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Title VIII Special Initiatives Fellowship Program

The Special Initiatives Research Fellowship offers post-doctoral scholars up to $35,000 for field-based, policy-relevant research in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Applicants may apply to conduct research in more than one country, but must plan to spend a minimum of four months in the region overall conducting full-time research. Within one month completion of their award tenure, fellows must submit final reports describing their research accomplishments. American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS administers the program with funding from the U.S. Department of State, Title VIII Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and Eurasia (Independent States of the Former Soviet Union).

While a wide-range of topics receive support each year, all funded research must contribute to a body of knowledge enabling the U.S. to better understand the region and formulate more effective policies within it. All applicants for Title VIII support will be asked to clearly address in writing the policy-relevance of their work, be it in anthropology, history, international relations, political science, or some other field.

American Councils regional offices located throughout Central Asia and the South Caucasus provide ongoing logistical support to U.S. scholars in the field. American Councils will facilitate visa and registration requests and provide logistical support, if necessary.

*Please note that Title VIII funding cannot be used in countries under a U.S. government travel warning. For more information about current travel warnings, please visit the State Department website at www.travel.state.gov.

Application guidelines are available under 'Documents.' The 2010 application will be available during the summer of 2010. Please contact the Outbound Department with any questions.

Eligibility:
Applicants to the Special Initiatives Fellowship must:

• Hold a Ph.D. in a policy relevant field. The term "policy relevant" includes but is not limited to: anthropology, area studies, economics, education, history, international relations, language and linguistics, law, political science, security studies, and sociology;
• Have a level of reading, writing and speaking proficiency in a language of the region that is sufficient to conduct independent research and engage colleagues, or be able to demonstrate that such proficiency is not essential to the successful completion of the research;
  
• Plan to conduct at least four months of full-time research in Central Asia or the Caucasus on a topic that will enable U.S. policy makers to better understand the region;
• Plan to begin their projects between Feb. 1st, 2010 and June 30, 2011; and complete projects by September 30, 2011;
• Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at the time of application.

Selection Process:
All applications are reviewed by at least two outside readers with expertise in the applicant’s specific research-field. An independent selection committee reviews reader comments and all application materials before making final awards. Selection results are announced approximately twelve weeks after the application deadline.

Application Instructions:
To apply, scholars must submit an original and four copies (must be collated according to the order listed below) of the following:

• A four-page application form
• Budget form
• A research proposal and bibliography
• Research Synopsis in the host-country language
• Statement of policy relevance
• A list of proposed archives
• Curriculum Vitae or resume

Applicants must also submit two letters of recommendation and one copy of the inside page of the applicant's U.S. passport and photocopy of your green card, if applicable, valid for at least eighteen months from the start of scheduled travel to Eurasia. Applications must be typed or written neatly in black ink and be postmarked by the application deadline. Applications sent via fax or email will not be considered. Applications submitted without photocopies will not be considered. Applicants should retain a copy of the application for their records, as no applications will be returned after the end of the competition.

All applications will receive consideration without regard to any factor such as race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, marital status, political affiliation, or disability.

Application guidelines are available under 'Documents.' The 2010 application will be available during the summer of 2010. Please contact the Outbound Department with any questions.

Recent Fellowship Recipients:
Dr. Mehrangiz Najafizadeh
Associate Professor of Sociology, University of Kansas; Azerbaijan
Azeri Women’s Voices: Narratives of Refugees and IDPs from the Nagorno-Karabakh War and Implications for Humanitarian Social Policy

Dr. Amanda Wooden
Assistant Professor of Environmental Politics & Policy, Bucknell University; Kyrgyzstan
Environmental Concern and Popular Mobilizability in Kyrgyzstan: Identifying Public Opinion, Elite Perceptions, Conflict Potential & Political Will

Dr. Alan DeYoung
University of Kentucky; Kyrgyzstan
Making Market Choices in Higher Education: How Students Choose Universities and Specializations and How Universities Create New Specializations in Contemporary Kyrgyzstan

Dr. Cynthia Buckley
University of Texas, Austin; Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia
Temporary Labor Migration and Family Well-Being in the Southern Caucasus

Dr. Adeeb Khalid
Carlton College; Uzbekistan
The Making of Soviet Power in Central Asia 1918-1919

Dr. Gregory Gleason
University of New Mexico; Kazakhstan
Electric Power Integration in Central Asia

Dr. Margaret Mills
Ohio State University; Tajikistan
Social and Political Values in Tajik Everyday Speech and Oral Traditions: An Ethnographic Assessment

For more information contact:
Russian and Eurasian Outbound Programs
American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS
1776 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
202-833-7522
outbound@americancouncils.org

Program Resources