Reflecting an enduring commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, the United States has elevated its engagement across Asia as a strategic priority. A central tenet of that strategy is to work more closely with multilateral institutions such as ASEAN. The objective of the Fulbright U.S.-ASEAN Visiting Scholar Initiative is to deepen people-to-people engagement and strengthen our educational ties with the ten member nations of ASEAN, while specifically emphasizing the importance of ASEAN. This marks the twelfth year of the Initiative.  To date, more than 80 scholars from all 10 ASEAN Member States have been awarded scholarships to pursue studies focused on a wide range of subjects including public health, the South China Sea, Indo-Pacific focus, ASEAN economic integration, banking governance, human trafficking, STEM education, food safety, and legal education.

The Fulbright U.S.–ASEAN Visiting Scholar Program is open to university faculty, foreign ministry or other government officials, and professional staff of the private sector, think tanks, and other NGOs in the ASEAN Member States.  Selected Fulbright US ASEAN Visiting Scholars will travel to the United States for a maximum of four months during the first half of 2025 (starting January to March), where they will carry out scholarly and professional research on priority issues to the U.S.-ASEAN relationship and ASEAN. Projects that are regional in scope and/or have clear implications for the entire ASEAN region will be given more emphasis than projects that are more narrowly focused.

In FY 2024-2025, Fulbright Visiting Scholars may apply to conduct research that supports broad ASEAN initiatives, such as support for regional economic integration, expansion of maritime cooperation, promotion of opportunities for women, and addressing transnational challenges (including regional collaboration on issues like curbing human trafficking, countering violent extremism, preventing wildlife trafficking or promoting sustainable fishing).  Fields of study could include, but are not limited to: Education, Financial Market Integration, Food Technology, Information Sciences, Journalism, Law, Public Administration, Public/Global Health, Statistics, Trade and Investment, and Trade Facilitation.

Fulbright U.S. – ASEAN Visiting Scholar awards will provide:

• • A monthly stipend for grantees, between US $2,710 and $3,145/month, depending on the U.S. city.
  • A direct-flight, round-trip economy-class air ticket.
  • A one-time $1,250 Professional and Settling-in allowance.
  • Qualifying university lab and research fees up to $3,000, as necessary.

• No dependent support will be available.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Applicants should be university faculty, foreign ministry and government officials, or professionals in the private sector, think tanks and other NGOs whose work focuses on U.S.-ASEAN issues.
• Must have significant record of scholarly or professional accomplishment.
• Must be a Filipino citizen.
• Must be proficient in English.
• Must be residing in the Philippines throughout the nomination and selection process.
• Must be able to demonstrate commitment to return to the Philippines upon completion of their U.S. stay.
• Note:  Applicants who are currently teaching, studying, conducting research in the U.S., or have received a Fulbright grant within the past five years are ineligible to join.  Those who have been to the U.S. as a J-1 Exchange Visitor in the category of Professor or Research Scholar within the past two years are also ineligible to join.

Required Documents:

• Completed online application form: https://apply.iie.org/fvsp2024/
• Make sure to Select/Change Award to Fulbright U.S. ASEAN Visiting Scholar Program on the Award Information portion found on the Country Information tab on your online application page.
• Upload the following documents to the application portal:
  • Primary Documents
    • Project statement (three to five pages)
    • Bibliography
    • Curriculum vitae/résumé (up to six pages)
    • Letter of invitation (strongly preferred, but not required)
    • Letters of recommendation (three are required)
  • Additional Documents
    • Scanned copy of NBI Clearance secured not earlier than 6 months prior to application (Country-Specific Materials)
    • Scanned copy of transcript of records, official or certified (Supplemental Materials)
    • Scanned copy of diploma, certified true copy (Supplemental Materials)

  Application period for the 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S.-ASEAN Visiting Scholar Program is OPEN. Deadline for submission of documents is on October 31, 2023.