Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School won the Einstein Stiftung Berlin’s main award, endowed with 360,000 EUR for the best doctoral studies program in Berlin. The prize was announced for the first time in 2016 in order to expand doctoral programs for young researchers and facilitate structural advancement. The prize promotes the international visibility of successful doctoral programs in Berlin and helps attract the best junior researchers to Berlin.

Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School uses the award for:

• three-year dissertation grants with the thematic focus Global Literature
• the new funding format Einstein Project Scholarships
• three international Summer Schools about pivotal fields of research in literary studies, organized by FSGS doctoral candidates
• establishing a new cooperation with a selected international partner. Within this context, travel expenses and short-term scholarships for international doctoral candidates are funded.

The award ceremony took place on January 19, 2017 at the occasion of the Einstein Foundation’s New Year’s reception at the Rotes Rathaus. Michael Müller, Governing Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Higher Education and Research, presented the award together with Olaf Kübler, deputy chairman of the foundation council. The Einstein Foundation had nominated six out of nineteen programs in the fall, who presented themselves to the selection committee in December at the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities. FSGS was represented by Jutta Müller-Tamm (Director), Andrew James Johnston (Deputy Director), and Anja Hallacker (Manager). The excitement lasted until the final minute: none of the nominated programs knew on January 19 whether they would receive an award or not.

Pictures of the award ceremony