Open Call for 2025-26 ICDE Fellowship Applications
Who Can Apply?
The Institute for the Cooperative Digital Economy (ICDE) at The New School invites applications for the 2025-2026 Fellowship Program, one of the foremost programs for scholars researching cooperatives, unions, and the solidarity economy in the digital age.
This fellowship supports Ph.D. students, independent researchers, and junior professors conducting interdisciplinary research on Solidarity Tech—examining how digital infrastructure can be owned and governed for solidarity rather than profit. We are particularly interested in research that explores cooperative business models, collective ownership, and economic democracy.
For this fellowship cycle, we seek empirically grounded, comparative, and theoretically robust research, with an emphasis on case studies.
Application Timeline
- Applications Open: February 10, 2025
- Deadline: February 28, 2025, at 11:59 pm ET
- Review Period: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
- Offer Notifications: March 10, 2024
- Acceptance: March 12, 2024
About the Program
The Platform Cooperativism Consortium (PCC) and ICDE are based at The New School in New York City, a university founded in 1921 with a legacy of social justice, interdisciplinary and often unconventional research, and experimental learning. In this context, PCC advances the cooperative digital ecosystem through movement-building, policy analysis, education, and resource sharing. It connects scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, maintains a Resource Library and Directory of active projects. PCC convenes an annual conference, previously held in cities such as Thiruvananthapuram, Rio de Janeiro, New York City, Hong Kong, Mombasa, and Berlin.
ICDE drives PCC’s research. A key force in establishing Solidarity Tech as an academic subfield, it has produced consequential research sprints, policy papers, and reports. Since 2019, its fellowship program has supported 43 research fellows. A key force in establishing Solidarity Tech as an academic subfield, PCC has produced consequential research sprints, policy papers, and reports while supporting 43 research fellows since 2019. Its community of Fellows, Affiliated Researchers, Faculty, and the PCC Council of Advisors continues to shape scholarship and policy. This fellowship is the foremost global forum for researchers exploring cooperatives, unions, the solidarity economy, and their relationship with digital systems. Read more about the work of our fellows on our blog.
2025/2026 Fellowship Topics
Cooperatives and Artificial Intelligence
We invite research on AI cooperatives, data co-ops, and tech co-ops deploying AI, with a focus on open-source, cooperative, and decentralized infrastructures, as well as the often invisible labor behind AI—particularly how cooperatives and unions of content moderators in Africa and South Asia shape fairer AI governance, labor protections, and alternative ownership models. We also welcome studies on AI adoption in traditional co-ops, strategies for reintegrating workers displaced by AI, and the broader impact of AI on labor. Fellows will present at the first Conference on Cooperatives and AI in Istanbul, November 11–14, 2025.
Measuring the Impact of Platform Cooperatives
We invite research on if and how platform cooperatives and solidarity enterprises improve wages, job security, and working conditions, investigating the specific mechanisms—profit-sharing, democratic governance, and cooperative networks—that give workers greater agency, stability, and control over their livelihoods while strengthening bargaining power, financial security, and access to federated digital infrastructure, ultimately assessing their broader impact and viability.
Rethinking Digital Solidarity in the Global South
We seek research on platform cooperatives and adjacent solidarity enterprises in the ‘Global South,’ examining if and how they address local needs, navigate legal barriers, develop alternative models, and foster South-to-South collaboration, with case studies on such initiatives serving refugees, migrants, and other minoritized groups to explore their role in economic stability, social inclusion, particularly in Africa and South Asia.
Why Some Platform Cooperatives Fail—And What We Can Learn
While platform cooperatives offer a promising counterpoint to dominant corporate platforms, many struggle with sustainability, governance breakdowns—especially at scale—and financial constraints at startup, making this research area crucial for examining both failures and successes to identify key factors behind endurance and collapse, as well as strategies for business turnaround and recovery.
The Funding Gap: Exploring Alternative Models
One of the key barriers to the growth of platform cooperatives is the difficulty of accessing capital. Unlike venture-backed tech startups, platform co-ops often rely on member contributions, crowdfunding, or public funding. This research strand explores alternative financial models such as cooperative investment funds, decentralized finance (DeFi) solutions, and public-private partnerships that could support platform co-ops.
Public Policy for a Cooperative Digital Economy
We invite research proposals that shape concrete policy proposals in supporting platform cooperatives, also in the Global South, that strengthen community-owned digital economies. We are particularly interested in research examining public-cooperative procurement models, where local governments contract platform cooperatives to deliver essential services such as transportation, delivery, and care work, offering alternatives to extractive corporate platforms. Research into municipal cooperative investment funds is also welcome.
Solidifying Digital Commons Frameworks
We invite research on the role of cooperatives in strengthening digital commons through cooperative governance, financial sustainability, and shared infrastructure. As digital commons provide alternatives to proprietary platforms, critical questions remain about their long-term viability, equitable access, and governance structures. We are particularly interested in research on public-cooperative infrastructure models.
Benefits, Program Details, and Responsibilities
This fellowship is a leading global program for scholars investigating cooperatives, unions, and the solidarity economy at the intersection of digital systems.
- Join an international research community with access to mentorship and collaboration
- Engage directly with cooperators worldwide
- Present their work at the PCC Conference in Istanbul (travel and accommodation covered).
Note: Fellows are responsible for securing their own visas (visa costs are not covered).
The fellowship provides access to faculty at The New School, hundreds of scholars, former and current Fellows, the PCC Council of Advisors, and leading experts in Solidarity Tech. Our network spans cooperative collectives in 60 countries, allowing Fellows to connect with practitioners and contribute to research shaping both policy and practice.
Research Expectations
Fellows are required to produce an academic report or paper of approximately 8,000–10,000 words.
This is a non-residential fellowship, with fellows participating in program activities remotely, unless otherwise noted. Fellows will be expected to attend the PCC Conference in Istanbul (November 11–14, 2025) in person, and are responsible for securing their own visas.
Application Requirements
- A writing sample demonstrating prior research in this field
- A CV no longer than 4 pages
- Contact details for two English-speaking academic references
- A 1-2 page research proposal, including:
A timeline
Specifics on the case study or research focus
Apply here
Information Session
Join our information session Friday 14 at 9:00 am ET. Register here.
The Institute is committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable global research community and strongly encourages applications from researchers of all backgrounds—including but not limited to gender identity, sexual orientation, transgender status, race, caste, national origin, disability, religion, socioeconomic background, and class—recognizing that diverse lived experiences enrich scholarly dialogue and strengthen interdisciplinary inquiry.