Fulbright Specialist Program
Fully funded slots for Bulgarian host organizations who would like to invite an American specialist for a project lasting from 2-6 weeks.
For governmental and non-governmental organizations, institutions of higher education, cultural and medical institutions
The Fulbright Specialist Program is a field-driven initiative in which Bulgarian host institutions have the opportunity to design projects of interest within an eligible discipline that represent a priority for their respective organizations. These projects are then paired with a highly qualified U.S. academic or professional, who shares their expertise and assists with strengthening linkages between U.S. and Bulgaria. The Program requires cost-share from the Bulgarian hosts, but we are pleased to announce a special opportunity under which projects will be considered for full ECA-funding. To be considered for this opportunity, projects must be submitted under one of ECA’s Priority Discipline areas:
These additional projects will be fully ECA-Funded where ECA (Bureau of Educational Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State) will cover costs related to the Fulbright Specialist’s international flight, daily honorarium, and a $100 transit allowance in addition to covering the Specialist’s in-country lodging, meals, and transportation.
For the project proposals to be considered under this opportunity, please select ECA Funded as the project funding model.
If approved, these additional projects will be fully ECA-Funded where ECA will be providing funding for in-country services (lodging, meals, in-country transportation), please be sure to specify the total costs for each in the project proposal.
Host a U.S. Fulbright Specialist
Eligibility requirements for host institutions
Institutions that may be eligible to request a Fulbright Specialist include, but are not limited to:
• Institutions of Higher Education;
• Government Institutions (ministries or agencies, courts, parliamentary or congressional bodies);
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- Cultural Institutions (conservatories, museums, etc.);
- Non-Governmental Organizations including issue-centered institutions and think tanks;
- Medical Institutions (public health organizations, teaching hospitals, etc.).
Project dates
The proposed project’s start date must be on or after January 1, 2025.
The proposed project’s end date must be on or before September 30, 2025.
In the case of open projects, we recommend a start date of April 1, 2025 or later to facilitate time for recruitment and matching.
Submission and review timelines
To be considered for full ECA Funding, host institutions must submit a project proposal no later than September 10, 2024 through the FSP Portal (https://world-learning-npsp.my.site.com/) Submissions for fully funded projects after this date will not be accepted.
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To be considered for full ECA funding, Posts/FCs should select ‘ECA Funded’ as the project funding model when approving a project.
If approved, ECA will provide funding for in-country costs (lodging, meals, in-country transportation). However, the expected in-country costs in each of the above categories must still be outlined within project proposal. Please Note: Meal stipends should be estimated based on the number of days in-country and the corresponding GSA rate(https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates).
Requests will be reviewed on a rolling basis after the deadline, and host institutions will be notified accordingly.
Rada Kaneva
Program Officer, US Grantees