Applications are currently being accepted for the ifa Research Award on International Cultural Relations 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About ifa Research Award on International Cultural Relations
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.
Benefits of ifa Research Award on International Cultural Relations
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.
ifa Research Award on International Cultural Relations Requirements
Applications can be submitted for young academics by a recommending professor. Their 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 Date and Process
Submissions are made by the recommending professor via e-mail and must include the following:
- 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)
The work may be submitted in German or English.
The application must be sent by e-mail in one single PDF file (max. 15 MB) to:
E-mail: forschungspreis(at)ifa.de
Subject: Submission ifa Research Award – Name of the applicant
Application Deadline
30 June, 2026
Opportunity Application
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ifa Research Award on International Cultural Relations
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