re:constitution Fellowship Program 2026

📖 About re:constitution Fellowship Program

The re:constitution Fellowship is a pan-European program designed to support professionals working on constitutional democracy, democratic governance, and the rule of law in Europe. It brings together scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplines and professional backgrounds to:

• Strengthen democratic principles.
• Encourage cross-border mobility.
• Foster collaboration between academia and practice.

The Fellowship promotes freedom, equality, and human dignity as shared European values while building a long-term, sustainable professional network.

🎁 Benefits of re:constitution Fellowship Program

Participants of the Fellowship will enjoy the following benefits:

• Independence and flexibility to research and publish on an issue of choice connected to democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
• Funding for mobility via collaboration with selected host institutions across Europe, offering new personal and remote work and exchange opportunities.
• Exchange and debate on topical issues in an interdisciplinary, high-quality, and flexible environment of mutual learning and professional development among scholars, legal practitioners, and journalists from across Europe.
• Networking through multi-faceted exchange about democracy and the rule of law in personal meetings with leading experts and decision-makers from across Europe and different backgrounds offering diverse perspectives.
• Shaping the re:constitution alumni network to build a sustainable community of knowledge and discussion with potential for further collaboration and support.
• Support by the coordination team and access to a secure digital collaborative working space provided by Forum Transregionale Studien.
• Opportunities to become involved in the broader analytical work of the re:constitution program run by Democracy Reporting International, based on interests and availability.
• Training courses to promote Fellows’ further career development, particularly in interdisciplinary, intersectoral, and transregional competencies, and to expand methodological knowledge.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

The Fellowship is open to both scholars and practitioners working on democracy and rule of law issues. Specific requirements include:

• Scholars: Those holding or completing a PhD in disciplines such as law, political science, social sciences, or philosophy.
• Practitioners: Government officials, legal professionals, NGO and think tank experts, journalists, and policy or legal researchers.
• Applicants must be residents of eligible European or associated countries for the duration of the Fellowship (citizenship is not required).

📅 Application Date and Process

Deadline:

05 March 2026, 12 noon CET

Application Process:

1. Submit your application via the secure online application platform: Application Portal.
2. Choose the correct Fellowship Track (1 or 2) when starting the application process. Only one application per person is accepted.
3. Important: Applications via email will not be considered.

Required Documents:

• Curriculum vitae including a list of publications (max. 3 pages).
• Project outline (max. 1500 words).
• Short abstract of your project (max. 300 words).
• Two references (university faculty members or practitioners in a field relevant to your project). Letters of recommendation are NOT REQUIRED.
• Potential host institutions: Your preferred research and practice institutions in Europe to spend part of your mobility period, ideally including an indication of preferred dates and/or existing personal contacts. (Organizing stays is not required at the time of application.)

Project Outline Structure:

• Context/problem and relevance (practical need or academic novelty).
• Project description, question(s), and objectives.
• Methods, working plan (including mobility phase), and outputs.
• Conclusion (including potential impact and contributions).

Note: Applications that do not meet the document length conditions will be excluded.

🌐 Working Language

The working language of the re:constitution Fellowship is English.

📌 Application Deadline

05 March 2026

🔗 Application Portal

• View details of the program: re:constitution Fellowship Program
• Apply here: Application Portal

For more information, visit the official website or contact the program coordinators.

• Independence and flexibility to research and publish on an issue of choice connected to democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
• Funding for mobility via collaboration with selected host institutions across Europe offering new personal and remote work and exchange opportunities.
• Exchange and debate on topical issues in interdisciplinary, high-quality and flexible environment of mutual learning and professional development among scholars, legal practitioners and journalists from across Europe.
• Networking through multi-faceted exchange about democracy and the rule of law in personal meetings with leading experts and decision makers from across Europe and different backgrounds offering diverse perspectives.
• Shaping the re:constitution alumni network to build a sustainable community of knowledge and discussion with potential for further collaboration and support.
• Support by the coordination team and access to a secure digital collaborative working space provided by Forum Transregionale Studien.
• Opportunities to become involved in the broader analytical work of the re:constitution programme run by Democracy Reporting International, based on interests and availability.
• Training courses to promote Fellows’ further career development, particularly in the areas of interdisciplinary, intersectoral and transregional competences and to expand methodological knowledge.