The Core Fulbright Scholar Program

Up to 5 awards per academic year are open to specialists in any field except for clinical medicine and dentistry. Awards are for 3 to 5 months. Opportunities are available for college and university faculty and administrators as well as for professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, and independent scholars.

The Global Flex Award

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Global Flex Award gives U.S. academics and professionals the opportunity to collaborate and engage in scholarly activities in two or three countries in one or more regions. Projects are welcome in all disciplines, as well as those with an interdisciplinary focus. Proposals should reflect topics which would benefit from a global perspective and clearly demonstrate a need to spend time in each of the proposed countries. The minimum length of the total grant is three months and the maximum is six months. Grant segments may be conducted within one academic year or spread over two or three consecutive years.

Eligibility

• U.S. citizenship – permanent residence is not sufficient.
• Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree (including a master’s degree, depending on the field) as appropriate. Candidates outside academe (e.g., professionals, artists) with recognized professional standing and substantial professional accomplishments are also eligible.
• Grants shall not authorize engagement in pastoral, missionary, or other professional religious activities, or those for which a license to practice medicine or nursing is required.
• As of academic year 2014-15, there are no lifetime limits on Fulbright Scholar grants. In addition, there is no required waiting period between Fulbright Scholar grants. Candidates who previously held a Fulbright Scholar grant should be aware that, as a general matter, preference is given to candidates who have not previously received a Scholar grant. Therefore, previous Fulbright Scholar grantees are expected to make a strong justification in their application for a repeat Fulbright grant.
• Candidates who have resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible. In this case, a period of nine months or more during a calendar year is considered to constitute a full year abroad.
• Employees and their immediate families (i.e. spouses and dependent children) of the U.S. Department of State and of public or private organizations under contract to the U.S. Department of State are ineligible to apply for a Fulbright grant until one year after termination of such employment.

Candidate Profile

Projects are welcome in all disciplines, as well as those with an interdisciplinary focus. The Program is open to both academics and professionals. Please note that for teaching grants, some universities/departments require a Ph.D. while others do not. Candidates should inquire about degree requirements when reaching out to potential host institutions. For research and professional projects, applications are accepted from university faculty, and from professionals, artists, journalists, scientists, lawyers, or independent scholars outside of academia who have recognized professional standing and substantial professional accomplishments. The Fulbright Core Scholar Program supports activities and projects that recognize and promote the critical relationship between educational exchange and international understanding, in addition to the intellectual merit of the proposals. Projects under the Global Flex Award should reflect topics which would benefit from a global perspective and clearly demonstrate a need to spend time in each of the proposed countries.

Application

US Scholars interested in applying for Fulbright grant to Bulgaria should visit the Council for International Exchange of Scholars’ (CIES) website for detailed description of awards, tips for applying and the actual application form (application must be submitted online).

Assignment and Affiliation

Scholars can teach undergraduate/graduate courses and/or conduct research in their field of specialization; consult on program development and curriculum design, collaborate with faculty on research projects, assist with thesis advising, conduct tutorials, seminars, public lectures, etc. Scholars are encouraged to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities‎. While a letter of invitation is optional, applicants are encouraged to reach out to local institutions and try to obtain one. The Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission can assist in identifying prospective host institutions, and in providing relevant contact information. In some fields, such as pure and applied sciences, a letter of invitation is preferred due to the limited number of host institutions where the Scholar can teach or conduct research. Candidates should begin contacting potential hosts as early as possible (May-June) as most academic institutions are difficult to reach during the summer months. Applicants can indicate preferences for affiliation if invitation is not available. Final assignment is coordinated with the Bulgarian Fulbright Commission.

Grant Benefits

The standard grant benefits include:

• Monthly stipend – $ 2,800 per month for researchers and professionals; $ 3,000 per month for lecturers or lecturer/researchers. For Flex grants: $3,000 per month for lecturers, researchers, and professionals.
• Travel allowance to cover round-trip international travel of $1,700 for grantee. For grants of four months or longer, relocation allowance of $1,300 for grantee and dependent travel allowance of $1,500 for one dependent and $3,000 for two or more dependents. For Flex grants: travel allowance of $ 4000 total for all segments of the grant. Dependent travel will not be provided.
• Basic housing allowance of $600 per month; additional housing allowance of $100 per month for one dependent / $200 per month for two or more dependents. For Flex awards housing allowance is $600 per month. Additional housing allowance for dependents is not provided.
• Health benefit plan provided for grantees only.

Contacts

Contact person at the Bulgarian Fulbright Commission in Sofia:

Rada Kaneva

Program Officer, U.S. Grantees
Bulgarian-American Fulbright Commission

• 12, Vitosha Blvd, Sofia 1000
• +359 2 980 8212
• +359 879 918 212
• rkaneva@fulbright.bg