Werner Mark Linz Memorial Grant

Werner Mark Linz was a German-born publisher, who wanted to build bridges between cultures and continents. He was the founder of the New York publishing house Continuum and for over fifteen years director of the American University in Cairo Press. He was a passionate advocate for scholarship, literature, and all forms of writing both from and about the Middle East and North Africa. He was instrumental in bringing the work of Naguib Mahfouz to an international audience and collaborated with him to set up the Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature, an annual literary prize for a novel in Arabic. After Linz’s death in 2013, his vision and commitment helped inspire the foundation of Gingko.

The Werner Mark Linz Memorial Grant (WMLM) is a medium-scale award to fund academic research projects, conferences or symposiums on one or more of Gingko’s academic subject areas – the history, art history or religions of the MENA region – in any time period.

Gingko awards up to one WMLM Grant per year, normally up to a maximum of £10,000 for each grant (download grant description as a PDF here). 

The WMLM Grant is for professional academic researchers based anywhere in the world.

In keeping with Werner Mark Linz’s commitment to publishing writers from the MENA region, applications for the WMLM grant must include at least one researcher from the MENA region or of MENA heritage.

 Gingko also particularly welcomes:

– applications for collaborative projects, conferences or symposiums involving researchers both from the MENA region (and/or with MENA heritage) and the West;

– applications from researchers based at academic institutions in the MENA region or researchers of MENA heritage who plan to return to academia in the MENA region; and

– applications for projects in regions and countries where there is limited financial support available for research.

Eligibility

The Werner Mark Linz Memorial Grant is for professional academic researchers based anywhere in the world. They must work for or have an official connection with a higher education institution or be able to provide other evidence of their status as professional academic researchers.

Subject area

The WMLM Grant can fund an academic research project, conference or symposium. The primary focus of the research project, conference or symposium must be at least one of Gingko’s academic subject areas – the history, art history or religions of the MENA region – in any period.

Outcomes

Applicants should indicate their expected outcomes in their application. Outcomes should be specific and clearly defined. Gingko expects that a project receiving a WMLM Grant will have a significant concrete outcome or outcomes.

Where an outcome of the research is expected to be a published book, grant recipients are encouraged but not required to submit their book proposal to Gingko. In any case, Gingko’s support must be acknowledged in any outcome.

Grant recipients must submit a report (of 1500 to 2000 words) to Gingko upon the completion of their project, detailing how the project turned out, assessing how well the project achieved its expected outcomes, and providing final accounts for the project. The report must state how the project has furthered the mission of Gingko, to improve mutual understanding between MENA and the West.

Schedule

Applicants should include a schedule for their project in their application. Gingko normally expects projects to be completed within four years of a WMLM Grant being awarded.

Budget

Applicants must include a budget. Applicants should submit a budget for the entire costs of their project, indicating as appropriate which parts of the budget will be funded by Gingko’s grant. Applicants should indicate other sources of funding and whether these have already been secured.

Financial Need

Applicants must include a declaration that without the grant they would not have the resources to carry out their proposed project.

Eligible Costs

WMLM Grants can cover direct costs of research projects, conferences or symposiums, but will not normally cover salary costs or institutional overheads. Allowable costs include fieldwork and research costs, equipment, travel, event costs, and article-processing fees. We can fund some short-term wage costs, e.g. for research assistants, but we do not generally expect to fund salary costs, teaching replacements, normal living costs, or institutional overheads. If in doubt, please email Gingko at grants@gingko.org.uk.

Annual Deadline

6 April.

Application Procedure

Please study the application form carefully before applying – download as a Word document or as a PDF here. Completed applications must be emailed to grants@gingko.org.uk by midnight (UK time) on 6 April. Decisions will be announced in June of the same year.

References

Two letters of recommendation must be submitted in support of each application and should be sent to grants@gingko.org.uk by midnight (UK time) on 6 April. The letters of recommendation must be from academics with professional, academic experience of the applicant. References must come from the academic’s work email account.

Terms and Conditions

Successful applicants will need to agree to Gingko’s Terms & Conditions.

Assessment of Applications

Grant applications will be assessed by a panel of academic reviewers. Applications will be anonymised before assessment. Gingko aims to have at least one assessor from MENA or of MENA heritage on the judging panel. Decisions are based on the quality and practicality of the proposed research, conference or symposium, the costing of the work, the qualifications of the applicant to conduct the work, and the reports of referees. The decision of the panel is final. We regret that we cannot offer feedback to unsuccessful applicants.

Ethical Policy

Gingko expects all grant applicants and recipients to abide by its ethical policy, which is included in the terms and conditions for all grants. Gingko is a non-political, religiously neutral organisation, committed to non-discriminatory treatment of others in all aspects of our work. We operate in accordance with the UK’s Equality Act. We respect and celebrate diversity.

Further Questions

If you have any questions about the Werner Mark Linz Memorial Grant, please email us on grants@gingko.org.uk.