Entries Open: Fulbright African Research Scholar Program (Côte d’Ivoire)

Grant Categories

• Two categories of grants are offered in the ARSP:
  • Research Grants:
    • Awards of 3 to 9 months are offered for African university faculty or research institute professionals to conduct research in any academic discipline at a U.S. academic or research institution beginning no earlier than August 2026 and no later than March 2027. Applicants must hold a doctorate or equivalent terminal degree in their fields at the time of application. Preference will be given to individuals who have at least three years of university teaching experience and a productive scholarly record.
  • Program and Curriculum Development Grants:
    • Awards of three to five months are offered for African university faculty or administrators to conduct research in any academic discipline at a U.S. academic or research institution beginning no earlier than August 2026 and no later than March 2027. Proposals should be linked to professional duties and demonstrate how the scholar will use the knowledge gained to develop new courses, curricula, or other academic programs at the home institution. These grants are designed for university faculty or administrators with less experience and who may not have had recent access to research or instructional developments in their disciplines. A doctorate degree is not required, but applicants must hold a minimum of a master’s or equivalent graduate degree at the time of application.

Eligibility Criteria

• The ARSP is open to scholars in all disciplines and without regard to sex or age; however, proposals for clinical medical research involving patient contact cannot be approved under the Fulbright Program.
• Applicants must be citizens of the country from which they apply, or permanent residents qualified to hold a valid passport issued by that country.
• Applicants for research grants must hold a doctorate degree or equivalent terminal degree in their fields at the time of application. Preference is given to individuals who have at least three years of university teaching experience and a productive scholarly record.
• Applicants without doctorate degrees but who hold a master’s or equivalent graduate degree are eligible in the program and curriculum development category.
• Preference will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Fulbright scholar grant.
• Preference will be given to candidates who have had no experience or limited experience in the U.S. Please confirm that a nominated candidate is not scheduled to be in the U.S. on another academic program immediately before the proposed start of the Fulbright grant.
• Applicants must have sufficient proficiency in English to carry out their research projects and collaborate effectively with colleagues. TOEFL exams are not required, but Post may choose to institute local English language testing (Duolingo), if necessary, to evaluate applicants’ language skills. At a minimum, Post must assess English-language proficiency through an interview session in-person or virtually if the candidate is outside of the country at the time of the interview.
• Applicants must be in good health. Successful candidates will be asked to submit a Medical History and Examination Report when selected as finalists.
• Scholars who were unsuccessful in previous competitions may re-apply. Repeat applicants should revise their proposals, update curriculum vitae, and obtain current letters of reference.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Applications for doctoral dissertation research, postdoctoral research immediately following the completion of a doctorate degree, or general professional travel, are ineligible.

Application Requirements

• Each application must include three letters of reference in English only.
• Applications with project statements that are less than one page will not be considered.
• Scholars must indicate the grant category for which they are applying (research or program and curriculum development).  The implementing partner, the Institute for International Education (IIE), will assign scholars who do not indicate a preference to an appropriate category.
• Letters of invitation are strongly encouraged but are not required. Applicants are discouraged from requesting affiliation with an alma mater. IIE will honor institutional affiliation preferences as far as possible. Applicants unfamiliar with U.S. institutions may request that IIE identify suitable placements. Please be advised that placement assistance often requires additional time and may delay the initial anticipated start date.
• If placement assistance is expected, it is critical that applicants provide a detailed project statement that clearly outlines their research objectives and addresses why their research needs to take place in the United States. The project statement details will be referenced to help facilitate the placement process.
• Laboratory fees are not part of the standard benefits package for the ARSP. Applicants should collect letters of invitation from potential U.S. sponsors in order to conduct their laboratory work if such fees are indicated by the proposed host institution. These fees cannot be covered by the Fulbright program.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Côte d’Ivoire.