First-Book Subventions

In 2023, the Center for Austrian Studies established first-book subventions for:

1. Tenure-track and non-tenured scholars, who have
2. Secured a publishing contract for their first book project, AND
3. Whose publisher has demonstrated additional funds are necessary to offset the costs of publishing said book project. 

PLEASE NOTE: Authors must work with their publishers/press representatives to submit application materials, and certain materials must be submitted directly by the press representative in order for applications to be considered. Please see the application guidelines below for more details. 

The amount awarded by the Center for Austrian Studies is generally capped at $1500. Scholarly significance of the book as well as demonstrated need will be taken into account by the selection committee. 

Eligibility & Terms

1. A subvention will only be given to a publisher for a scholar's first, single-authored monograph, and the book must predominantly pertain to topics that focus on regions formrly part of the Habsburg Empire and/or its successor states (i.e., the modern states of Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and/or parts of Italy, Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Serbia). Please contact the Center for Austrian Studies if you have questions regarding a book’s eligibility.
2. Manuscripts must be in English, and make a substantial scholarly contribution to Austrian, Habsburg and/or Central or Eastern European Studies with primary research undertaken in the appropriate languages. (English translations of first books already published in other languages will be considered on a case-by-case basis.)
3. Multiple-author books are ineligible (NOTE: authors who have already published an edited collection are still eligible for this award)
4. The applicant must have a completed manuscript under contract from an established academic, not-for-profit press nearing production stage (i.e., the manuscript has been peer reviewed in full).
5. The press must agree to acknowledge the subvention received the Center for Austrian Studies in the front matter of the book; possible language for the press to include: “Publication of this book was made possible, in part, by a subvention from the Center for Austrian Studies at the University of Minnesota.”
6. The press or author must also provide the Center for Austrian Studies with two (2) copies of the book upon publication—one for the Center’s library, and the other to be used by the editorial teams of the Center’s scholarly publications in order to solicit a book review.
7. Within two months of the book’s publication: a narrative account confirming how the subvention was used with an itemized list of expenses must be sent to Meyer Weinshel (Center for Austrian Studies Associate Director) at the Center for Austrian Studies.
8. The Center for Austrian Studies has the right to limit the number of subventions awarded to a specific press within the past three (3) calendar years; the publishing representative responsible for completing the application will need to disclose if other book projects have received CAS Subvention Prizes in the past.
9. Other terms and restrictions apply; please review the application form in its entirety to determine whether the funds being requested are eligible for a subvention.

Application Guidelines

Applications should be submitted as ONE SINGLE PDF to the Center for Austrian Studies at [email protected].

A complete application must include:

1. Completed and signed application form. NOTE: This application form must be completed by the Press/Publisher representative, NOT the author.
2. Signed copy of the eligibility guidelines and adherence to the terms of the award listed above.
3. The author’s Curriculum Vitae
4. Overview of the book and its scholarly significance (max. 1500 words)
5. The manuscript’s full table of contents
6. The Introduction or first chapter (with citations)
7. A copy of two reader reports (names may be withheld, and the reports may be abridged, provided that the publisher can certify the scholars are from separate institutions from that of the author)

Deadline: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and subventions will be issued in fall and spring of each calendar year. 

Please contact [email protected] with any further questions.