Deadline: April 9, 2018
The IIE Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) provides fellowships for professors, researchers, and public intellectuals who face threats to their lives and careers in their home countries. These year-long fellowships support temporary academic positions at institutions of higher learning anywhere in the world where IIE-SRF fellows can continue their work in safety. In most cases, IIE-SRF fellows are eligible to apply for a second and final year of fellowship support.
Since 2002 IIE-SRF has received more than 3,000 requests for assistance from scholars in over 100 countries. The IIE-Scholar Rescue Fund saves the lives, voices, and ideas of threatened scholars around the world by providing fellowships and safe academic environments.
Benefits
The IIE-SRF fellowship provides financial support, professional development assistance, and resources to help fellows transition (often with their families) to their host institution environments.
The IIE-SRF fellowship award includes a grant of up to US$25,000, along with individual health insurance, to support a visiting academic appointment of up to one year (renewable for a second year). The final fellowship amount is dependent upon several factors, including the location of the host institution, the cost of living, and the value of any additional contributions from the host institution of other source(s).
Eligibility
- Professors, senior researchers, and public intellectuals from any country, academic field, or discipline may qualify.
- Applications are reviewed for academic qualifications, the quality/potential of the applicant’s work, and the severity of the threats that the applicant faces.
- Scholars from any country and from any academic field/discipline may apply.
Preference is given to scholars who:
- are facing or have recently fled from immediate, severe, and targeted threats to their lives and/or careers in their home countries or countries of residence;
- hold a Ph.D. or highest degree in their field and/or who have extensive teaching or research experience at a university, college, or other institution of higher learning;
- demonstrate superior academic accomplishment and promise;
- will benefit their home and/or host academic communities.
They encourage applications from women and members of ethnic, racial, cultural, or religious minority groups, or those otherwise underrepresented in their fields.
Please note that applicants who lack valid travel documents may still apply for the IIE-SRF fellowship, although IIE-SRF is unable to assist these individuals in leaving their home countries.
Applicants are not required to speak English. However, a scholar’s language abilities will influence the possibilities for fellowship placement, as preference is given to applicants with advanced ability in the language of the host country/institution.
Please direct any inquiries regarding eligibility to [email protected].
Application
Applicants may apply directly or may have a third party submit application materials on their behalf. The required application materials include:
- Application coversheet
- Current CV or resume. Please include the following information :
- Academic degrees (degree-granting institution, field, and date of degree award);
- Current position (location, dates of employment, professional title, and responsibilities);
- Previous academic positions (in chronological order, including location, dates of employment, professional title, and responsibilities);
- A detailed list of your academic publications (journal articles, books, chapters, exhibitions) including full citations with the name of publication, title of work, date of publication, and page numbers, if possible;
- Other relevant academic work (including supervision of master’s and Ph.D. theses, conference presentations, grants / honors / awards, professional affiliations).
- Academic statement.
- Personal statement.
- Two (2) academic / professional letters of reference from academic and/or professional colleagues who can speak to your research, publications, teaching, or other advanced academic experience.
- Two (2) personal letters of reference from colleagues or persons who are aware of the difficulties that you have been facing as well as your professional background. When possible, please have your referees compose their letters on official letterhead and send them to IIE-SRF directly at [email protected].]
- A copy of your Ph.D. or higher degree
- Samples of your most current writing or research publications.
- A letter from an accredited institution of higher learning that may be able to host your fellowship. This is not a requirement.
To request an initial assessment of his /her eligibility, an applicant may first submit the application coversheet, a current CV, academic statement, and personal statement for review.
For more information, visit IIE Scholar Rescue Fund.
