Open Call for 2025-26 ICDE Fellowship Applications

ICDE Fellowship 2025-26: A Prestigious Opportunity for Researchers in Cooperative Digital Economy

Are you a researcher passionate about cooperatives, digital economies, and social justice? The Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE) at The New School is inviting applications for its prestigious 2025-26 Fellowship Program. This fellowship provides an unparalleled opportunity for scholars to explore platform cooperativism, digital solidarity, and alternative economic models. If you're eager to contribute to cutting-edge research on economic democracy and cooperative governance, this program is for you!

About the Program

The Platform Cooperativism Consortium (PCC) and Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE) operate at The New School in New York City, a university with a long-standing commitment to social justice, interdisciplinary research, and innovative learning. PCC fosters the growth of cooperative digital ecosystems through movement-building, policy analysis, education, and resource sharing. It brings together scholars, practitioners, and policymakers while maintaining a Resource Library and Directory of active projects. PCC also organizes an annual conference in various global cities, including Thiruvananthapuram, Rio de Janeiro, New York City, Hong Kong, Mombasa, and Berlin.

ICDE leads PCC’s research efforts and has played a crucial role in shaping Solidarity Tech as an academic subfield. Since 2019, it has facilitated impactful research sprints, policy reports, and papers while supporting 43 research fellows. The fellowship program serves as a leading international platform for scholars exploring cooperatives, unions, and the solidarity economy in the digital sphere.

Who Can Apply?

The ICDE Fellowship Program for 2025-2026 is open to:

Ph.D. students, independent researchers, and junior professors
Scholars conducting interdisciplinary research on Solidarity Tech
Researchers focusing on cooperative business models, collective ownership, and economic democracy

For this cycle, ICDE seeks research that is empirically grounded, comparative, and theoretically robust, particularly those focusing on case studies.

Application Timeline

Applications Open: February 10, 2025
Deadline: February 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET
Rolling Review Process
Interviews: March 10 – March 21, 2025
Offer Notifications: March 21, 2025
Acceptance & Onboarding: March 28, 2025

2025/2026 Fellowship Topics

Cooperatives and Artificial Intelligence
Measuring the Impact of Platform Cooperatives
Digital Solidarity in the Global South
Understanding Why Some Platform Cooperatives Fail
The Funding Gap: Exploring Alternative Economic Models
Public Policy and the Cooperative Digital Economy
Strengthening Digital Commons Frameworks

Research Expectations

Fellows must:

Produce an academic report or paper (8,000–10,000 words)
Participate remotely, unless specified otherwise
Attend the PCC Conference in Istanbul (November 11–14, 2025) in person (travel and accommodation covered, but visa costs are the fellow’s responsibility)

Fellowship Benefits

Engage with a global research community and collaborate with experts
Receive mentorship from faculty at The New School
Present research at the PCC Conference in Istanbul
Connect with cooperative collectives in over 60 countries

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit:

A writing sample showcasing prior research
A CV (maximum 4 pages)
Two English-speaking academic references
A 1-2 page research proposal, including:
- Research focus and case study details
- A project timeline

Information Session

Interested applicants can join an information session on Friday, February 14, 2025, at 9:00 AM ET. Register here. to learn more about the fellowship and application process.

This prestigious fellowship offers a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research on platform cooperatives and the solidarity economy. If you are passionate about economic democracy and cooperative governance, submit your application before the February 28, 2025 deadline!

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to Scholarship at Uniplus Global to apply