The 2026 Jos Berghman Welfare Studies Stipend offers two young or early career scholars the opportunity of spending a research term with the Research Institute for Social Policy, Social Work, Public Opinion and Population Dynamics (ReSPOND) in the Department of Sociology at KU Leuven (Belgium). KU Leuven is one of the oldest and highest-ranked universities in Europe. The stipend covers accommodation in one of the university’s guesthouses, travel expenses (up to a limit), a working space, as well as access to the KU Leuven libraries.
CANDIDATES are international PhD-students, post-docs, or early career researchers whose research is situated in the broad fields of social policy, social work, public opinion, and family and demographic change. Projects can be quantitative or qualitative in nature, preferably (but not exclusively) from a sociological perspective. The research term should result in a paper, which will acknowledge the stipend when it is publicly presented and published.
DEADLINE for a stay in the 2026 Spring term (mid-February to mid-May): 17 October 2025. Candidates send in (1) an application letter with an explanation of how they think the research term will be helpful for their work; (2) a description of their research project and the part they plan to work on during their stay; and (3) a detailed curriculum vitae. Selection criteria will be academic excellence, and the broader fit of the candidate’s planned work within the research of the team. Applications can be sent by e-mail to Wim Van Lancker (wim.vanlancker@kuleuven.be).
THE RESEARCH GROUP ReSPOND focuses on three interrelated social issues: changing family and population dynamics; socioeconomic, cultural, and political preferences and opinions of citizens; and the development and implementation of social policy and institutions of redistribution. It is of key interest how these elements interact and produce outcomes in terms of poverty and inequality, fertility, employment, well-being, political behavior and social attitudes.
More information about the call and the group: http://www.respond-research.eu.