CfA: ESTER Research Design Course

How to strengthen your dissertation project?

The European graduate School for Training in Economic and Social Historical Research (ESTER) is a European platform for postgraduate teaching ESTER announces its annual Research Design Course (RDC) for economic and social historians on

26 – 28 October 2026 in Leuven (Belgium)

The ESTER network, established in 1991, involves more than 60 universities throughout Europe and offers high-level research training for PhD candidates in an international context. This year’s Research Design Course will take place in Leuven and will be chaired by Professor Maïka De Keyzer and hosted by the KU Leuven, History Research Unit (Faculty of Arts). The organising committee is formed by Maïka De Keyzer (KU Leuven), Magdė Bielinienė (KU Leuven), Evelien Walhout and the office manager of the N.W. Posthumus Institute.

The Research Design Course (RDC) is a format promoted by ESTER since the late 1990s. The RDC assists candidates in setting up a high quality and well-designed plan for their dissertation under the guidance of a team of senior researchers and research design specialists whose task it is to provide comments and feedback.

Thus, the RDC is not a “course” in which an instructor will give a lecture or that you will discuss historical theories in a seminar setting. Instead, it is focussed on presentations of individual projects and the ensuing discussions on how to improve them.

The ESTER network, established in 1991, involves more than 60 universities throughout Europe and offers high-level research training for PhD candidates in an international context. This year’s Research Design Course will take place in Leuven and will be chaired by Professor Maïka De Keyzer and hosted by the KU Leuven, History Research Unit (Faculty of Arts). The organising committee is formed by Maïka De Keyzer (KU Leuven), Magdė Bielinienė (KU Leuven), Evelien Walhout and the office manager of the N.W. Posthumus Institute.

The Research Design Course (RDC) is a format promoted by ESTER since the late 1990s. The RDC assists candidates in setting up a high quality and well-designed plan for their dissertation under the guidance of a team of senior researchers and research design specialists whose task it is to provide comments and feedback.

Thus, the RDC is not a “course” in which an instructor will give a lecture or that you will discuss historical theories in a seminar setting. Instead, it is focussed on presentations of individual projects and the ensuing discussions on how to improve them.

Description and organisation of the RDC

The Research Design Course is a three-day workshop in which the PhD candidates, divided into four to five groups, will discuss their work and that of others. Each participant will write a paper of 25 pages, according to the provided guidelines, in which they explicate their research theme and methodology. A group session will take about 70 minutes, in which all papers are presented and cross-examined by fellow PhD candidates and appointed senior commentators. This will be concluded with a general discussion. Prior to the workshop, all papers will be circulated, so the participants can read these in advance. On the final day of the RDC, each participant will be awarded a certificate. 

Requirements

The RDC programme is intended for PhD candidates in Economic and Social History, regardless of their research subject. Nevertheless, a couple of requirements should be met. At the time of the Research Design Course:

·      Candidates should (at the very least) be finishing the first year of their dissertation project. The methodology and research design should not be fully crystallised yet.

·      Participants should have been working on their research for at least six months, when they start writing their paper.

·      The main language of this event is English. Therefore, all participants should be able to have mastered English at a sufficient level.

Applications and admission

PhD candidates can apply via our online registration form: https://posthumusinstitute.org/ester-rdc-2026-application-form/, which should also include an abstract between 400-800 words of their dissertation project. Based on this short summary, the organisation will make a first selection. Once candidates have been accepted, they will be asked to write their research paper conform the provided guidelines. The final admission depends upon the following criteria:

·      The candidates must meet the deadline for submission of the paper;

·      The quality of the paper: the papers must be of sufficient academic quality, and the level of English used in the paper must be sufficient.

Dates and location

The 2026 RDC will take place at the KU Leuven, History Research Unit (Faculty of Arts). There will be informal welcome drinks on Sunday 25 October, but the course itself will start Monday 26 October 9 am and end on Wednesday 28 October around 4 pm.

Candidates wishing to participate are requested to send in their application and abstract no later than 15 June 2026.

Time path

1 March 2026	Call for Applications and abstracts
1 May 2026	Reminder Call for Applications and abstracts
15 June 2026	Deadline application
1 July 2026	Selection completed; applicants informed
1 October 2026	Deadline paper submission
6 October 2026	Papers online for reading
26 - 28 October 2026	ESTER RDC Leuven

Costs & Accommodation

There are no registration costs, but travel and accommodation will be at the expense of the participants. Although most of the catering will be pre-arranged, this will not be the case on Tuesday evening. Therefore, the candidates should consider making their own dinner arrangements for this Tuesday evening.  In specific cases, candidates may apply for a travel subsidy; this only applies to candidates who have no options for such funding at all.

Contact

For inquiries concerning this course, please contact the education programme director of ESTER: Dr Evelien Walhout (e.c.walhout@hum.leidenuniv.nl).