Researcher Assistance and Training Project

Today, as in the past, İSAM attaches special importance to training researchers and improving the quality of academics. It carries out various projects to contribute to the quality and means of research in the fields of theology and social sciences in general, to provide academic and financial support to researchers, and to develop strategies in related fields. 

The Researcher Assistance and Training Project , which was initiated in 2012 in cooperation with the Presidency of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye and the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation  in order to meet the recognized needs within the fields of Islamic studies, the humanities, and social sciences, due to the rapid increase in the number of universities in recent years, especially faculties of theology and Islamic sciences in Türkiye. The project includes academic and financial support to identified candidates during their master’s and doctoral studies. 

A total of 1,609 researcher candidates (550 in the first semester, 393 in the second semester, and 666 in the third semester) applied to the project in 2012 for the first semester, 2014 for the second semester, and 2017 for the third semester, with a total of 1,062 candidates (125 in the first semester, 326 in the second semester, and 611 in the third semester) who met the application requirements being invited to take the scientific exam. 

A total of 149 candidates (41 in the first semester, 66 in the second semester, and 42 in the third semester) were accepted to the project in 12 different disciplines/fields of research in three semesters, taking into account issues such as the extent to which the program can contribute to the academic expectations and goals of the candidate in the interviews, where a multi-faceted evaluation was made, considering a balanced approach in terms of the success, needs, and the priorities of the Researcher Assistance and Training Project. 

The support provided to the selected candidates is arranged into three groups.  

Research Support with Full Scholarship (Group 1): Full scholarship consists of İSAM education support, foreign language support in Türkiye and/or abroad, and research support abroad. Those who do not hold an official position at any institution and who do not receive a scholarship equivalent to Group 1 from another institution can benefit from this support. 

Partial Scholarship Research Support (Group 2): Partial scholarship consists of İSAM education support, foreign language support in Türkiye and/or abroad, and research support abroad. Faculty members/researchers working at a higher education institution in Türkiye or those working at institutions deemed appropriate by the ISAM Board of Directors can benefit from this level of support. 

Research Support without Scholarship (Group 3): İSAM education support consists of domestic and/or international foreign language support and international research support. Those who are not assigned to the first two groups can benefit from this aid.  

Foreign Researcher Candidate Support: Special support is provided to foreign researcher candidates who are not Turkish citizens and who are accepted into the program. The type of support to be provided is determined according to the status of the candidate.