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Fulbright Distinguished (Senior) Scholar Fellowship

Program Overview

Fulbright Israel will award up to eight fellowships for senior faculty members, professionals, or accomplished artists or writers for visits to Israeli institutions of higher education, to be carried out during the 2025/26 academic year. The program is open to all fields of knowledge; scholars’ proposed activities may include research, lecturing, or a combination of lecturing and research. The grants will support visits of four months. Assistant Professor or higher academic rank (or equivalent professional standing) is required.

Grants can begin between the period of July 2025 - May 2026

For more information please click here

Additional general information on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program may be found here https://fulbrightscholars.org/

Application deadline: September 16, 2024

Grant Benefits

STIPEND 

Monthly stipend, payable in U.S. dollars: 

  • $6,000/month for unaccompanied grantees
  • $6,500/month for grantees accompanied by one dependent
  • $7,000/month for grantees accompanied by two or more dependents

ESTIMATED TRAVEL AND RELOCATION ALLOWANCE 

  • Reimbursement of Travel expenses of up to $1,700 (U.S. – Israel, under the Fly America act) for Fulbright fellows (and spouses)
  • Partial reimbursement of children's education expenses and fees

SPECIAL AWARD BENEFITS 

  • Limited accident and medical coverage for the grantee only  
  • Mandatory attendance at arrival orientation
  • Opportunities to participate in multiple cultural and academic events organized by Fulbright Israel  

Eligibility criteria

Eligibility requirements apply at the time of application. For full details on all Fulbright U.S. Scholar program eligibility requirements, see the CIES website.

  • A letter of invitation from an accredited Israeli institution of higher education is required at the time of application. Candidates must be hosted by an accredited Israeli institution of higher education. For the complete list of such institutions, click here.
  • Each candidate should arrange his/her institutional affiliations in Israel independently, including development of the program of work for the proposed visit through contacts with possible host institutions.
  • Per Fulbright Israel policy, candidates should take into account that host institutions are asked to make a financial contribution of $2,000 to the Foundation, which is credited toward overall grant benefits. The matter of this mandatory contribution should be raised in preliminary discussions with potential hosts and the commitment to provide the funds should be included in the letter of invitation.

Evaluation Criteria

For full details on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar review process, see the CIES website. During its review of the recommended pool of applications, Fulbright Israel applies the following criteria:

  • Academic excellence (or equivalent professional or artistic excellence) is the primary criterion for the evaluation of candidates.
  • Leadership qualities are an important evaluation criterion.
  • Preference will be given to candidates who have not had substantial, recent professional experience in Israel.
  • Preference will be given to candidates who have not had previous Fulbright grants.
  • Hebrew/Arabic language proficiency is not an evaluation criterion.
  • Possession of skills required to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Israel is an important evaluation criterion.

Fulbright Israel wishes to emphasize that, while stressing professional qualifications, it is interested in achieving representation of the various geographic regions and ethnic groups of the United States in the panel of American Fulbright Fellows.

Applicants might be invited for a Zoom interview with a Fulbright commission. 

Fulbright Israel reserves the exclusive right to determine, within the framework of applicable law and regulations, the qualitative standards for the evaluation of applications forwarded to it by the responsible agency in the United States. Fulbright Israel is not under any obligation to provide the reasons for its decisions regarding the allocation of Fellowships.

Application Requirements

INVITATION REQUIREMENT 

A letter of invitation is required.

INVITATION REQUIREMENT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

A letter of invitation from an accredited Israeli institution of higher education is required at the time of application. Each candidate is responsible for the arrangement of his/her institutional affiliations in Israel independently, including development of the work program for the proposed visit through contacts with possible host institutions. 

Fellowships are available from any accredited Israeli institution of higher education. For the complete list of such institutions, click here.

Per Fulbright Israel policy, candidates should take into account that host institutions are obliged to make a financial contribution of $2,000 to the United States-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF), also known as Fulbright Israel, which is credited towards the overall grant benefits. The matter of this mandatory contribution should be raised in preliminary discussions with potential hosts and the commitment to provide the funds should be included in the letter of invitation.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS 

None, English is sufficient.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATION INFORMATION 

Assistant Professor or higher academic rank (or equivalent professional standing) is required.

At least seven years of experience in a discipline or area of expertise.

For Tel Aviv University, Associate Professor or higher academic rank (or equivalent professional standing) is required. The Mortimer and Raymond Sackler Institute of Advanced Studies will be the official host of the fellow and the contact at the university, while the hosting academic unit is responsible for providing office and/or laboratory space.

 

 

Please contact the Fulbright program in Israel at [email protected] for assistance with identifying suitable host contacts or any questions related to the financial commitment.

You may also contact the Outreach and Recruitment Specialist for the Middle East and North Africa for additional assistance: 

Phone:  202-686-4000

Email:  [email protected]