Fellowships and Grants Program, Louvre Abu Dhabi
About Louvre Abu Dhabi
Created by an exceptional agreement between the governments of United Arab Emirates and France, Louvre Abu Dhabi opened on Saadiyat Island in November 2017, as part of its Cultural District.
Louvre Abu Dhabi celebrates the universal creativity of mankind and invites audiences to see humanity in a new light. Through its innovative curatorial approach, the museum focuses on building understanding across cultures: through stories of human creativity that transcend civilisations, geographies, and times.
The museum’s growing collection is unparalleled in the region and spans thousands of years of human history, including prehistoric tools, artifacts, religious texts, iconic paintings, and contemporary artworks. The permanent collection is supplemented by rotating loans from French partner institutions, regional and international museums.
Programme Brief
Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Research Programme focuses on transversal areas such as art history, museum studies, collection studies, and heritage science, with the aim of fostering groundbreaking research in collaboration with scholars and institutions, both regionally and globally.
Structured around three thematic axes—Global History of Museums and Collections, Circulation of Styles, Images and Texts and Precious Materials and Routes of Exchange—the programme addresses key topics of art historical scholarship, while also advancing and cooperating with research initiatives beyond the museum’s walls.
At the core of this programme are Louvre Abu Dhabi’s research facilities, which include the museum’s Resource Center, the Library, the Conservation Center, and a Scientific Laboratory allowing for the material analysis of artworks—the first of its kind in the Gulf region. The activities encompassed by the programme include symposiums, workshops, and publications aimed at stimulating dialogue and disseminating knowledge around collections and related themes.
Launched in 2024, Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Fellowship Programme enters its second edition in 2025, consolidating the museum’s role as a global platform for research and knowledge exchange. Building on the achievements of its inaugural year, the programme continues to support scholars and museum professionals through both short- and long-term fellowships.
How to apply
Researchers and scholars specializing in Art History, Archaeology, Museum Studies, Heritage Science, Conservation, and associated fields are encouraged to submit proposals aligned with one of the three thematic axes related to Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collections and outlined in the following page. Each application should entail significant research activity and must remain feasible throughout the project period. Please read specific application requirements, according to the grant category for which you are sending your project to (Short-term Fellowships or Long-term Fellowship).
Resources to aid in application preparation are available at the following links:
Selection criteria:
Prospective fellows will be evaluated based on their research background and their ability to demonstrate the quality and originality of their proposals. Assessments will also consider how well the proposals align with the programme mission and the museum’s collections. Furthermore, candidates will be assessed on the feasibility of their research projects, ensuring they encompass the methodology to engage effectively with Louvre Abu Dhabi’s resources and facilities. Employees of Louvre Abu Dhabi are not eligible to apply.
Thematic Axes
Axis 1 | Global History of Museums and Collections
This research axis explores the establishment of collections and museums on a global scale. Taking Louvre Abu Dhabi as a ground of analysis, it delves into the diverse practices of curating, audience-building, and displaying art in the Arab world and across all five continents. Central topics include the understanding of how the concept of the “universal museum” is conceived, perceived, and expressed globally, as well as manifestations of interconnected museum histories and collections.
Axis 2 | Circulation of Styles, Images and Texts
This research axis investigates the circulation of objects, artistic styles, images, and texts from the second millennium onwards. It explores the transformation and proliferation of forms, techniques, and themes, as well as the outcomes of horizontal encounters in the dissemination of artworks in diverse cultural contexts. Projects are expected to challenge ideas of cultural hierarchies, and may include cultural transfers in art history, transnational routes for artistic circulation, the notion of multiple modernities, among others.
Axis 3 | Precious Materials and Routes of Exchange
This research axis focuses on the materiality of artworks related to Louvre Abu Dhabi’s collection, which reflects influences from both East and West, testifying to the significance of trade routes such as the Silk Road, terrestrial and maritime exchanges throughout history. Projects within this axis should investigate how trade and cultural interactions have shaped the use of precious materials over time, aiming to recontextualize artworks across different temporalities and cultures, and shed light on evolving notions of rarity, beauty, wealth, and value.
Grant Categories
Short-term Fellowships
Short-term fellowships are open to scholars interested in conducting projects aligned with one of the three thematic axes of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Fellowship and Grants Programme. These grants provide AED 85,000 to each recipient, covering a stipend, round-trip travel to Abu Dhabi, and accommodation for a three-month research period at the museum. During their fellowship, scholars are expected to deliver a lecture, engage in the museum’s activities, and produce a paper for potential publication in one of the museum’s editorial initiatives.
Application Requirements:
2. 3. A CV (up to three pages) including a summary of education, research experience, previous grants and awards, and a selection of the candidate’s main publications.
A project proposal (up to 1,500 words) outlining the proposed research and its alignment with the chosen research axis. This should include a summary, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, and a selected bibliography, along with a planned schedule of work to be completed during the 3-month fellowship period.
One writing sample (published paper or book chapter).Please provide the names, titles, and contact information of two academic referees. Reference letters will be requested for candidates shortlisted for the fellowship.
Submission Instructions:
All three documents (CV, project proposal, writing sample) must be submitted in the specified order and combined into a single PDF file named using the candidate’s name. For example: CandidateName_Application.pdf.
Academic references should be entered in the submission form.
Only complete applications will be reviewed.
Long-term Fellowships
Long-term grants are available to scholars seeking to conduct projects aligned with one of the three thematic axes of Louvre Abu Dhabi’s Fellowship and Grants Programme. These grants provide AED 245,000 to each recipient, covering a stipend, round-trip travel to Abu Dhabi, and accommodation for a nine-month research period at the museum. Throughout their fellowship, scholars are expected to deliver a lecture, engage in the museum’s activities and produce a paper for potential publication in one of the museum’s editorial initiatives.
Application Requirements:
A CV (up to three pages) including a summary of education, research experience, previous grants and awards, and a selection of the candidate›s main publications.
A project proposal (up to 2,500 words) outlining the proposed research and its alignment with the chosen research axis. This should include a summary, objectives, methodology, expected outcomes, and a selected bibliography, along with a planned schedule of work to be completed during the 9-month fellowship period.
One writing sample (published paper or book chapter).
Please provide the names, titles, and contact information of two academic referees. Reference letters will be requested for candidates shortlisted for the fellowship.
Submission Instructions:
All three documents (CV, project proposal, writing sample) must be submitted in the specified order and combined into a single PDF file named using the candidate’s name. For example: CandidateName_Application.pdf.
Academic references should be entered in the submission form.
Only complete applications will be reviewed.
Applications are open until February 7th, 2026. All applicants will be notified of the results by May 2026. The selection process will be conducted by a committee composed of museum representatives and experts who will evaluate the applicants’ materials, with potential interviews scheduled during the process.
All proposals must be submitted online through this link: www.louvreabudhabi.ae/en/louvre-abudhabi-fellowships-call-for-proposal
For further inquiries about the application process, please contact research@louvreabudhabi.ae