As India and Europe are becoming increasingly important to each other as economic, political, and strategic partners, sensitive issues arise in their encounters. Today, it is crucial to gain insight into the ways in which Europeans have (mis)understood India and how this has shaped their interactions with Indians in the past and present. The Training Schools of ESIND will examine the development of Europe’s representations of India and their impact on encounters between the two regions, using the expertise of experienced ESIND members and invited scholars. More details about the research focus of the Training School can be found here.

Although the Trainings Schools are conceived mainly as a forum for exchanges between the project’s Working Groups, with particular focus on their Young Researchers and Innovators, we welcome applications from other Ph.D. students, advanced M.A. students and/or Early Career Investigators working on relevant topics. For more practical informations about the Training School, and how to apply, see further below.

Dates: July 7^th to July 9^th 2025

Venue: Technical University of Liberec, Studentská 1402/2, 461 17 Liberec 1 – Czech Republic

Important notes

Participants can be reimbursed according to the COST rules, please see the Annotated Rules, Annex 1. If you will be selected for financing from ESIND, your travel and daily allowance will be covered according to the rules. Daily allowance for trainee is EUR 95 (reasonable in terms of the local prices); long distance travel cost based on face-value is up to EUR 1500.

Participants will have to arrange travel and accommodation by themselves.

Please note that your expenses will be reimbursed after completion of the training school and submission of all required documents.

Participants of the Training School will receive a certificate of attendance.

Registration and selection process

Who can apply?

• M.A. students, Ph.D. students, Early Career Investigators (who completed their Ph.D. no longer then 8 years prior to the application) belonging to a COST country (go to https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/03/ITC.pdf ), whose research is conducted in all areas of the India studies. Typically, those will be researchers from the following disciplines: indology, sociology, anthropology, philosophy, psychology, political science, study of religions, history, etc.

Selection criteria

• Young Researchers and Innovators (up to the age of 40) or Early Career Investigators (within a time span of up to 8 years from the date they obtained their doctorate) in all areas related to the European studies of India
• relevance of applicants’ studies and research experience to the topics of the COST Action ESIND (as described in its MoU) and the research focus of the Training School
• balance in the background of the participants (e.g., balance of academic disciplines, gender balance, country and institutional spread)
• quality and clarity of your research project description
• preference will be given to applicants from COST ITC countries (link to https://www.cost.eu/uploads/2021/03/ITC.pdf)
• preference will be given also to applicants from the ESIND Working Groups (especially the Young Researchers and Innovators in terms of COST rules)

How to apply?

Step 1

• Fill in the on-line application form by May 19 2025: https://forms.office.com/e/hX0LmyeWXz
• Be prepared to upload in the application form:
  • a cover letter with an expression of interest, motivation, and at least a paragraph describing the link between your research and the research focus of ESIND (1000 words max.)
  • CV (2 pages max.)
  • your current M.A./Ph.D./post-doctoral research project description up to 2 pages in length

Step 2

• You will get the confirmation email by May 26, 2025.
• Sign-up on the e-COST platform: https://e-services.cost.eu/user/login
• Accept or decline the invitation by June 9, 2025.
• Please note that you will have to sign the reimbursement contract which the Grant Holder Manager (zuzana.cilova@tul.cz) will send you in due time.

Step 3

• If you will be traveling to Liberec from a larger distance, we strongly suggest that you arrive on July 6^th, otherwise you will have difficulties to check in for your accommodation, orient yourself in Liberec, and come to the festive opening of the Training School in time.
• During the Training School, please make sure you sign the attendance list for each individual day. Your expenses cannot be reimbursed for days when you are not signed in.
• Fill in the reimbursement claim in e-COST, no later then by July 24, 2025