Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowships, India

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Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowships, India

The Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships are designed for Indian scholars who are registered for a Ph.D. at an Indian institution. These fellowships are for six to nine months.

Applications are invited in the following fields only

Agricultural Sciences; Bioengineering; Computer Science ( with emphasis on cyber security and digital economy ); Economics; Education Policy and Planning; Energy Studies; International Law; International Security and Strategic Studies; Materials Science ( with emphasis on environmental applications ); Neurosciences; Public Policy; Public Health; Study of India ( limited to anthropology, history, sociology, and visual and performing arts ); Study of the United States ( limited to anthropology, history, sociology, and visual and performing arts ); Urban and Regional Planning ( with emphasis on smart cities and waste management ); and Women’s and Gender Studies.

Affiliation

Candidate will be affiliated to one U.S. host institution for your grant. USIEF strongly recommends all applicants to identify institutions with which they wish to be affiliated and to correspond, in advance, with potential host institutions. If you have secured a letter of invitation from a U.S. institution, please include it as a part of your online application.

Grant Benefits

The fellowships provide a monthly stipend, Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges per U.S. Government guidelines, round-trip economy class air travel, applicable allowances and modest affiliation fees, if any. Selected scholars will have opportunities to audit non-degree courses, conduct research and gain practical work experience in suitable settings in the U.S. No allowances are provided for dependents. The grant is not sufficient to support family members.

Eligibility Requirements

In addition to the General Prerequisites :

• Candidate should have done adequate research in the relevant field, especially in the identification of resources in India and the U.S. You should be registered for your Ph.D. at an Indian institution by 1st August, 2016. In your online application form, one of the referees must be your Ph.D. supervisor. S/he must comment on your research work and the usefulness of the fellowship, and indicates the Ph.D. registration date and topic;
• This grant is intended for Ph.D. students to conduct research essential to their dissertations / thesis. Therefore, your expected Ph.D. thesis submission date should not be earlier than three months after your Fulbright-Nehru grant end date. For example, if May 2019 is your grant end date, you cannot submit your thesis before August 2019. Please indicate the Ph.D. registration date and the expected Ph.D. thesis submission date in the Applicant Annexure. You can download the Applicant Annexure from the USIEF website;

• If you are employed, please follow the instructions carefully regarding employer’s endorsement. If applicable, please obtain the endorsement from the appropriate administrative authority on the FNDR Employer’s Endorsement Form. The employer must indicate that leave will be granted for the fellowship period. You can download the FNDR Employer’s Endorsement Form from the USIEF website; and
• Candidate should upload a ‘writing sample’ such as a copy of an article or paper published / presented or extracts from the M.Phil. thesis in your online application form.

Note : These fellowships are for pre-doctoral level research. Applicants with Ph.D. degrees or those at the final stage of Ph.D. thesis submission will not be considered.

Application Form

• Applications must be submitted online at https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/international/20/
• Please carefully review the FNDR Applicant Instructions before starting your online application
• Please refer FNDR Applicant Checklist before submitting the application
• In addition, you must complete and upload the following documents on your online application :
  • FNDR Applicant Annexure
  • FNDR Employer’s Endorsement Form

The Completed application form should be submitted on or before 15th June, 2017, 23:59:59 hrs ( IST ).

Important Dates

S.No	Event	Date
1	Application due date for 2018 - 2019 awards	15th June, 2017
2	Field-specific experts review applications to short-list candidates	Mid - July, 2017
3	National interviews of short-listed candidates in Delhi	Late August, 2017
4	USIEF notifies principal and alternate nominees that they are recommended. Nominees take TOEFL	Early September, 2017
5	USIEF forwards applications of recommended candidates to the U.S. for J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board ( FFSB ) approval and placement	Late September, 2017
6	USIEF notifies finalists	March - April, 2018
7	Pre-Departure Orientation	May - June, 2018
8	Pre-academic training in the U.S. ( if required )	July - August, 2018
9	Program begins	August - September, 2018