The United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) administers the Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship on behalf of both the governments

Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowships are offered for:

1. Doctoral Research: These 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.
2. Postdoctoral Research: These fellowships are designed for Indian faculty and researchers who are in the early stages of their research careers in India. Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowships will provide opportunities to talented faculty and researchers to strengthen their research capacities. Postdoctoral fellows will have access to some of the finest resources in their areas of interest and will help build long-term collaborative relationships with U.S. faculty and institutions. These fellowships are for eight to 12 months.

AFFILIATION:

The selected candidate will have affiliation with one U.S. host institution during the grant. USIEF strongly recommends all applicants to identify institutions for affiliation and correspond in advance with potential host institutions. If you have a letter of invitation from a U.S. institution, please include it as a part of your online application. The letter of invitation should indicate the duration of your visit, preferably with dates. 

GRANT BENEFITS:

These fellowships provide J-1 visa support, round-trip economy class air travel between India and the U.S., a monthly stipend, Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges per U.S. Government guidelines, a modest settling-in allowance, and a professional allowance. 

In case of postdoctoral research grantees, and subject to availability of funds, a dependent allowance and international travel may be provided for one accompanying eligible dependent provided the dependent is with the grantee in the U.S. for at least 80% of the grant period.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Doctoral Research

In addition to the General Prerequisites:

•  Candidates registered for their Ph.D. should have conducted adequate research in the relevant field, especially in the identification of resources in India and the U.S. The candidate must be registered for a Ph.D. at an Indian institution on or before August 1, 2017.  In the candidate’s online application form, one of the referees should be the candidate’s Ph.D. supervisor.  The supervisor should indicate the Ph.D. registration date and topic.  The supervisor should also provide comments on the candidate’s research work and the usefulness of the fellowship. 
•    Ph.D. students will conduct research essential to their dissertations or thesis.  Therefore, the candidate’s expected Ph.D. thesis submission date should not be earlier than three months after the candidate’s grant end date.  For example, if May 2020 is the expected grant end date, the candidate cannot submit their thesis before August 2020. The candidate should indicate the Ph.D. registration date and the expected Ph.D. thesis submission date in the “Applicant Annexure”. The candidate can download the “Applicant Annexure” from the USIEF website;
•  If employed, applicants should follow the instructions carefully regarding employer’s endorsement. If applicable, please obtain the endorsement from the appropriate administrative authority on the “Employer’s Endorsement Form”. The employer must indicate that leave will be granted for the fellowship period.  Applicants can download the “Employer’s Endorsement Form” from the USIEF website; and
• Applicants should upload a “writing sample,” such as a copy of an article, a paper published or presented, or extracts from the master’s degree /M.Phil. thesis in the 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.

Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research

In addition to the General Prerequisites:

• Applicants should have been awarded a Ph.D. degree within the past four years.  Applicants must have obtained a Ph.D. degree between July 16, 2014 and July 15, 2018. Applicants are required to upload their Ph.D. degree certificate or provisional Ph.D. certificate in the online application;
•  Applicants must be published in reputed journals and demonstrate evidence of superior academic and professional achievement. Applicants should upload a recent significant publication (copy of paper or article) in the online application; and
• If employed, applicants should follow the instructions carefully regarding employer’s endorsement. If applicable, please obtain the endorsement from the appropriate administrative authority on the “Letter of Support from Home Institution.”  The employer must indicate that leave will be granted for the fellowship period. Applicants can download the “Letter of Support from Home Institution” from the USIEF website.

Note: In your application, the applicant is required to indicate the period in which s/he can complete your proposed project in the United States. Please determine your grant duration carefully. Should you be selected for a grant, it will be for the period you specified in your application. The duration cannot be changed.

HOW TO APPLY

Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Doctoral Research

1. Applications must be submitted online
2. Please carefully review the Application Instructions before starting your online application.
3. Please refer to the Applicant Checklist before submitting the application.
4. In addition, you must complete and upload the following documents on your online application:

• Applicant Annexure
• Employer’s Endorsement Form (if applicable)

Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research

1. Applications must be submitted online
2.  Please carefully review the Application Instructions before starting your online application.
3. Please refer to the Applicant Checklist before submitting the application.
4. In addition, you must complete and upload the following documents on your online application:

• Applicant Annexure
• Letter of Support from Home Institution (if applicable)

Application Deadline: July 16, 2018, 23:59:59 hrs (IST)

Timeline and Placement Process

February 2, 2018  – Program announcement and application form available online

July 16, 2018  – Application deadline for 2019-2020 awards

Early August 2018  – Screening committee/field-specific experts review applications and shortlist candidates for interviews

Early October 2018 – National interviews of shortlisted candidates in Delhi

Mid-October 2018 – Principal and alternate nominees are notified that they are recommended. Doctoral Research nominees take TOEFL. 

Late-October 2018 – USIEF forwards applications of recommended candidates to the U.S. for J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) approval and placement

April-May 2019 – Placement confirmations

August-September 2019 – Program begins

Important:

• Plagiarism in the application or any publications will lead to disqualification.
• Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.
• Grant extensions and/or transfer of visa sponsorship will not be permitted. 

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For further information, please contact:

Sujatha / Anandi
Coordinator
Amrita Center for International Programs
amrita.opportunities@gmail.com
  0476-2804160