IstanPol Visiting Researcher Program 2025–26

If you are a young scholar or early-career professional interested in the intersection of democratization and foreign policy, then the IstanPol Visiting Researcher Program 2025–26 could be a valuable opportunity. This call supports researchers to spend up to 90 days at the Istanbul Political Research Institute (IstanPol), engaging with its research community, policy work, and intellectual network.

🌐 Program Summary

• Host Institution: Istanbul Political Research Institute (IstanPol)

• Location: Istanbul, Turkey

• Duration: Up to 90 days, with flexibility to split into 30- or 60-day stays

• Funding: No financial support provided — participants are expected to cover their own travel, accommodation & living costs

• Fields/Themes: Democratization & Foreign Policy

• Eligibility: PhD candidates, post-docs, early-career academics, professionals from think tanks / research centers; must be under 35 years old at the time of application

• Application Deadline: Rolling basis (no fixed deadline)

  
  

📖 Research Areas / Themes

IstanPol invites proposals under two main pillars, with specific sub-themes:

1. Democratization

   • Democratic backsliding & resilience

   • Political parties, elections, and participation

   • Civil society, media, grassroots movements

   • Rule of law, social inclusion, pluralism

   • Youth and democracy

2. Foreign Policy

   • Turkey-NATO, EU, and transatlantic relations

   • Regional security dynamics (Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean)

   • Turkey-Russia relations, great power competition

   • Turkey’s global role: strategic autonomy, multilateralism, middle power diplomacy

✅ Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be non-senior researchers: PhD students, early-career academics, postdocs, or equivalent professionals.

• Maximum age: 35 years old.

• Clear research agenda needed, aligned with IstanPol’s thematic areas.

• Commitment to stay for up to 90 days (can be split into multiple periods, minimum 30 days per stay)

• Non-discrimination policy: IstanPol welcomes applicants regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.

📊 Looking for an easy way to create research surveys or thesis questionnaires? CHECK JOTFORM:

Jotform helps students and academics design professional forms, collect responses securely, and export clean datasets for analysis.

📝 Application Requirements

Applicants should prepare a single PDF file send the application to: applications@istanpol.org containing:

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV)

2. Motivational Letter (maximum 2 pages) – why you want to be a visiting researcher, and what you hope to achieve

3. Research Project Proposal (1 page) – including research question, methodology, relevance to IstanPol’s mission

4. Writing Sample – published or unpublished piece demonstrating your analytical ability

5. Two Referees’ Contact Details – name, email, affiliation (IstanPol reserves the right to contact them)

   
   

🔍 Selection Process

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis (i.e. no fixed deadline)

• Shortlisted candidates will be invited to an online interview to discuss their proposal and potential contribution to IstanPol

• Successful candidates will be hosted at IstanPol, given access to their office, events, and intellectual network.

✨ What You Gain as a Visiting Researcher

• Physical access to IstanPol’s offices in Istanbul and immersion in its research environment.

• Opportunity to participate in seminars, policy discussions, and research collaborations.

• Integration into IstanPol’s scholarly and practitioner network, engaging with other researchers and policy experts.

• A platform to present your work (internally or at public forums), contributing to debates on democratization and Turkey’s foreign policy.

👌🏻 Considerations & Tips for Applicants

1. Funding: Because no funding is provided, make sure to budget carefully: travel, accommodation, and daily living costs in Istanbul must be covered by you.

2. Research Fit: Develop a strong research proposal that aligns precisely with IstanPol’s thematic interests — this will strengthen your application.

3. CV & Writing Sample: Highlight your previous research experience or writings that demonstrate your competence in political science or international relations.

4. Referees: Choose referees who know your academic or policy work well; their recommendations can be very influential.

5. Plan Your Stay: Think carefully about your stay strategy — whether you do a continuous 60– or 90-day stay, or split it into 2 shorter visits, plan how you will maximize productivity during that time in Istanbul.

6. Long-Term Vision: Explain in your motivation letter not only what you will do during your stay but how this experience will feed into your future academic or professional trajectory.

🔗 Official Website

---