Open Call for Fellowship Applications 2025
The Digital Medical Ethics Network (DiMEN) is now accepting applications for the 2025 DiMEN-Fellowship hosted by the Junior Professorship of Medical Ethics with a Focus on Digitization, Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg at the University of Potsdam and the Institute for Medical Ethics and History of Medicine, University of Tübingen. This opportunity is for doctoral and post-doctoral researchers who would like to spend their time in Potsdam or Tübingen. DiMEN-Fellows will have the opportunity to conduct an innovative project of their choosing, to become part of the institutes’ vibrant communities and to engage in collaborative and interdisciplinary exploration of some of the most important and pressing ethical issues in digital health.
Applications are invited until 18th of November 2025
Digital Medical Ethics Network
Biomedical research, development of medical technology, provision of healthcare or medical diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment increasingly rely on the processing and use of huge amounts of data and use of digital technologies. These developments are categorized under the umbrella of “digital medicine” or “digital health”. Emerging fields include Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning to support medical diagnosis, electronic health records to improve the accessibility of patient data and connect health practice and research, mobile health technologies, robot-assisted surgery or ambient assisted living technologies to support the care of elderly patients. In light of this, it is crucial that health ethics addresses the conditions of digitization. The rise of digital health adds elements of information technology/engineering, intensifying the need for interdisciplinary exchange and the demand for academic qualifications necessary to keep track of the digital turn in healthcare. The Digital Medical Ethics Network is an initiative funded by VolkswagenStiftung to address structural shortcomings in current digital health ethics research and to strengthen the scientific community through various measures of research, teaching and consultation. For more information visit: https://www.digitalmedicalethics.net/
About the Program
To foster international scientific exchange the DiMEN-Fellowship addresses outstanding young (doctoral or post-doctoral) scholars pursuing innovative research on ethical dimensions in the ecosystem of digital medicine and healthcare. During a period of 1 to 2 months (depending on proposed project and available resources), the DiMEN-Fellowship provides international and national researchers with the opportunity to stay at the University of Potsdam or the University of Tübingen. Fellows receive a monthly stipend (1.400 € for pre-doctoral fellows and 2.100 € for post-doctoral fellows per month plus max. 100 € for academic expenses) to cover living expenses for the period of their stay. They get access to the institutes’ research infrastructures and networks.
The University of Potsdam near Berlin was founded in 1991. It is known for its excellent degree programmes in the humanities and social sciences as well as natural sciences and engineering. With the Hasso Plattner Institute, the University of Potsdam has an independent Faculty of Digital Engineering that is unique in the German university landscape. The hosting Junior Professorship for Medical Ethics is assigned to the Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg. It is dedicated to ethical aspects of health sciences and medicine against the backdrop of the growing use of digital technologies, the exploitation of large amounts of data and automation. Established in 1477, the University of Tübingen is a centre for outstanding research and excellent teaching. The University of Tübingen is committed to finding solutions for the challenges of the future in a globalised society. With its extraordinarily broad range of subjects, it offers researchers from different disciplines a wide range of opportunities for cooperation and networking. The hosting Institute for Ethics and History of Medicine is part of the Faculty of Medicine in Tübingen. The Institute’s research and teaching cover the broad range of medical ethics and history with different focal points. Current ethical research focuses include, for example, (medical) professional ethics, ethics and ageing, social justice, ethical aspects of new biotechnologies, research ethics and the digitization of medicine.
Aims of the Program
The DiMEN-Fellowship is designed to allow early and mid-career-researchers
- to explore new and innovative topics in the field of ethics of digital health including new technologies as well as methods and approaches in digital medical ethics or bioethics
- to define their format of output (e.g., journal article, grant application, book chapter etc.
- to connect and collaborate with peers and renown researchers in the field
- to become member of the growing DiMEN-community
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants have a degree in a field relevant for health ethics research (e.g., medicine, nursing sciences, technical or data sciences, philosophy, social sciences). Their track record displays a considerable interest in digital health ethics research appropriate to their career stage. Their project proposal highlights the innovative nature of their approach and seeks connection to recent scholarly discussions in the field of digital medical ethics or digital bioethics. Applicants show a keen interest in networking, collaborating with their peers and sharing their work with other researchers, for example, in presentations or workshops during their stay. We value interdisciplinary exchange and plurality of perspectives. Applications from researchers, designers or engineers from the field of technical sciences who are interested in exploring ethical issues through their work are very welcome. Applications from low- and middle-income countries are especially encouraged.
Application
An application should include a curriculum vitae, a brief cover letter and a description of the project the applicant would like to work on during their stay. Please use our template for the description of your project which can be downloaded at
http://fellowship.digitalmedicalethics.net
Please send all documents in a single pdf file to fellowship@digitalmedicalethics.net no later than 18.11.2025. In case of any questions, do not hesitate to contact us via this address. Further information (FAQ) can be found on our website. Applicants are welcome to discuss their ideas with the DiMEN-Team in advance.
Selection Process
All applications received will be evaluated after the deadline. The candidates will be selected by a jury consisting of members of the hosting universities and members of the DiMEN scientific advisory board. Selection criteria will be a track record appropriate to the respective career stage and the quality and innovative potential of the proposed project.