The 2025 Korean Heritage Research Grants for Early-Career Scholars offer a unique funding opportunity designed to promote innovative and collaborative research in the field of transnational heritage studies. The grants programme, organized by the Korean National Commission for UNESCO and funded by the Korea Heritage Service, invites early-career scholars to conduct small-scale research projects, addressing critical global challenges through the lens of Korean heritage.
The Programme aims to cultivate a vibrant academic network of Korean and non-Korean early-career scholars and researchers, fostering collaboration on innovative projects that take Korean heritage as a subject of comparative study or incorporate it into the research content, focusing on one of the thematic areas listed below.
The Programme encourages:
to examine how heritage practices and narratives reinforce or challenge national identity, political ideologies, and power dynamics;
- to explore the role of heritage in shaping collective memory, with particular attention to contexts marked by conflict, colonial legacies, and systemic racism;
- to investigate issues of representation and marginalization within heritage narratives and practices, addressing questions of equity and diversity;
- to assess the potential of heritage to contribute to global sustainability, particularly in advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 2025 grants programme will select two research teams through an open call. Each team will receive funding of up to KRW 10,000,000 (approximately $6,800 USD) to conduct research projects. Based on the outcomes of their studies, successful teams will have the opportunity to receive additional funding of up to KRW 12,000,000 (approximately $8,200 USD) to continue their research in 2026.
Please find out more detailed information about the grant programme.
How to Apply
Applicants for the Korean Heritage Research Grants for Early-Career Scholar must submit a complete application to the Korean National Commission for UNESCO at naeun.kim@unesco.or.kr before the submission deadline of February 28, 2025 (Seoul local time).
The application must contain:
- A completed application form (refer to the application form)
- CVs of the Principal Investigator and co-researchers (in PDF format)
- Copies of doctoral degree certificates or certificates of enrolment for the Principal Investigator and co-researchers
- A preliminary budget plan (either in a separate form or within the application form)
Shortlisted applicants will be notified individually and may be required to participate in interviews, which will be conducted online during the second week of March 2025. Successful applicants will be notified and contacted by mid-March 2025.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at naeun.kim@unesco.or.kr.
Contact
KIM Naeun
Researcher
Korea UNESCO Research Institute
Korean National Commission for UNESCOTel: +82 (0)2 6958 4278