Atlas: France > Southeast Asia

The Fondation Maison des Sciences de l'Homme (FMSH) and the Institut de recherche sur l'Asie du Sud-Est contemporaine (IRASEC) are offering 2 to 3 month mobility grants for young researchers who have defended their thesis no earlier than 2020 to carry out a research project in a country in Southeast Asia.

Grants will be given to research projects that are in line with IRASEC's scientific policy, in synergy with its researchers and partners. Interdisciplinary projects are welcome.

This call is part of the Atlas short-term postdoctoral mobility programme launched by the FMSH and its partners.

Financial terms and conditions

Financial assistance of €1,700 per month (paid at the beginning of each month) is awarded to the laureates. It is intended to cover travel and accommodation costs.

Eligibility criteria

• Nationality/residence: Be a national of a European Union country and reside in France.
• Degree/status: Must have defended their thesis in 2020 or later. Be associated with a research centre/laboratory in France.
• Discipline: Candidates must present an original research project in the humanities or social sciences involving fieldwork in Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste or Vietnam (or in several of these countries).
• Particular attention will be paid to exploratory fieldwork.
• Language: proficiency in the language of the fieldwork will be appreciated.

Obligations of researchers hosted at IRASEC

At the end of their stay, researchers must also submit a 10,000-character report (including spaces and notes) to the FMSH and IRASEC, presenting the activities carried out during their stay and their contribution to their research project.

Winners will be able to submit a publication proposal for IRASEC.

Certain preparations must be carried out prior to the stay, as this fellowship does not cover compulsory insurance, which is useful in the event of illness, hospitalisation and/or repatriation.

Application form

Applicants must submit an application form and a scientific dossier (research project + appendices) on an online platform. The online platform will be accessible until 6 February 2026, 17:00 (Paris time).

The form and scientific dossier must be submitted in French.

Contents of the scientific dossier

The research project :

The research project (between 10,000 and 20,000 characters maximum) must include the state of the art, the theoretical and methodological framework, the steps that the applicant plans to take during his/her stay and the institutional partners involved in the research.

Enclosures:

• A signed letter of motivation, setting out the reasons for the stay in one of the countries covered by IRASEC, the originality of the work envisaged, or even its link with past thesis work, the links that will be established and the scientific partners of interest for the research project in the area.
• A CV of no more than 2 pages, together with a list of publications
• A letter from the director of the laboratory/research centre with which the applicant is associated in France.

How to apply

1. Go to http://calls.msh-paris.fr and enter the "Researcher Workspace" area.
2. Identify yourself if you have already created an account; if not, create an account.
3. Fill in your profile then click on "create a new application".

4. Select "Atlas outgoing 2026 programme" then the specific call "FMSH-IRASEC: France > Southeast Asia".
5. Fill in all the tabs of the form.
6. In the "Documents" tab, upload a single electronic document in pdf format containing your application file, which must include the following documents:
- Research project
- Signed cover letter
- CV (maximum 2 pages) and list of publications
- Letter from the director of the laboratory/research centre with which the applicant is associated in France
7. You can save your application without submitting it to come back to it later, or submit it definitively. Once you have submitted your application, you will receive an automatic confirmation email. Please note that if your application is not submitted, it will not be considered. Applications that are incomplete or do not correspond to the description above will not be considered.

For any information about the platform, or if you have any problems using it, please contact fadili@msh-paris.fr

Selection criteria and process

A selection committee made up of members of the FMSH and IRASEC, as well as external experts, will analyse and select applications based on the following criteria:

• The quality of the scientific file and the methodology developed
• The relevance of going to a South-East Asian country in terms of the project developed and the researcher's career path
• Ability to identify local scientific contacts

Preference will be given to researchers who have not previously benefited from the scheme.

The results will be e-mailed to applicants at the end of March 2026.