The purpose of the grant is to enable Junior Scholars to carry out research projects at U.S. universities or research institutions and at the same time act as ambassadors for the Fulbright program, Finland, and their home institution, sharing their culture and contributing to the relations between Finland and the U.S. The grants are available for periods of 4–12 months.
In addition to research-only grants, it is also possible to award grants that include a limited amount of teaching, up to 2 hrs/week. The research project carried out in the United States must begin with the ASLA-Fulbright grant. The grant will not be awarded to a project the scholar has already started in the U.S. The earliest possible starting date of the grant period is August 1, 2021.
Some of the ASLA-Fulbright Research Grants for Junior Scholars are co-funded by the Fulbright Finland Foundation and the applicant’s home university (cost-share program). You can apply for the grant even if your university does not participate in the cost-share program.
Some applications submitted to the ASLA-Fulbright Research Grants for Junior Scholars program may also be automatically considered for the following two award categories:
The grant is max. 5 000 USD per month up to 6 months (maximum total grant amount 30 000 USD). If the grantee wishes to stay longer than 6 months (up to 12 months allowed by the Fulbright visa), there may be need for additional funding (e.g. salary from the home institution or other grants).
In addition to the financial support, the Fulbright Program includes several significant additional benefits and program services, such as a free visa, personal advice services throughout the process, orientation to the American culture, education system and the upcoming Fulbright period, seminars and other free time events in the U.S., as well as local support networks of the alumni in Finland and in the U.S.
The applicant must hold a doctoral degree at the time of application deadline and the doctorate must have been earned within four years of application. If the doctorate was received more than four years ago at the time of the application deadline, the applicant should consider the ASLA-Fulbright Research Grants for Senior Scholars.
If the candidate does not yet have a PhD, the Selection Committee may take the application under evaluation on the following two conditions: the applicant submits with their application 1) a reference letter or statement regarding the progress of the dissertation work from their dissertation supervisor and 2) a copy of the comments from the advance reader of the applicant’s dissertation. In all cases the grantee must have completed their doctoral degree before the grant period in the U.S. begins.
Applicants must be Finnish citizens and enter the U.S. on a non-immigrant Fulbright sponsored J-1 visa. The J-1 visa sponsorship of the Fulbright program is available for a maximum period of 12 months. Candidates planning longer research projects in the U.S. should contact the Fulbright Finland Foundation before submitting their applications.
The J-1 scholar visa and J-2 dependent visa include regulations which may limit the possibility to re-enter the U.S. Scholars and their dependents who have held previous J-visas may not be eligible to re-enter as J-1 researchers or J-2 dependents for 12 or 24 months following departure from the U.S. If you’ve held a J-visa during the past 24 months or have questions about the J-visa regulations, please contact the Fulbright Finland Foundation. Additionally, grantees and/or their dependents can apply for a work visa or a permanent residence permit to the U.S. only after spending 2 years in the home country after the Fulbright grant period. Applicants residing in the U.S. are not eligible.
Applications in all fields are accepted. However, proposals for medical research involving clinical training, patient care or patient contact are not eligible. This restriction is applied quite widely and applicants are advised to contact the Fulbright Finland Foundation if they have any questions about the eligibility of their project.
There are also some restrictions for employees of the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. missions abroad. Please see more information on eligibility guidelines and other Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) policies that are applicable to the ASLA-Fulbright Research Grants for Junior Scholars program candidates under FFSB Policies, Chapter 700.
The selection is based on the information provided in the application. The applicant has to attach his or her research plan and an invitation from the U.S. host university or research center in the application. The detailed application instructions and more information on the application process can be found in the links below. Please read them carefully.
These instructions, targeted at Finnish applicants, provide you with further information on the questions of the application form and guide you through the application step by step. Please follow the instructions while you are filling in the form. If there is any contradictory information in the form or in the instructions, always follow the instructions for Finnish applicants specifically.
The application is submitted through the IIE online application form. The applicants should carefully read the instructions and other material related to the application process before starting to work on the application.
Documents which are required to be included in the application:
Use the checklist to make sure you have attached all the required documents in the application. The applicant is responsible for saving all the required attachments in the application system by the deadline.
Only complete applications sent by the application deadline will be reviewed.
The applications are evaluated according to the evaluation criteria set by the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board.
| Deadline for applications | December 6, 2020 (Finnish time) |
| Applicant interviews in Helsinki | February 10-12, 2021 |
| Selections announced | March 2021 |
| Compulsory Orientation Day for all selected grantees | May 2021 (date TBC) |
The application process for the Junior Scholar grants is as follows:
The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a private, independent, not-for-profit organization based in Helsinki, Finland. The Foundation’s aim is
ASLA-Fulbright Research Grants for Junior Scholars program is part of the global Fulbright program operating in over 160 countries worldwide.
