Fulbright Specialist Awards are for New Zealand academic institutions to host US academics, artists or professionals for lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences or symposiums. Up to six awards valued at up to US$11,700 are granted each year, towards two to six week programmes of activities.
Closing date: 1 April & 1 August annually
Institutions can apply to host a specific Specialist from the Council for International Exchange of Scholars’ (CIES) Fulbright Specialist Roster or make an open application to have a suitable Specialist assigned to meet their needs.
Fulbright Specialists are experienced educators (normally at the PhD or equivalent level) or experienced professionals with substantial professional, scholarly, or artistic accomplishments who will engage in one or more of the following activities at university level abroad:
- Conduct needs assessments and surveys;
- Take part in specialised academic programs and conferences;
- Consult with administrators and instructors on faculty development;
- Present lectures at graduate and undergraduate levels;
- Participate in or lead seminars or workshops;
- Develop and/or assess academic curricula or educational materials;
- Conduct faculty-training programs.
American academics, artists and professionals interested in becoming Fulbright Specialists should apply to join the CIES Fulbright Specialist Roster online at www.cies.org/specialists Please note that applications to the Roster may take up to 12 weeks to be confirmed.
Eligibility
To be eligible, the host institution must:
- be a tertiary education institution or have an academic affiliation;
- be willing to cover accommodation, meals and domestic travel costs; and
- if applying for a specific Specialist, ensure they are on the Fulbright Specialist Roster before applying to host them. Fulbright New Zealand’s Programme Manager for this award can check the roster on your behalf.
Priority will be given to organizations which have not previously benefited from this award programme.
Host institutions are entitled to apply for a serial project (involving multiple visits), but due to large numbers of applications for Specialist Awards serial grant applications may be disadvantaged.
To be eligible, the requested Specialist must be an approved Fulbright Specialist Roster Candidate and:
- be a US citizen (but not a dual New Zealand citizen);
- be residing in the United States at the time they are approved for a grant and intend to return to their U.S. institution after the grant’s completion;
- demonstrate academic, professional or artistic excellence, as evidenced by professional standing, competence in teaching, and other achievements:
- if an academic, have a PhD or equivalent professional/terminal degree plus a minimum of five years of post-doctoral teaching or professional experience in their field of speciality;
- if an artist or professional outside academe, have recognized professional standing and substantial professional accomplishments plus a minimum of five years of professional experience in their field of speciality;
- possess the ability to make a significant contribution to the program objectives in the host country; and
- not have held another Fulbright award in the past two years, and otherwise comply with the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board’s policy on Previous Fulbright Grants.
Full eligibility criteria for application to the CIES Fulbright Specialist Roster are detailed on the CIES website.
Entitlement
- Return airfare to New Zealand;
- US$200 per day honorarium;
- A basic health benefit plan covering a maximum of US$50,000 per sickness or injury.
Award conditions
- Your award must be approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in Washington, DC;
- The period of your award is two to six weeks;
- The planned arrival of your Specialist must be at least eight weeks after the application closing date;
- The Specialist will be required to undertake a full medical examination before applying for their visa;
- The Specialist must travel on a US passport, and New Zealand immigration documentation must be completed from within the US;
- International travel will only be funded between the US and New Zealand, and must be on either an American or New Zealand carrier;
- The Specialist may be required to fulfil some Fulbright New Zealand media requirements during their exchange;
- You must provide Fulbright New Zealand with copies of any articles, research papers or theses resulting from your award;
- The US$200/day honorarium is payable to the Specialist upon completion of the grant and submission of a final report and travel expense report.
Fulbright mission
It was Senator J William Fulbright’s mission to build peace through the mutual understanding of cultures. Fulbright applicants and grantees are expected to understand and support this mission and be effective ambassadors for New Zealand. In addition to the monetary, educational and cultural exchange benefits made possible by the award, Fulbright grantees carry the prestige of the Fulbright programme along with them throughout their careers. Alumni are expected to succeed and be ‘thought leaders’ in their respective fields/careers, and to support and remain engaged with the Fulbright programme for the rest of their lives.
Application process and forms
- You must complete and submit the application form below by the application deadline*;
- We will advise you of the outcome of your application within eight weeks of the application deadline.
* Note that if the application deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline is extended to 5:00pm on the next business day.
Application form and support documents
Further information
For further information, contact our Programme Manager for this award, Ron Mitchell - ron@fulbright.org.nz / (04) 494 1500
Fulbright New Zealand has Campus Advisers stationed on all major New Zealand campuses. Our Advisers are all Fulbright alumni who are available to discuss their exchange experiences with students and staff, as well as to give basic information about our awards.