2020-21 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Nepali Post-Doctoral Researchers and Senior Artists to Study in the U.S.
Depending on of funding, USEF/Nepal will provide a grant to one Nepali scholar to conduct post-doctoral research at a U.S. university or one Nepali artist to undertake an artistic project during the 2020-21 academic year for a period of up to nine months.
The award provides an opportunity to collaborate with U.S. counterparts to build lasting ties between the two countries to share the learning gained in the U.S. with Nepal counterparts.
Female candidates and candidates residing/teaching outside the Kathmandu Valley are strongly encouraged to apply.
For the application forms, see www.usefnepal.org/postdoc after 4 p.m. August 7, 2019. The online application with documents must be submitted by 4 p.m. November 112019.
The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Nepali Post-Doctoral Researchers and Senior Artists
The mission of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries. It aims to provide educational exchange experiences to a maximum number of individuals not previously afforded such an opportunity. The experience should be of intrinsic value to the scholar or artist, the recipient’s home institution, its faculty, and its students, as well as to the U.S. host institution. Fulbright Scholars serve as cultural ambassadors and should be prepared to speak about their countries, cultures, and artistic practice or research to academic and community groups.
Worldwide, the Visiting Scholars Program has provided thousands of scholars with the opportunity
- to establish professional contacts in their field and make long-lasting friendships with colleagues in the United States;
- to develop collaborative research and/or artistic relationships with U.S. scholars or artists; and to enhance scholarly publications and other contributions with research and/or artistic practice conducted in the United States.
- to pursue a project without interruption.
For post-doctoral researchers, through doing research, guest lecturing, and pursuing other scholarly interests in a completely different environment, scholars return home personally invigorated and professionally stimulated. For senior artists, the grant is an opportunity to expand professional and artistic networks, or to gain skills and expertise in a particular aspect of artistic practice and to share with American colleagues and communities the rich and diverse cultural and artistic heritage and contemporary practice of art in Nepal.
General Requirements:
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
You must possess all of the following qualifications:
- Citizenship or permanent resident status qualifying you to hold a valid passport issued in Nepal. Persons selected for a Fulbright grant will be required to submit a copy of their passport data page to the Fulbright Commission. Persons applying for or holding permanent residence in the United States are not eligible. Persons who are citizens of both a partner country and the United States are also ineligible. Fulbright Scholars enter the United States on an Exchange Visitor (J-1) visa under a U.S. Department of State program and are subject to the two-year home-country residency requirement associated with the J-1 visa. NOTE: Scholars/Artists and their dependents who have held J visas with the sponsorship of more than six months are not eligible to reenter as J-1 researchers or artists for 12 months following the program sponsorship end date. In addition, scholars/artists who have previously held a J visa in the professor or research scholar category are not eligible for sponsorship again in those two categories for a period of 24 months following the program sponsorship end date.
- Doctoral degree (for researchers) or equivalent professional training or experience at the time of application (for artists). For professionals and artists outside academe, recognized professional standing and substantial professional accomplishment is expected.
- A detailed statement of a proposed activity for research and/or an artistic project at a U.S. institution. The proposed project should contribute to the development of knowledge in your field and must be feasible within a maximum period of nine months in the United States.
- Proficiency in English appropriate to the proposed project. You may be required to take an English proficiency examination.
- Sound physical and mental health. Those selected for a Fulbright grant are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before their grants can be finalized.
In addition, you should note the following conditions affecting the review and selection of candidates:
- Applicants will be considered without regard to race, religion, sex, age, and/or physical impairment.
- Preference is given to those without recent experience in the United States.
- Applicants should be representative and responsible citizens who can contribute to a full and fair picture of the culture of their own countries and thereby contribute to understanding between the people of the United States and their country. They should also demonstrate the cross-cultural sensitivity and flexibility needed to adjust successfully to life in the United States.
Grants are not for the principal purpose of
- attending conferences
- completing doctoral dissertations
- travel and consultation at multiple institutions, or
- clinical medical research involving patient contact*
*Note to medical doctors: The U.S. Department of State has designated the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) as the sole agency authorized to sponsor alien physicians for internship, residency and specialized clinical training in the United States. Fulbright grantees cannot simultaneously be sponsored by ECFMG; therefore, proposals for medical research involving clinical training, patient care or patient contact cannot be approved under the Fulbright Program.
APPLICATION AND REVIEW PROCESS
- Although most grants available to foreign scholars are for research in Nepal, senior artists are also eligible to apply for this grant.
- Scholars/artists from Nepal arrange their own affiliations, which is required as part of the application
- You must submit your application by the deadline set by the Nepal Fulbright Commission.
- Initial screening and endorsement of a scholar/artist’s application are done by the Nepal Fulbright Commission.
- The application is then forwarded to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) and the U.S. Department of State by the Nepal Fulbright Commission. Final selection of all grants is made by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
- You will be notified by the Nepal Fulbright Commission if you are selected. Before a grant can be confirmed, a Medical History and Examination Report is required and will be reviewed by the Nepal Fulbright Commission.
- It is the policy of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board not to give specific reasons to individual applicants, to others inquiring on their behalf, or to the public generally, for selection or non-selection of applicants for awards under the program, except when required by law.
- You should not plan to arrive in the U.S. any earlier than late August of the year you are notified. You must complete projects on or before December 31 of the year following notification of selection. That is, you should not arrive earlier than late August of 2018 and must complete the project on or before December 31, 2019.
ARRANGEMENTS FOR AFFILIATION WITH A U.S. HOST INSTITUTION
One of the most important components of the Fulbright Scholar Program is a formal affiliation at a U.S. university or research institution (for artist applicants, this affiliation may be at a U.S. university, museum or cultural institution). For this grant, applicants must contact colleagues at U.S. institutions and make preliminary plans for their own placements by securing a letter of invitation from the prospective host institution.
IMPORTANT NOTE: A suitable and supportive affiliation is very important for your application. Often it is the decisive factor. Make sure you choose your affiliation very carefully and make sure to explain and justify your choice. The most effective letters of support show not only that the institution will give you status and space to work but that they think you are a good intellectual fit for their own interests and priorities.
The task of affiliation is substantially facilitated if you have a project that is clearly defined and well written, as prospective host institutions also want to be assured that you can conduct research in English.
If you have studied previously in the United States, you should avoid seeking affiliation at your U.S. alma mater. This is to ensure that you expand your contacts within the U.S. academic community.
USEF - Nepal
PO Box: 380
Gyaneswor, Kathmandu
Nepal
Phone: +977 1 4444779, 4444780
Fax: +977 1 4410881
email: [email protected]
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