The following text refers to the 2009 cycle of the Fulbright New Century Scholars Program.  When the details of the 2010 cycle become available, the grant announcement, including the application instructions, will be updated.

Fulbright New Century Scholars Program

Program overview

The New Century Scholars Program brings together 25-30 research scholars and professionals from the U.S. and abroad to study together a topic of global significance.  Of the thirty, approximately one-third are US citizens while the remaining two-thirds are visiting scholars from countries with an operational Fulbright Scholar Program.  Under the guidance of an appointed Distinguished Scholar Leader, NCS Scholars engage in collaborative, multidisciplinary examination of a topic of universal concern and together seek solutions to critical issues affecting all humankind.

In 2009/2010 the research theme of the New Century Scholars Program will be "The University as Innovation Driver and Knowledge Center".

The University as Innovation Driver and Knowledge Center

As economic and social interaction becomes increasingly global, the United States and nations around the world are facing shared opportunities and challenges that will require societies to be open to innovation, entrepreneurship, and the generation of global knowledge. Rising prosperity and national well-being require that nations utilize the full creativity and dynamism of all sectors of their economies and societies.

Universities provide the natural nexus for collaboration among government, industry, academic institutions, individuals, and civil society.  The world’s exemplary universities underpin market productivity and economic growth, sustain civil society, and contribute to an improving quality of life.  They are safe harbors for communities of joint research and open exploration and for individual creativity and free expression.  In high-achieving societies, these institutions produce the human capital leadership, the theoretical breakthroughs, and the practical solutions necessary to meet global challenges, such as energy and food security, global health and disease management, and environmental protection.

Countries that create the right policy and regulatory conditions to foster public private partnerships centered in the university community are able to speed the transformation of innovative research into useful product applications, often with a global impact, and contribute significantly to the improvement of the daily lives of the nation’s citizens.

A number of universities in the U.S. and other countries have gained worldwide recognition for their ability to combine cutting edge theory with meaningful applied research in an array of fields, from business and economics to the sciences and technology. Universities with the highest quality programs play an important role serving as knowledge centers that attract private sector enterprises with an interest in building on the research and innovation capacities of the university. 

Colleges and universities have long been regarded as economic engines of their local communities and regions; universities contributing to the global network of knowledge are now emerging as drivers of global innovation, problem-solving, and widening prosperity.

Sub-topics in which scholar applicants might have particular expertise and interest could include the following examples:

• opportunities for and barriers to university-based partnerships for innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic development;
• partnerships in science and technology research and development that move ideas and solutions from the laboratory to the marketplace in fields with global reach such as energy security, food production, the environment, health, transportation, and nanotechnology;
• partnerships (clusters) that contribute to economic development and improving quality of life in local communities and regions;
• partnerships that apply multidisciplinary research and social entrepreneurship to community issues (historic preservation, crime and drugs, needs of children and the elderly);
• partnerships that extend the innovation pipeline to K-12 and adult education and lifelong learning.

Other sub-topics may emerge based on the specific interests and expertise of Program Fellows.

New Century Scholar Distinguished Leader

Dr. Miranda Schreurs, Director of the Environmental Policy Research Center and Professor of Comparative Politics at the Free University of Berlin will lead the work of the 2009/1020 New Century Scholar Fellows.  Prior to her appointment in Berlin she served as Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, and as Affiliate Faculty in the University of Maryland Law School.  Dr. Schreurs was a Fulbright Scholar and has also received fellowships from the SSRC-MacArthur Foundation Program on International Peace and Security Affairs, from the National Science Foundation, and from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

New Century Scholar Program Activities

In May 2009, at the beginning of the grant period, an orientation and seminar meeting for all grantees, headed by the NCS Leader will familiarize participants with program goals, establish the basis for informal communication and interaction throughout the grant period, and initiate collaborative work towards a set of illustrative case studies that might inform government, higher education and private sector policies, activities and practices in both national and global settings. An agenda, program roster, contact information, and a summary of Individual research interests will be provided to all NCS grantees.

In October of 2009, at the program's midpoint, all New Century Scholars will be brought together again to further the work begun at the orientation. The locale for the meeting will be determined in consultation with the scholars at the orientation meeting.

In April 2010, the NCS Scholars will meet in a final, plenary seminar again under the direction of the NCS Leader, where they will share the results of their collaborative interactions and report on the accomplishment of NCS Program objectives and their relevant global implications of those findings. It is anticipated that this gathering will result in collaborative work towards a set of illustrative case studies that might inform government, higher education and private sector policies, activities and practices in both national and global settings and in the opening of new avenues of research and inquiry, the formation of new international and transnational collaborations, and the development of significant policy-relevant recommendations.

New Century Scholars will be expected to participate in all NCS Program seminar meetings of approximately one-week's duration each.

Each participant must also conduct research both within and outside of their home countries including a two- to three-month international visit.  Non-US Program Fellows’ research visits to the United States will be hosted by an institution with which they have pre-arranged collaboration and a formal affiliation.  All visits must be completed prior to April 2010.

Throughout the program year, Scholars will be expected to maintain contact and interact with other participants in the program in order to expand their own research and to explore comparative approaches to the program topic.

Grant benefits

• Travel/research award in the amount of $30,000 – for travel to all program meetings, travel and maintenance for the exchange visit, research materials and assistance, and partial salary
• Accommodations and meals for program seminar meetings

Eligibility Criteria

• All candidates for the Program must be able to demonstrate outstanding qualifications and a record of experience and accomplishment in an area clearly related to the New Century Scholar research theme. Individuals in all disciplines are welcome to apply so long as they are conducting current research directly relevant to the theme and are open to exploring international and inter- disciplinary approaches to their investigations. Since individuals designated as Fulbright New Century Scholars will have attained a level of national or international recognition for demonstrated professional accomplishments, including mastery of English and currency in their relevant disciplinary areas, their selection will be based primarily on their potential to contribute to the overall Program objectives, rather than on a need or desire to receive further training or exposure to developments and trends in their particular field.
• Candidates for nomination as Israeli participants in the Program must be Israeli citizens. Dual American-Israeli citizens or permanent residents of the United States are not eligible to apply.  
• Regulations have been issued which limit the total number of Fulbright Fellowships which an individual may receive and which define minimum waiting periods between the conclusion of one grant period and the beginning of the next.  Thus, those who have received a Fulbright award in the past should see the regulations regarding repeat grants in the Fellowships section above.
• Candidates must be in good health. All applicants selected for a Fulbright grant are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before their grants can be activated.
• Prior conviction or current indictment for a felony may result in disqualification.

Evaluation criteria

Review of candidates and selection of the New Century Scholar participants will be organized by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES). CIES will convene a selection panel that will include the New Century Scholar Leader and a multi-disciplinary group of experts.  The panel will seek to nominate a cohort of scholars who as a group are proposing diverse projects centered on the Program theme, who represent a variety of disciplines, and who come from different world regions.

The panel will review individual candidacies according to the following criteria:

• formal qualifications of the applicant, including academic degrees, training, status, and position;
• national and international reputation in his/her field;
  quality of nominee's professional accomplishments as demonstrated through publications, research grants, and other professional achievements;
• merits of the research proposal and its relevance to the New Century Scholars research topic;
• potential contribution of the applicant's proposed research to a better understanding of the topic on both national and international levels;
• potential contribution of the applicant's proposed research to a high-level interdisciplinary discussion of the research theme;
• justification for the proposed international visit and its significance for advancing understanding of the subject;
• ability of the applicant to carry out the project;
• oral fluency in English.

The United States-Israel Educational Foundation will also apply the above criteria in its selection of those to be nominated as the Israeli candidates for New Century Scholar Program Fellowships.

Instructions on the preparation and submission of applications

Israeli academics and professionals interested in taking part in the NCS program must apply through the Fulbright commission for Israel, the United States-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF). USIEF will review the applications submitted and select those to be forwarded to the US for consideration as finalist candidates for the 2009/2010 NCS Program.

Each candidate must submit to USIEF the following material:

• New Century Scholars Program application cover page;
• project abstract proposal (not to exceed four typed, single-spaced pages);
• one-page bibliography of relevant sources;
• curriculum vitae and publications list;
• two letters of recommendation;
• letter of invitation from the prospective host institution.

In order to be reviewed, applications and all related materials must reach the offices of USIEF no later than the end of working hours on October 22, 2008. The address for submission of applications is: United States-Israel Educational Foundation, POB 26160, Tel Aviv, 61261 or 10th Floor, Migdalor Building, One Ben Yehuda Street, Tel Aviv. Faxed or e-mail copies of application materials other than references are not acceptable.  Letters of recommendation may be mailed to USIEF by their authors or faxed to 03-561-2016. 

Full application instructions may be found on the CIES website.

Questions may be addressed to Ms. Judy Stavsky: telephone – 03-517-2392; email – jstavsky@fulbright.org.il.

Fulbright New Century Scholars Program
Timetable for 2009/2010

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