s prestigious series “Kultur und Außenpolitik”, made available via open-access work by Nomos Verlag, subject to review by the publisher.
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IFA sees itself as an international intermediary organization that promotes a peaceful and enriching coexistence between people and cultures worldwide. It also acts as a center of excellence for international relations and cultural exchange. With its networks, funding programs and projects, the Institute advocates freedom in art, research, and civil society and creates analogue and digital spaces for encounter, exchange, negotiation, and co-creation. In doing so, it gives a voice to activists, artists, and scholars and addresses the challenges of today’s globalized, ever-changing world.
Benefits
- The ifa Research Award on International Cultural Relations includes:
- publicity through presentation of the award winner and his or her research (e.g. in a public lecture, a podcast or a short video)
- printing costs for publication of the work in the ifa publication series “Kultur und Außenpolitik”, accessible via open-access by Nomos Verlag, subject to review by the publisher.
Eligibilities
- The applicants’ doctoral or master’s thesis must meet the following requirements:
- it has been completed within the last two years (no earlier than 30 April 2024),
- it has received at least magna cum laude (in the case of a doctoral theses) or respectively the second-highest grade,
- It is a scholarly examination of soft power, international cultural relations and Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy and their significance and effectiveness.
- It advances the concepts of soft power, international cultural relations and Foreign Cultural and Educational Policy. It has practical relevance or offers applicability of the research findings to cultural policy, to institutions or intercultural practice.
- It must be the applicant’s own independent and sound achievement. Recommendation by a professor is required.
Application Process
- Applicants are required to complete their application process by providing the following documents via email to forschungspreis(at)ifa.de:
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- Complete text of the submitted work in PDF format
- Abstract
- Letter of recommendation from the professor
- Copies of the complete assessment in German or English or documentation in line with local practice of the completed assessment or grading
- Declaration that the submitted work is your own independent work and the date of completion or publication
- Curriculum vitae
- List of publications, if relevant
- Applicant’s contact information (e-mail address, institutional affiliation)
- Please note that submissions are to be made by the recommending professor.
- The work may be submitted in German or English
Application Deadline: June 30, 2026 (14 Days Remaining)
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