Nine new scholarship holders strengthen research campus Gotha 2025!

Nine new scholarship holders strengthen research campus Gotha 2025!

On May 6, 2025, a celebration was held at the Gotha research campus of the University of Erfurt to welcome eight new scholarship holder. These scholarship holders that come from different countries will be active in the area of ​​university research in the coming months. Peter Leisner, deputy for finance and education, represented Mayor Knut Kreuch and underlined the importance of the scholarship holder for the international networking of the city of Gotha.

In his speech, Leisner also pointed out the long tradition of international scientific exchange in Gotha, which goes back to the historical dialogues between Job Ludolf and Abba Gororyos. Dr. Kathrin Paasch, Director of the Gotha research library, invites the new scholarship holder to explore the extensive inventory of the library and use it for her research.

research projects and scholarships

The greeting was supplemented by greetings from Prof. Dr. Iris Schröder and Dr. Benjamin Steiner, who thanked the Ernst Abbe Foundation for the financing of the Herzog-Ernst scholarship program. Also the Dr. phil. Fritz Wiedemann Foundation and the Dorothee Wilms Foundation were recognized for their support from a common scholarship.

The topics of the research focus of the scholarship holders are diverse. They range from the collaboration between artists and astronomers in the 17th century to Protestant Hebraistics to the establishment in Ethiopia, which is documented in maps of the 19th and 20th centuries. Some scholarship holders also research the court clothing books of the early modern period.

In order to promote the exchange about the latest research results, regular colloquia are organized in which the scholarships present their projects. It is worth noting that the Herzog-Ernst scholarship program celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2024 and has been able to support over 400 scholarship holder since it was founded.

future tenders and interdisciplinary research

In a new tender that takes place due to the positive development of the Covid 19 pandemic, Duke-Ernst scholarships and Job-Ludolf-Fellowships are still offered. These programs are interdisciplinary and are intended to promote the scientific examination of the holdings of the Gotha research library and the historical collections of the publisher Justus Perthes. The ducal library at Friedenstein Castle in Gotha preserves significant collections, including one of the most important collections of old prints and manuscripts in Germany.

The Gotha research center, which was founded in 2004, coordinates research projects on the history of culture and knowledge of modern times and therefore has a key role in the interdisciplinary research approach. This also includes the research college transcultural studies / collection of Perthes, which was introduced in 2021 to intensify the collaboration and the exchange under the scholarship holder.

Scholarship are doctoral students and postdoctoral students, with the Herzog-Ernst scholarships being funded with up to 1,800 euros per month. Applications are possible by September 30, 2023, and all the necessary documents should be submitted in a PDF file.

For questions and comprehensive information, the contact points are given, so that interested scientists have the opportunity to find out more about participation and funding.