The Austrian Studies Fund awards a prize and a stipend for talented students of Dutch and Flemish universities: the Hugo Weiland Thesis Prize and the Austrian Studies Fund Stipend.

Hugo Weiland Thesis Prize

The Austrian Studies Fund invites lecturers at Dutch and Flemish universities to nominate outstanding students whose thesis explores aspects of East-Central European history, politics or culture (i.e. the former territories of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy and its wider connections) for the Hugo Weiland Prize.

Established in honour of Mr Hugo Weiland, the founding president of the Leiden Austrian Studies Foundation, the prize is awarded to high-quality BA and MA theses. Submissions are accepted in both categories each year. The selection committee will consider all entries and may decide to award a prize in each category. Candidates must be nominated by their supervisors after the thesis has been completed and graded.

The deadline for the upcoming round is 1 December 2026. Theses completed between 1 December 2024 and 1 December 2026 are eligible for submission. Supervisors are requested to submit the thesis as a PDF by email, accompanied by a brief statement outlining the merits of the work, to: weilandprijs@hum.leidenuniv.nl 

The prize carries an award of €500.

Committee for the Hugo Weiland Prize:

• Prof. dr. S.A. Cramsey (Leiden University)
• Dr. P.G.C. Dassen (Leiden University)
• Dr. F. Rosu (Leiden University)
• Dr. N.A.L. Truan (Leiden University)
• Dr. Q.O. Somsen (Radboud University)
• Dr. F.L. Laczó (Maastricht University)
• Dr. M.K. Williams (University of Groningen)

Hugo Weiland Thesis Prize winners:

2024    Sean Ivory
2022    Steven Verburg
2020    Frederique Visser
2018    Quinten Somsen

Foundation for Austrian Studies Student Stipend

MA and PhD students may apply for a grant from the Foundation for Austrian Studies to support research into Central European history, and Austrian history in particular. This grant enables students to consult relevant libraries and archives for their research. Applications may be submitted throughout the year. The grant is typically around €500, but may amount to up to €2,000, depending on the quality and scope of the research proposal.

To apply, students are required to submit:

• A motivation letter
• Curriculum Vitae, including University transcript with grades
• Research Proposal (2 pages) consisting of:
  • Description of research theme and question(s)
  • Scientific relevance
  • A time schedule
  • A list of libraries and archives that are to be visited
  • Budget

After the research trip students need to send in a final report no later than two months after their return. This should include a financial report, a brief summary of the trip (2 pages max.), and relevant photographs.

Committee for the grants:

• Prof. dr. S.A. Cramsey (Leiden University)
• Dr. P.G.C. Dassen (Leiden University)
• Dr. F. Rosu (Leiden University)
• Dr. N.A.L. Truan (Leiden University)
• Dr. Q.O. Somsen (Radboud University)
• Dr. F.L. Laczó (Maastricht University)
• Dr. M.K. Williams (University of Groningen)

Student grants awarded:

2019    Frederique Visser
2018    Niels Bakhuis
2017    Quinten Somsen