Fellowship programs

The Core Fellowship Program is the basis of all HCAS activities, and the majority of our fellows are appointed through it. You can find the key information on the Core Fellowship below. The next application period will open in fall 2026.

Basic characteristics of the program:

• Annual open call usually from August to September.
• Open to researchers from the humanities, social sciences, behavioral sciences, theology, and law, as well as to researchers in other fields focusing on topics related to the human sciences.
• Employment, not a grant program.
• Fixed term appointments for 0,5–3 years.
• For all career levels beyond the doctorate (post-docs, mid-career researchers, and full professors).
• Usual number of appointments 8–14 per year.
• Number of applications has been 250–450 per year, with well over 50% from outside Finland.
• No fixed career stage or discipline quotas.

What we offer:

• Time and freedom for focused research, free from administrative duties and heavy teaching obligations.
• A thriving and stimulating collegial work environment in the center of Helsinki, surrounded by libraries.
• Salaried positions with associated benefits (paid family and sick leave, pension benefits and occupational health care) in accordance with the General Collective Agreement for Universities.
• Office space.
• Language check services.
• Travel and research allowance.
• A taxable relocation allowance for newly recruited fellows who must relocate to the Helsinki area from elsewhere in Finland or from abroad.
• Relocation assistance for international fellows.
• Social programming and limited in-house wellness services.
• International fellows are assigned a host working at the University of Helsinki, and they are encouraged to collaborate with the broader academic community.

What we expect from fellows:

• Fellows are expected to spend at least 80% of their total research period at the Collegium.
• Fellows are expected to attend the weekly Fellows’ Seminar.
• Fellows must report their publications in the University’s research portal.
• While working at HCAS, fellows are required to mention the Collegium as their primary affiliation in publications, presentations, and interviews.
• Fellows whose term exceeds one year have a 5% teaching duty starting from the second year onwards, which may be fulfilled by helping to organize the HCAS Winter School for doctoral students.
• After their fellowship has ended, fellows are expected to submit a final report.

The postdoctoral fellowship in the arts aims to develop new forms of cooperation and dialogue between art and scholarship. The positions are primarily intended for persons holding a doctoral degree in the arts. However, also persons engaged in artistic work but having completed a doctoral degree in a different academic field are eligible to apply. Applicants must have completed their doctoral degree by the end of the application period. In addition to the doctoral degree, the requirements for the position include experience of artistic work or artistic research. Practitioners of all fields of art may apply for the position.

The postdoctoral researchers in the arts are appointed on the basis of a highly selective international competition. There is an annual call for applications for the position of the postdoctoral researcher in the arts at the Helsinki Collegium.

These fellowships are funded by the .

The HCAS-RJ Fellowship aims at facilitating and strengthening academic collaboration between Swedish and Finnish research communities. The residential one-year fellowship is intended for mid-career researchers who have an affiliation with a university in Sweden and work in the humanities and social sciences, including theology, law, and behavioral sciences. This Nordic Fellowship Programme is made possible by funding from . 

HCAS-RJ Fellowships are salaried positions. In addition to salary, HCAS-RJ Fellows are entitled to housing, a personal research allowance of 4 000 €, as well as an office at HCAS premises in the centre of Helsinki, in the vicinity of University of Helsinki central campus facilities, libraries, and activities.