Grants for Post-Doctoral Research and Lecturing

As part of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, Fulbright Schuman awards scholarships to European citizens to conduct research and/or lecture in any academic field at an accredited U.S. institution for a period between three months and one academic year (9 months). Applicants must present a letter of affiliation from an accredited university or non-profit research institution and must demonstrate in their Project Statement that their proposed research is relevant to U.S.-EU relations, EU policy, or the EU institutions and to at least two EU Member States.

Benefits

• Scholarship of up to 3000 euro per month (USD equivalent)
• J-1 visa sponsorship
• Pre-departure support
• Travel stipend of 2000 euro (USD equivalent)
• Health benefit plan
• In-country programming (e.g. Enrichment Seminars)
• Prestigious title and access to alumni network

Eligibility

• Citizenship in an EU Member State
• Proficiency in English
• Minimum of a doctoral degree (PhD)
• Academic/professional experience of 3+ months in two or more EU Member States recommended
• Academic excellence or outstanding personal or professional background

Factors that may make an applicant ineligible for the Fulbright Schuman Program include: current employment/traineeship at the European Commission, strong professional ties to European institutions, current or former residence in the United States, and lack of experience outside of home country. No candidate may receive Fulbright Schuman funding in concurrence with other EC funding (e.g. Marie Curie) for the same activity.

Required documents

• Americanized CV
• 3-5 page single-spaced Project Statement (please ensure to demonstrate relevancy to the EU!)
• 1-3 page Bibliography of References relevant to the proposed research
• Diploma of most recent degree including transcripts with completed coursework. (certified translation in English unless the original documents are in Dutch, French or German) Note: You must have a PhD diploma in hand by the time of departure to the U.S.
• Three letters of recommendation (uploaded directly into online application by chosen recommenders)
• Letter of affiliation from a U.S. host institution; this letter should contain the institution’s letterhead, mention the exact dates (or academic term), the objective of your research stay as well as any facilities you will have access to during your grant

All these documents must be included in your application by December 1. Please note that we do NOT require supplemental forms such as a letter from your home institution or official test results (e.g. TOEFL). You may include test results in the appropriate application fields if you so desire.

How to apply

The application period to apply for this grant is between September 15 and December 1 for applicants who intend to start their program in the next academic year.

E.g. if you intend to start a program in the academic year of 2024-2025, you will need to apply for a grant between September 15 and December 1, 2023.

Every applicant needs to complete an online application in English by noon (Central European Time) on December 1 including the required documents. No papers should be mailed to our office and it is not required for applicants to contact us before starting their application. Incomplete applications will not be considered for an award. When creating an online account to start a new application, preferably use a personal email address instead of a temporary work or school address.

When filling out the initial fields of the online application in the ‘Preliminary Questions’ section, applicants MUST select ‘European Union (Schuman)’ as the Program Country. This indicates that you are applying for a Fulbright Schuman award and ensures that your application is sent to our office and not to a different Fulbright Commission. We strongly encourage you to send us an email after submitting your application to make sure that our office has received your application for the Fulbright Schuman Program.

There are no requirements for particular fields of study, however, the proposed research project must be relevant to Europe, the European Union, and/or US-EU relations. The program has funded research projects in political science, law, and economics but also in linguistics, social sciences, public health, arts, etc.

Candidates are responsible for arranging affiliation with a host institution on their own. EU professionals and professionals in training (e.g., decision-makers, policy-makers, individuals in industry, media, politics, academia, and public administration) are encouraged to apply. The most competitive applicants for Fulbright awards demonstrate ambassadorial qualities and a genuine interest in cultural exchange. It is important for candidates to be able to articulate a clear, creative, and feasible plan for their time in the United States and to explain why right now is the right time to pursue this plan and how their grant will ultimately help them achieve their personal and professional goals in the future. The Commission is looking for candidates who will have a multiplier effect within their U.S. and European communities and who wish to ultimately return to the European Union to share their newfound knowledge and experience after their grant has ended.