Duke Ernst Scholarships and Job Ludolf Fellowships Research Campus Gotha of the University of Erfurt, February 1, 2027. Application deadline: September 30, 2026

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For 2027, the University of Erfurt is again offering Duke Ernst Scholarships and Hiob Ludolf Fellowships for research on the Gotha collections, primarily in the Gotha Research Library. During their stay, the scholarship recipients will be affiliated with the University of Erfurt's research institutions in Gotha.

THE GOTHA RESEARCH LIBRARY

The Gotha Research Library at Friedenstein Castle preserves outstanding collections on the cultural history of the Early Modern and Modern periods. After Berlin and Munich, and alongside the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel, it is the most important library of historical holdings from the 16th to the 18th centuries in Germany. Since 2003, the Perthes Collection, which originated from the holdings of the Justus Perthes publishing house in Gotha, founded in 1785, has also been part of the library. It is one of the world's most important specialized geographical collections.

The research library, headed by Dr. Kathrin Paasch, is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making accessible its sources, which are part of Europe's cultural heritage. The library houses approximately 700,000 printed works, including around 350,000 prints from the 16th to 18th centuries. In addition, it contains approximately 11,500 manuscript volumes, representing a significant collection of manuscripts, autographs, and personal papers relating to the cultural history of Protestantism in the early modern period, as well as a collection of around 3,500 Oriental manuscripts—the third largest of its kind in Germany. The library also maintains a remarkable collection of letters from German emigrants to America.

The Perthes Collection comprises the holdings of the publishing house Justus Perthes Gotha and its successors, and with its three sections—map collection, specialized library, and publishing archive—forms a unique collection of related materials. The map collection contains approximately 185,000 map sheets from the 18th to the 20th centuries, originating from international and in-house map production; the cartographic-geographical library comprises 120,000 volumes. The publishing archive, spanning 800 linear meters, includes, among other things, the editorial records of Petermann's Mitteilungen (Petermann's Communications), a collection of complimentary copies of the publishing house's publications, and 1,650 copperplate engravings.

The Gotha Research Center of the University of Erfurt,

founded in 2004, is a central academic institution of the University of Erfurt. The FZG's mission is the coordinated implementation of research projects, particularly in the cultural and intellectual history of the Early Modern period, in close cooperation with the institutions located at Friedenstein Castle. Its focus is on theories, networks, and practices of scholars, including their global reach. Currently, the center is hosting research projects on natural law and the correspondence between Hereditary Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna (1786–1859) and her mother, Empress Dowager Maria Fedorovna. In addition, the FZG organizes (guest) lectures, conferences, and colloquia, and serves as a platform for scholarship holders, visiting scholars, and research networks. Following the departure of Prof. Dr. Martin Mulsow, the FZG is currently being managed on an interim basis by Dr. Markus Meumann.

The Research College for

Transcultural Studies / Perthes Collection (FKTS/SP) is also a central academic institution of the University of Erfurt. It sees itself as a platform for interdisciplinary research on the historical development of today's global world. Its research is oriented towards the Gotha collection contexts since the late 18th century and focuses particularly on the Perthes Collection. The college pursues independent and collaborative research projects with a focus on, among other things, the cartography of Northeast and West Africa, the study of personal accounts, and the history of publishing. Furthermore, it is interested in methodological questions of a critical history of cartography, and more recently, in political cartography, for example, the relationship between cartography and colonialism (see www.uni-erfurt.de/forschungskolleg-transkulturelle-studien/forschung). It works closely with national and international scholars and seeks close cooperation with researchers from the Global South. The FKTS/SP is headed by Prof. Dr. Iris Schröder.

THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

The scholarship program promotes scholarly engagement with the holdings of the Research Library and the associated historical collections of the Justus Perthes publishing house in Gotha. The academic focus aims to do justice to the diverse holdings and the universality of the Gotha library. The program is open in terms of both subject matter and discipline. The holdings of the Thuringian State Archives – Gotha State Archives and the Friedenstein Foundation Gotha can also be incorporated into the research. For guidance, the following thematic priorities, which reflect particularly prominent collection areas of the Research Library, are listed below:

• Culture of the European princely court, using Gotha as an example

• Cultures of knowledge and science as global, transfer, and interconnected history, 16th to 20th centuries

• Reception and history of European literature, primarily 16th to early 19th centuries

• History of publishing and the book trade

• History of the religious cultures of classical antiquity, Protestantism, and Islam

• Philosophy and history of the German and European Enlightenment

• Heterodoxy, dissent, and subversion

• History of science and knowledge in the humanities, such as numismatics, Oriental studies, and philology

• History of knowledge in the natural sciences, such as alchemy, astronomy, and botany

• History of knowledge in spatially oriented disciplines, such as... B. Geography, geology, ethnology, meteorology and statistics, 16th to 20th centuries

• Cartographic and colonial history (especially from the perspective of the history of Africa, Asia and Latin America), cartography and politics ("critical geopolitics", history of slavery, history of the oceans)

• Global history in personal accounts (e.g. correspondence)

• Object history and historical research on material culture

• Collection and museum studies

The following scholarships will be awarded from February 1, 2027, for scholarly research on the Gotha holdings:

1. Duke Ernst scholarships for doctoral candidates (amounting to 1,500 euros per month, possibly plus a family allowance of 100 euros per month) for a maximum duration of six months;

2. Duke Ernst Fellowships for postdoctoral researchers (amounting to 2,000 euros per month, possibly plus a family allowance of 100 euros per month) for a maximum duration of six months;

3. Hiob-Ludolf Fellowships. These are aimed at established national and international senior scholars who wish to spend a research stay of one to two months in Gotha. They receive a reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs of up to €1,500 per month.

In 2024, the University of Erfurt once again received the certificate for the "audit berufundfamilie" / "audit familiengerechte Hochschule" (audit family-friendly university) and was thus recognized as particularly family-oriented. We assist researchers with children in finding childcare options.

Depending on their research focus, scholarship recipients and fellows are affiliated with either the Gotha Research Centre of the University of Erfurt or the Research Institute for Transcultural Studies / Perthes Collection. They participate in academic life on the Gotha campus and present their research project in a public colloquium lecture. Upon completion of their studies, they also submit a report on the findings obtained from the Gotha library holdings. Residency in Gotha is mandatory for the duration of the scholarship.

Applicants are requested to include the following documents with their application:

1. Application for

2. Curriculum vitae

3. Short project outline (3–5 pages) explaining why a stay at the Gotha location is necessary for carrying out the project (including a list of the collections to be consulted). Applicants are advised to contact the Gotha Research Library before applying (bibliothek.gotha @) .uni-erfurt.de).

4. Copies of certificates (only for Herzog Ernst scholarships)

5. List of publications (if applicable)

6. Signed consent to the processing of personal data (PDF).

The application documents must be complete and submitted in a single PDF file (max. 5 MB) in the order listed above via email to herzogernst @uni-erfurt.de. For the Herzog Ernst scholarships, two current expert opinions on the project are also required (please include the names of both experts on the application form); these must be submitted separately by the expert via email by the deadline.

Applications for scholarships can be submitted in German and English until September 30, 2026, quoting the reference "Herzog-Ernst-Stipendium" or "Hiob-Ludolf-Fellowship am Forschungscampus Gotha". Application documents can also be submitted encrypted. Further information can be found below. If you do not already have one, you will need to apply for a German tax ID number to receive the scholarship.

Interested individuals are cordially invited to contact the Research Institute for Transcultural Studies/Perthes Collection (fkts.gotha @) prior to submitting their application.uni-erfurt.de) and/or the Gotha Research Centre (forschungszentrum.gotha @to get in touch with uni-erfurt.de.

Further details are regulated by the University of Erfurt's guidelines for awarding Duke Ernst scholarships and Job Ludolf fellowships from funds of the Ernst Abbe Foundation.

Please direct any questions regarding the application to:herzogernst @uni-erfurt.de

Further information can be found at:https://www.uni-erfurt.de/forschungszentrum-gotha/stipendien/