Awards to the U.S.

Doctoral Dissertation Research Award

Description and Purpose

The award is designed to assist doctoral candidates at Taiwan universities in all academic fields who are working on doctoral dissertation topics, to consult scholars, collect data, and/or audit courses at a U.S. university or research institution.

AWARD

Up to 4 awards

ACTIVITY

Research

LENGTH

5 to 10 months

DEADLINE

August 1, 2023

Fields

  • Social Science & Education
  • Business and Applied Social Science
  • Information, Media and Humanities
  • Arts & Culture
  • Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics  (STEM)

Benefits

  1. A fixed sum from US$10,000 to US$20,000, prorated over the grant period. (the duration of grants ranges from 5 to 10 months)
  2. A lump sum of US$3,000 for educational enrichment
  3. Possible placement services by IIE
  4. Possible placement in a three-week summer pre-academic program in the U.S., with expenses paid for room, board, book allowance, and travel allowance

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants are eligible who:

  1. Are physically present in Taiwan during the year prior to the grant
  2. Have completed at least 2 years of doctoral-level study in Taiwan, and have an approved dissertation topic for which special materials or advisors are available in the U.S. in the appropriate field. After the end of the grant period, grantees must return to Taiwan to finish their doctoral-level study
  3. Can be physically present for an oral interview in the end of August (tentatively scheduled on August 21, 2023), at Fulbright Taiwan in Taipei
  4. TOEFL scores (minimum iBT score 80) or IELTS score (minimum score 6.5) taken since September, 2022, or upload your iBT/IELTS test appointment confirmation to our application system. (Test date MUST before September 30, 2023).
  5. Meet the Award Conditions and Provisions (Eligibility & Visa)

Applicants are Ineligible who:

  1. Are currently studying in the US
  2. Have received Fulbright Student Grant twice
  3. Wish to pursue studies as medical students. However, applicants with medical degrees may receive grants for advanced academic study, but not for internships or residencies

Other Requirements:

  1. The duration of the grant ranges from 5 to 10 months. The grant must begin no earlier than August 1, 2024. They must end no later than August 31, 2025.
  2. All other factors being equal, preference is given to applicants who has submitted all of the score report (including English score report and transcript)
  3. During the grant period, the grantee must submit a research or reflections article to FSE’s Online Journal Research & Reflections4

Application Procedure

1

Apply online no later than August 1, 2023. For application information, please refer to: Application Instruction (PDF)

2

Submit the hard copy of the following required documents to Fulbright Taiwan. (postmarked no later than August 1, 2023)

  • Hard copies of your completed on-line application form (filled in English, including application form, Study/Research Objective, personal statement, English CV, TOEFL/IELTS score report, writing sample, financial statement of other grants/ scholarships which will be used in the same period of Fulbright grant, and passport copy)
  • Chinese CV (the translation version of your English CV with your cell phone number and mailing address. We’ll deliver the notification letter via post mail after the nomination list is confirmed.)
  • 3 English recommendation letters (if your referees do not want to complete recommendation letters online)
  • One copy of authorized transcripts for undergraduate studies and for graduate studies in sealed envelopes (including for exchange studies; MUST be in English for IIE); “sealed envelopes” means that you have to ask school to stamp on the flap of the envelope to prove that the transcripts are authorized by school. Or, an official e-transcript emailed by the university to our foundation directly if the university is located out of Taiwan. All transcripts will be sent to IIE if selected.
  • Certificate of degree for all degrees earned (MUST be in English for IIE); foreign certificates of degree must be authenticated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). For more information, please visit MOFA’s website. All certificates of degrees will be sent to IIE.
  • Certificate of enrollment in PhD program. If school cannot issue the certificate by our deadline, please submit a copy of your student ID card (both sides). Applicants should submit the certificate of enrollment by September 30, 2023.

The mailing address is:

Foundation for Scholarly Exchange
2nd Fl., 45, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei 100011, Taiwan
Attn. Fulbright Exchange Program (Doctoral Dissertation)

3

The application process has been completed! Wait for the notification letter!

FAQ

If the applicants fail to meet the minimum requirement of English proficiency, the applications still can be submitted (by August 1st). The selection committee will decide if the applicants are qualified for being granted and allowed to re-take standardized tests after the interview.

The application results will not be affected if the applicants do not submit invitations in the application process. However, the applicants need to specify their preferred institutions for the Selection Committee’s reference. At least after receiving notification letters in September, nominees should start to communicate with the potential host institutions and negotiate with them based on their academic needs. If our Foundation has not received invitation letters from applicants (issued by the host institutions) six months before the grant start date, applicants need to provide a preference list for IIE to start the placement work.

Our Foundation is in charge of documents required for visa application, including DS-2019, visa fee waiver, and the administrative procedures of visa application. It’s not the host institutions to issue DS-2019s to Fulbright grantees. 

The policies regarding visa, documents and fee waiver are also applicable to grantees’ dependents (i.e. non-U.S.-citizen spouse and children under 21).

1) In the grant period, grantees have to submit at least one research result/reflections report to FSE Online Journal(in Chinese or English)

2) After completion of your grant in the United States, you should return to Taiwan for at least two years before being eligible to apply for temporary worker (H), intracompany transferee (L), fiancé (K) visa, or immigrant visa/lawful permanent resident status (LPR), so called Two-Year Home-Country Physical Presence Requirement under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Within the two-year period, the grantees are allowed to apply for tourist visa, student visa, and other non-immigrant-non-employment visa to attend conferences, travel or study in the U.S. This Requirement applies to J-2 dependents as well.

Please refer to the selection report on the website.

August 1, 2023——Deadline of application 

August 22, 2023——A Selection Committee (academic peers from a variety of disciplines and Board members) reviews all documents and research proposals. 

September, 2023——The Selection Committee recommends a nominee list to FSE’s Board. Applicants are notified by our Foundation of nomination/non-nomination after the Board meeting. 

October 1, 2023——Fulbright Taiwan submits the approved nomination to IIE for technical review and to J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) at Washington D.C. for final approval. 

February, 2024——Final approval is released from FFSB to our Foundation.

May, 2024——Pre-Departure Orientation

August to September, 2024—— Grant starts 

Selection Procedure

August

In the middle of August (tentatively scheduled on August 21, 2023), a Selection Committee (academic peers from a variety of disciplines, Board members, and staff) reviews all documents and research proposals, conducts oral interviews with applicants and recommends a slate for final selection by Fulbright Taiwan’s Board. Applicants who can’t physically present for an oral interview will be deemed to waive.

September

  • Applicants are notified by Fulbright Taiwan of nomination/non-nomination at the end of September after the Board meeting and their nomination is also sent to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) for final confirmation. IIE will provide services for applying host institutions simultaneously.
  • The grant is then subject to:
    1. Approval by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB)
    2. Acceptance of the candidate’s research proposal by a U.S. institution

February of the grant year

Final approval is then normally received by Fulbright Taiwan in February and conveyed to grantees as soon as received.

Note: All Taiwan grantees traveling to the U.S. must hold a J-type visa for academic and cultural exchange programs.

Join the Prestigious Network!

More Information Below

Contact

Ms. Edith Wang
Email: fse@fulbright.org.tw
Tel: 02-2388-2100 ext. 143