ASLA-Fulbright Research Grants for Junior Scholars

This page is being updated. The application round for 2023-24 will be opening soon.

Purpose of the Grant Program

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 Finland Foundation programs, 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 U.S. 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, 2022.

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.

• List of the universities participating 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 Fulbright Finland Foundation partners with the KAUTE Foundation. Applications in the fields of Business, Economics and Technology submitted to the program are automatically considered also for the Fulbright-KAUTE Foundation Award.
• Applications focusing on topics of current and global importance submitted to the program are automatically considered also for the Seeking Solutions for Global Challenges Award.

If you are from the field of technology, see also the Fulbright- Technology Industries of Finland Grants for postdoctoral research in the U.S.

Benefits

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 financial support, the Fulbright program includes significant additional benefits and program services, such as a free visa, personal advice services, and an orientation focused on topics such as: the American culture, higher education system and details for the upcoming Fulbright period.

Eligibility

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.

How to Apply?

The selection is based on the information provided in the application. The applicant has to attach their 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.

• Information on the application procedure and grant interviews
• Instructions on how to fill in the online application form

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.

Application and attachments

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:

• Invitation letter from the host institution
• Project statement
• Curriculum vitae
• Copy of a Finnish passport
• Bibliography
• Recommendations (3). Read instructions for submitting a letter of recommendation.
• Preliminary project budget
• Signed checklist
• Cost-share commitment form (only applicants from the University of Helsinki)

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.

Evaluation criteria

The applications are evaluated according to the evaluation criteria set by the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board.

If you face any technical difficulties when filling in the application form, you should immediately contact the Fulbright Finland Foundation.

Read more about alumni experiences, their thoughts about the application process, and why a research visit through the Fulbright program is beneficial.

Application process

The application process for the Junior Scholar grants is as follows:

1. Once the Fulbright Finland Foundation has received all applications, they go through a technical check-up to ensure the application meets all mandatory criteria.
2. If the application comes from a university participating in cost-share funding, the application that has passed the technical check-up is sent to the applicant’s home university to be evaluated. After this, the application is sent back to the Fulbright Finland Foundation for an evaluation, even if it has not received the cost-share commitment from the home university.
3. All applications that pass the technical check-up are sent to the grant selection committee of the Fulbright Finland Foundation. The committee evaluates the applications and, based on this, selects some of the applicants for an interview. All applicants are notified of the results of the evaluation.
4. The interview committee evaluates the applicants based on the individual interviews. These evaluations are sent to the grant selection committee.
5. The grant selection committee evaluates the applicants based on the applications and the interviews. After this the committee gives a final proposal to the Fulbright Finland Foundation board. An applicant is either selected, placed on the waiting list, or rejected.
6. The Fulbright Finland Foundation Board gives its final decision on the proposal given by the grant selection committee. The program coordinator sends the decisions to all applicants.
7. By replying to the selection letter, an applicant is accepted to be a grantee on behalf of Fulbright Finland Foundation. After the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) in the U.S. gives its formal acceptance, the applicant officially becomes a Fulbright grantee.

What is the Fulbright Finland Foundation?

The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a private, independent, not-for-profit organization based in Helsinki, Finland. The Foundation’s aim is

• to promote a wider exchange of knowledge and professional talents through educational contacts between Finland and the United States, and
• to support the internationalization of education and research in Finland, and help U.S. and Finnish institutions create linkages.

What Makes the Fulbright Finland Foundation Program Unique?

• In addition to the grant, the Fulbright Finland Foundation offers the grantees several additional benefits and free support services, as well as an access to a global, multi-professional network.
• We are looking for applicants who want to impact the future and to make a difference – applicants who want to facilitate positive change, develop and advance their own profession or discipline, and find solutions to national and international challenges in their field.
• The grantees also act as ambassadors for the Fulbright Finland Foundation, their home country, and their home organization and, in this way, do their part in sharing their home country and culture and contributing to the relations between Finland and the U.S.

ASLA-Fulbright Research Grants for Junior Scholars program is part of the global Fulbright program operating in over 160 countries worldwide.