Fulbright Specialist Program

In order to extend the scope and reach of the traditional Fulbright program in a new era, the Fulbright Specialist Program has been initiated to provide short-term Fulbright grants of two to six weeks. Not only are grant lengths shorter under the new option, but grantees are able to undertake different types of activities.

Primary goals

	To increase the number of leading U.S. scholars in fulbright academic exchanges
	to encourage new activities that go beyond the traditional Fulbright activities of teaching and research
	to promote increased connections between U.S. and overseas academic institutions in the Fulbright context

Application procedure

The Austrian-American Educational Commissions reviews applications by
Austrian institutions of higher education for Fulbright Specialist
with submission deadlines of April 1 and October 1 for the following
academic year. Information for Austrian institutions on application
modalities is available at: http://www.fulbright.at/austrians/senior_institut.php.
Mimimum lead times between the submission of a request and the placement of a Fulbright Specialist are in the vicinity of 6 months. The number of Fulbright Specialist appointments varies from year to year and is contingent upon central funding provided by the Bureau for Educational and Cultural Affairs in Washington, D.C.

Duration of grants

The Program will award grants ranging from two to six weeks and will make use of serial grants.

Sample Fulbright Specialists activities

Fulbright Specialist activities will be designed to provide U.S. faculty and professionals with opportunities to collaborate with professional counterparts on curriculum and faculty development, institutional planning and a variety of other activities. For example, grantees may:

	Present lectures at graduate and undergraduate levels
	Participate in or lead seminars or workshops at overseas academicinstitutions
	Conduct needs assessments, surveys, institutional or programmatic research
	Take part in specialized academic programs and conferences
	Consult with administrators and instructors of post-secondary institutions on faculty development
	Develop and/or assess academic curricula or educational materials
	Conduct teacher-training programs at the tertiary level

Eligibility

The Fulbright Specialist Program is open to qualified U.S. scholars and professionals in the fields listed below.

Applicants must meet all of the following eligibility requirements:

U.S. citizen at the time of application. Permanent resident status is not sufficient. A Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree at the time of application. For professionals and artists outside academe, recognized professional standing and substantial professional accomplishments. Persons residing abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible. Residing abroad is defined as living outside the United States for nine months or more during a calendar year. Duty abroad in the U.S Armed Forces is not considered disqualifying within the meaning of this section. Disclosure of prior conviction or current indictment for commission of a felony. Prior conviction or current indictment may result in disqualification. Applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin and /or physical impairment.

Terms of the grant

Grants awarded will include travel and per diem plus a $200 per day honorarium. Per diem costs, which are in-country costs for lodging, meals & in-country transportation, will be covered by the host institution.

Fields

For eligible disciplines please consult the CIES webpage.

Worldwide coverage

Africa, Sub-Saharan. East Asia and the Pacific. Europe. Middle East and North Africa. New Independent States. South Asia. Western Hemisphere.

Fulbright Specialist Roster

The Fulbright Specialist Program differs from the traditional Fulbright Scholar competition in that the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) will build rosters of specialists in a variety of fields through an open application process. Applicants recommended by specialist peer review committees and approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board will become candidates for Fulbright Specialist awards.

Countries request Fulbright Specialists through their local Fulbright Commission or U.S. diplomatic post (Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy). They may encourage U.S. specialists to apply for specific projects proposed or used the roster of specialists as a means of identifying expertise. When a request is received, Fulbright Specialist candidates will be contacted to ascertain their availability for final consideration.

Program administration

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State. It is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), which is affiliated with the Institute of International Education. The Commission reviews requests for Fulbright Senior Specialists on a periodic basis. CIES handles the application process for U.S. specialists.

For further information contact:

http://www.cies.org/specialists/

Austrian-American Educational Commission
(Fulbright Commission)
quartier21/MQ
Museumsplatz 1
A 1070 Vienna, Austria
Tel. (431) 236 7878 0
Fax (431) 236 7878 17

The Austrian-American Educational Commission (Fulbright Commission) endeavors to update
the information on this site on a regular basis, but cannot guarantee its accuracy at all times.