Researchers from Gaza and Ukraine find temporary shelter in Amsterdam
24 February 2025
The Safe Haven Fellowship offers scientists, writers, artists and journalists from conflict areas the opportunity to continue their work in safety. The programme was set up in 2021 for Ukrainian and dissident Russian and Belarusian researchers, but has been open to threatened researchers worldwide since early 2023. Starting from 1 February 2025, candidates from conflict areas can apply all year round for a fellowship.
Research and Fellows
Fellows are selected by an academic advisory board on the basis of their research proposal. Since February 2025, Mohammed Alzanoon, a photojournalist and documentary filmmaker from Gaza, has been a fellow in Amsterdam. Last year, he received the Most Resilient Journalist Award from Free Press Unlimited.
Amal Helles, also from Gaza, is this year investigating the changing role of female journalists in her home country. She has been a Safe Haven Fellow since September 2024 and recently gave a Freedom Lecture at debate centre De Balie in Amsterdam. Helles: ‘This fellowship has given me confidence, expanded my professional network, and allowed me to engage in meaningful discussions and academic exchanges. More than anything, it has provided me with a sense of stability and care, essential elements for someone coming from a conflict zone. These opportunities may seem ordinary to others, but for me, they are invaluable.’
This fellowship has provided me with a sense of stability and care, essential elements for someone coming from a conflict zoneAmal Helles
NIAS is also hosting four researchers from Ukraine, including media scholar Lesia Kulchynska and political scientist Yuliia Kurnyshova. The programme hopes to welcome researchers from Sudan, Haiti and Hong Kong in the coming years.
Financing and future
The Safe Haven Fellowship Programme has been running for three years and is funded by NIAS, Maastricht University and the UvA. The UvA's contribution is provisionally valid for one year, with the intention of extending it if the evaluation is positive and there are sufficient financial resources.
The UvA contribution of €119,000 was made possible by the many donations from UvA staff and students to the temporary emergency fund for Gaza, which the UvA set up in 2024. The Executive Board has doubled the amount raised. This fund previously supported students affected by the war and has been fully utilised with the contribution to the Safe Haven Fellowship and will be closed down.