The target group of the Stanford Chair are academics with a PhD or comparable qualification (“associate professor rank or above”) who have a valid employment relationship at an Austrian university. Emeritus university professors and retired professors cannot apply. Applications are possible for those research areas that are represented either at the Europe Center of the Freeman Spogli Institute of International Studies at Stanford University or one of the seven Stanford University schools.

The Distinguished Visiting Austrian Chair position is fully funded and includes a small stipend for flights to and from Stanford. 

The call for applications takes place every three years for the upcoming three academic years. This enables the selected DVACs to have more time to prepare for their stay. The next call for proposals is expected to be published in autumn 2025.

The current call for applications can be found here.

• Applications are reviewed by a selection committee including:
  • the Chair (Vice Rector for Research and International Affairs at the University of Vienna)
  • a representative of the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Research
  • a representative of the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs
  • four academics nominated by the university conference
  • an academic from the University of Vienna who is responsible for cooperation with Stanford
• The selection committee provides initial recommendations and the final selections are made by The Europe Center