Max Weber applications reach record high

The Max Weber Programme received a record number of applications this year, with 1277 researchers applying for the 42 fellowships starting next September.

This represents a 15 per cent rise in applications compared to last year. The Department of Political and Social Science remains the most popular department, while the Department of History and Civilization saw the biggest increase.

There was an increase in applicants from every continent; while Europe remains significantly the most common origin, there has been a significant increase in applications from North America.

The increases now mean applicants to the programme have a smaller acceptance rate – 3 per cent – than undergraduate applications at Oxford and Cambridge.

The Max Weber Programme was established in 2006 and is Europe’s largest postdoctoral programme for young researchers in the social sciences and humanities aiming to set standards of excellence in research and academic practice and be a stepping towards an academic career.

The Max Weber Programme was relocated to the Badia at the start of the 2013/14 academic year. In May the MWP will welcome Professor Richard Bellamy, from Universtiy College London, as its new director. In January they will publish a report on the first seven years of the programme “The Villa Fonte Years”.

You can read more about the Max Weber Programme on their blog.