Are you a talented researcher with a passion for the humanities? Then the call PhD Positions in the Humanities might be for you. This call offers researchers a funded PhD position. It aims to boost the influx and progression of young talent in the humanities. The available budget amounts to 4 million euros. The deadline for submitting an application is February 17, 2026, 14:00 CET.

The goal of the PhD Positions in the Humanities program is to give research talent the opportunity to carry out an independent PhD project. Applications can only be submitted for PhD candidates selected by the dean of their faculty.

Changes

There are several changes compared to last year:

  • The latest start date for awarded projects was previously October 1 of the relevant year. This has been moved to November 1 (2026).
  • The weighting of the criteria has been adjusted. Previously, the scores for both criteria determined 50% of the final scores. This has been changed to a weighting of 30% for the first criterion (quality of the PhD candidate) and 70% for the second criterion (quality of the research proposal). 

More information can be found in the Call for proposals

Background

The National Plan for the Future of the Humanities committee (also known as the Cohen committee) made nine recommendations in 2008 in the report Sustainable Humanities for a better future of the humanities. One of the proposals is to give research talent more opportunities. The PhD Positions in the Humanities program is a joint initiative of the Deans Consultation of Arts and Humanities of the SSH Council (DLG) and NWO, aiming to increase the number of PhD positions in the humanities.

Archaeology Area studies Digital humanities Cultural anthropology Philosophy History Art and architecture Music, theatre, performing arts and media Religious studies and theology Language and literature Linguistics