Location: British School at Rome (BSR)
Institution: Paul Mellon Centre / British School at Rome
Duration: Three months
Application deadline: 23:59 on Saturday 31 January 2026
Reference deadline: 23:59 on Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Salary / Funding:
- Residential accommodation + meals provided
- Employed applicants: £3,000 honorarium + up to £8,000 toward replacement staff costs
- Independent scholars: £7,000 honorarium
- Additional access support may be available
The Rome Fellowship offers a unique opportunity for three months of dedicated research on a visually focused topic relating to cultural contact, exchange and influence between Britain (including the historical Empire and Commonwealth) and Italy. The residency is based at the British School at Rome.
The award is open to scholars, researchers, curators and GLAM professionals, from immediately post-doctoral level to those internationally recognised in their fields. Applicants must be ready to engage with Rome’s art and archival collections, the BSR’s own collections, and/or the city as an architectural and cultural artefact.
The Paul Mellon Centre champions new understandings of British art history and culture, with a strong commitment to inclusivity and the broadening of voices and perspectives within the field. Applications are particularly welcome from individuals under-represented in the humanities in the UK.
Scope
The Rome Fellowship facilitates original research into British–Italian cultural contact, exchange and influence from any period between the medieval era and the present. Projects must be visually focused, demonstrate rigorous engagement with historical/critical issues, and make direct use of local art and archive collections, the BSR’s materials and/or the city of Rome.
Recent research topics include:
- “Old Indians” in Italy: A Forgotten Artistic Exchange
- Sandra Blow and Alberto Burri: Exchanges in Abstraction 1948–1955
- Finding Annie Swynnerton: British–Italian Symbolist Networks in Rome, 1880–1920
- Henry Fuseli in Rome: Defining a New, Heroic Style for British Art
Funding
The fellowship provides:
- Residential accommodation and meals at the BSR
- Italian language lessons
- Assistance in accessing archives normally closed to the public
Financial support includes:
- For employed applicants: £3,000 honorarium + up to £8,000 toward replacement staff
- For independent scholars: £7,000 honorarium
- Additional support for access needs may be available
If a fellow accepts full-time employment during the fellowship period, reimbursement of part of the award will be requested. The fellowship is designed as a full-time commitment for three months, though split tenures may be discussed depending on BSR scheduling.
Eligibility
Applicants must:
- Work on a visually focused topic relating to Anglo-Italian cultural exchange
- Be scholars, researchers, curators, archivists or GLAM professionals
- Have been awarded a doctorate by the application deadline
- Demonstrate specific plans to engage with archives/collections/sites in Rome
- Show the value of being based in Rome for three months
- Be fluent in English and either competent in or willing to engage with Italian
- Take the fellowship during one of three windows:
- late September–late December
- January–March
- April–June
The fellowship cannot be deferred and cannot run concurrently with another award. Applicants may apply for only one award per funding round.
For queries, contact grants@paul-mellon-centre.ac.uk
