We are currently accepting applications for the 2024-2025 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program.

This program brings scholars and experienced professionals to the United States to conduct full-time, non-degree advanced research at the postdoctoral level (research category); to engage in full-time lecturing at the college or university level (lecture category); or to pursue a combination of research and lecturing (lecture/research category). Grantees establish professional contacts in their academic field, enhance their scholarly work, gain international experience and personal enrichment, and help promote mutual understanding between the two nations. In addition to their primary research or lecturing activities, grantees may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the U.S. academic community.

Grants are awarded from three months up to a full academic year (eight to ten months). Candidates may apply for one of the following grant categories: research, lecture, or combined lecture/research. Most academic fields of study are eligible. As a Fulbright Visiting Scholar, research activities must not involve direct clinical patient contact. Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the program is administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), a division of the Institute of International Education (IIE).

Apply online for the 2024-2025 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program through October 31, 2023 at 23:59 local time.

Affiliation at a U.S. host institution generally includes use of the library, access to laboratories, consultation with faculty, and limited auditing of courses. Candidates are encouraged to take preliminary steps to secure their affiliation with prospective U.S. host institutions and secure letters of invitation. While candidate preferences will be considered, placement at preferred institutions cannot be guaranteed. If candidates cannot secure letters of invitation or placement at preferred institutions cannot be fulfilled, grantees are placed at the most appropriate U.S. institution based on their program goals and the Fulbright program’s overall objectives and requirements. IIE/CIES’s field of study experts work closely with accredited U.S. colleges and universities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to provide the best possible academic experience for the grantee.

Candidate Profile and Requirements:

Candidates should be self-directed, highly motivated, and demonstrate excellence through their academic and professional record, as well as qualifying educational and professional experiences. The review boards expect to see recognized professional standing and substantial professional accomplishment, including for professionals in non-academic fields. Significant accomplishments may include teaching and research awards, professional honors, memberships and activities in professional associations, compositions and exhibitions, and publications. Moreover, candidates should demonstrate the cross-cultural sensitivity, responsibility, and flexibility needed to adjust successfully to life in United States. Grantees serve as cultural ambassadors and should be prepared to speak about their country, culture, and program activities to academic, professional, or community groups.

Candidates should submit a well-written, concise, and compelling application that illustrates qualifications, leadership and impact potential, and preparedness for research or teaching in the United States. Before you begin writing your proposal, please review CIES’s guidelines on sample project statements and review criteria. Research proposals should include a clearly formulated research question, describe the objectives, methodology, and the nature of research (quantitative or qualitative), significance, evaluation and dissemination plans, justification for residence in the United States for the proposed project, duration, English proficiency description, and other relevant aspects. Teaching proposals should include teaching experience, a description of the courses proposed to teach, English proficiency description, and project expected outcomes. Proposed projects will be evaluated for contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the candidate’s field, potential for building bridges between BiH and the United States, project feasibility, benefit to the host institution, and contribution to BiH’s advancement.

Grants are open, merit-based, awarded competitively, and are subject to availability of funds.

Candidates are responsible for obtaining any necessary leave of absence or making other arrangements to enable them to accept the grant. Candidates on active military duty must list their military rank and provide information on any restrictions which might affect performance or responsibilities under the grant. Candidates not on active duty, or who have a military rank without compensation, must inform the Embassy if they intend or are required to affiliate with the military upon returning to BiH. Grants may not be postponed to a subsequent academic year. Fulbright grantees must comply with program provisions to avoid grant revocation, termination, or suspension.

Award benefits generally include:

• Round-trip international travel
• Financial support while in the United States as monthly stipends based on the cost of living in the location of the host institution
• A one-time professional allowance and settling-in allowance
• Monthly allowances for accompanying dependents (subject to conditions and limitations)
• Limited accident and sickness coverage that meets the requirements of J Exchange Visitor Program regulations (This coverage is not all-purpose health insurance, and it is subject to specific limitations including, but not limited to pre-existing conditions, dental, and vision care. It is not intended to replace the grantee’s regular medical insurance plan which should be maintained or secured during the grant period at the grantee’s expense.)

Please note that the program does not assist with housing arrangements and does not provide for expenses related to passport or visas for grantees and accompanying dependents.

Dependents:

If accompanied by dependents, grantees are responsible for all associated costs in bringing dependents to the United States. This includes airfare and other travel expenses, living expenses, school costs, medical insurance that meets J Exchange Visitor Program regulations, and any uncovered medical bills. Subject to conditions and limitations, monthly allowances for accompanying dependents may be available, but are not sufficient to offset associated costs. A dependent is defined as a spouse, qualified same-sex domestic partner, or an unmarried child under 21 years of age.

Eligibility:

Candidates will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, status as a parent, protected genetic information, or sexual orientation. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. Candidates with little or no prior experience in the United States or overseas are also encouraged to apply. As a general matter, preference for Fulbright scholar opportunities will be given to qualified candidates who have not previously received a Fulbright scholar grant or have not had substantial recent experience in the United States, such as study, teaching, research, or employment for a period of more than nine months during the past five years.

Excluding minor traffic violations, a candidate who, at the time of the application, or at any subsequent time prior to or after becoming a grantee as defined by program provisions, has been convicted of a crime, felony, or misdemeanor, or has been arrested for, indicted for, or charged with a crime, felony, or misdemeanor and the matter has not been resolved, must inform the Embassy and/or program coordinators in writing of such fact.

The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program is open to anyone who is/has:

• Citizen or national or permanent resident of BiH qualified to hold a valid BiH passport
• Doctoral degree or equivalent professional training or experience in the proposed field of study. Candidates are eligible to apply if they will complete the requirements for their doctoral (or equivalent) degree by February 1, 2024. If applying without having completed doctoral (or equivalent) degree requirements, one of the letters of reference must come from the candidate’s home institution, addressing the candidate’s degree progress and expected end date, which must be on or before February 1, 2024.
• Current employment in BiH
• English language proficiency commensurate with the proposed activities to be carried out and that is adequate to adjust to life in the United States. The Embassy assesses English language proficiency during the national selection process. Candidates are not requested to register for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or provide additional documentation. If a valid TOEFL score report is available, it should be included.
• Cleared by a physician to participate in the program (finalists only)
• Eligible to receive and maintain the exchange visitor J-1 non-immigrant visa required for the program
• Committed to returning to BiH for a minimum of two years. As J-1 visa holders, grantees are subject to the two-year home-country foreign residency requirement. Accompanying dependents on J-2 visas are also subject to this requirement, regardless of their duration of stay.

 Not Eligible:

• Candidates with dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status
• Candidates applying for or seeking U.S. permanent residency
• Candidates who have resided in the United States for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application (A candidate who has lived in the United States for nine months or more during a calendar year is deemed to have resided in the United States for that year)
• Research activities that involve direct clinical patient contact
• Religious workers, lay or ordained, if their projects involve engaging in pastoral, missionary, or other professional regional activities
• Candidates who are concurrently recipients of all-expense grants under other auspices
• Scholars and their dependents who have held J visas with sponsorship of more than six months (They are not eligible to reenter as J-1 researchers or lecturers for 12 months following the program sponsorship end date. In addition, scholars who have previously held a J visa in the professor or research scholar category are not eligible for sponsorship in the same categories for 24 months following the program sponsorship end date.)
• Employees of U.S. missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and their immediate family members (spouses and dependent children) during and for a period ending one year following the termination of such employment, association, or service. This provision includes all employees, paid or unpaid (including part-time or temporary employees, consultants, externs, fellows, and contract employees.) This provision does not apply to interns and does not disqualify self-supporting children who live apart from their parents. The one-year period of ineligibility is calculated from the date of termination of employment, service, or association until the program application deadline.

Application Process:

Applications must be completed in English and submitted online at: https://apply.iie.org/fvsp2024/ by October 31, 2023. Each page of the application carries its own instructions.  Please read the instructions carefully and be sure to answer every question completely.  Be sure to upload all necessary documentation; incomplete applications will not be considered. Additional documentation or items may be requested at a later time, as deemed necessary.

Interviews for national selection will take place in November 2023. After the national selection, the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in the United States selects candidates nominated for awards. The Embassy in BiH will notify nominated candidates of their status by the spring of 2024.

The online application form must include the following:

• Detailed project statement of proposed activity at a U.S. institution. The proposed project or activity must be effectively researched or conducted within a period of three to ten months in the United States.
• Bibliography (for research or combined lecture/research proposals) and/or sample course syllabi (for lecturing or combined lecture/research proposals)
• Detailed curriculum vitae. Information such as date and place of birth, gender, marital status, family members, passport/national identification/driver’s license number, photos, should not be included.
• Readable photocopy of doctoral degree or terminal degree in the field of study, as issued by the academic institution. Available certified English translations should be included. Advancing candidates may need to provide official records with certified English translation.
• Three reference letters. A reference letter cannot be from the same person who prepares the letter of invitation. For lecturing or combined lecture/research awards, at least one letter must evaluate the candidate’s abilities as an instructor. Candidates are strongly encouraged to have their referees (recommenders) submit the letters online.
• Alternate funding. If applicable, candidates should list all non-Fulbright funding expected to be received during the grant, such as sabbatical funding, other paid leave, personal savings, or other sources. Finalists are required to provide supporting documentation for alternate funding, if applicable.
• Letter of invitation from a U.S. host institution is strongly preferred, but not required.
• Readable copy of BiH passport biographical page for the candidate only. Finalists will be required at a later date to provide the same documentation for accompanying dependents on the program.

The instructions for completing the 2024-2025 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program application can be found here LINK ZA PREUZIMANJE PRIJAVE (PDF 741KB).

For more information regarding the program, visit CIES’s website.

For program-related questions or if you experience any technical problems, please email us at [email protected] before the deadline. For technical issues, please include an explanation and a screenshot of the error you are experiencing. When emailing, use the subject line: “2024-2025 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program”.

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