Fulbright NEXUS Scholars will conduct individual and team-based research projects, integrating
perspectives from multi-sectoral stakeholders to generate knowledge-based, policy-oriented solutions
and implementation models at the national and regional levels.

Eligibility:

Up to 20 individuals will be chosen for this program.  Approximately one-third of Fulbright NEXUS grantees will be selected from the United States.  Approximately two-thirds of the grantees will originate from Western Hemisphere countries other than the United States (Latin America, Canada, and the Caribbean).

• Citizenship or permanent resident status qualifying you to hold a valid passport issued in the country in which the application is made.  Persons selected for a Fulbright grant will be required to submit a copy of their passport data page.  Persons applying for or holding permanent residence in the United States are not eligible.  Persons who are citizens of both a partner country and the United States are also ineligible.   Fulbright Scholars enter the United States on an Exchange Visitor (J-1) visa under a U.S. Department of State program and are subject to the two-year home country residency requirement associated with the J-1 visa. 

• A Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree is preferred, but is not required.  Candidates with a master’s degree are required to have a minimum of five years research experience.

• Preference will be given to early or mid-career academics, applied researchers and/or professionals with research experience in the public, non-profit, or private sector.

• A detailed project statement of proposed activity at a U.S. institution.  The proposed project should contribute to the overall Fulbright NEXUS theme.  Applicants are encouraged to present projects that use regional development as a catalyst to improve the quality of life for local communities and regions across the Western Hemisphere.  At its core, your proposal should focus on how to build realistic implementation models that involve stakeholders across various sectors.

• Applicants will be expected to identify two to three local stakeholders from a range of sectors (i.e. NGO’s, government, private industries) that have a demonstrated commitment to the application of the proposed research projects as potential model solutions to real like challenges.

PROGRAM THEMES:
SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
Projects that:

• Move ideas from laboratories to the marketplace in fields of regional importance, such as food production and food security, climate change and the environment, and emergency preparedness;
• Contribute to the development of sustainable cities, informed by best practices in urban planning, earthquake preparedness, green energy and environmental standards;
• Foster regional and local competitiveness;
• Address poverty eradication and increase quality of life outcomes for all individuals from the region;
• Promote expanded access to education, including in STEM fields at the primary, secondary and post-secondary levels.

Entrepreneurship
Initiatives that:

• Foster innovative market solutions to pressing social needs across the region;
• Expand access to working capital for micro-entrepreneurs;
• Link markets to producers and consumers across the supply and distribution chain so that small producers and service providers can participate more effectively in trade;
• Expand credit access to the unbanked through innovative approaches such as utilizing movable assets like collateral and promoting the availability of secured transactions.
• Build upon a continuum of experiences to capitalize on a wide range of entrepreneurial knowledge from micro to mainstream, including social entrepreneurship theories and practices;
• Engage the private sector and civil society to advanced labor and environmental standards in business and industry, sharing  best practices for such standards and their enforcement;
• Outline how activities can become self-sustainable and replicable over time. 

Sustainable Energy
Projects exploring:

• Renewable and sustainable energy (hydro, wind, air, solar);
• Energy poverty and energy security;
• Energy efficiency and environmental security;
• Energy industries as drivers of economic growth;
• Energy independence at regional, national, community and household levels;
• Energy innovation and indigenous sources of energy as means to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and carbon emissions;
• Energy infrastructure and regional integration as related to emergency preparedness (earthquakes, hurricanes, offshore drilling);
• Research, development, deployment and dissemination of cleaner, cheaper and more efficient  energy technologies to drive low carbon-economic growth.

Successful candidates will include rising scholars or practitioners active in the academic, public or private sectors that demonstrate outstanding qualifications and a record of experience and accomplishment in an area clearly related to one of the designated research themes.  Applicants must be conducting current research relevant to the program's themes and objectives, be open to exploring and incorporating comparative, interdisciplinary approaches in their investigations, and interested in developing collaborative activities with other Fulbright NEXUS Scholars.

Program Activities

Program activities will commence in November 2012 and conclude in September 2013.  All grantees are expected to attend three seminar group meetings and complete a research visit to the U.S.  for two to three months.  The research visit must be completed prior to October 2013.
November 8-12, 2012 – First Group Meeting and Orientation (Canada)

 April 22-24, 2013 – Mid-year Group Meeting (Colombia)
Mid-September 2013- Final Group Meeting (Washington, DC)

Fulbright NEXUS grant provisions:

Fulbright NEXUS Awards will include travel and research funding in the amount of $30,000 for grantees only. This allowance is intended to support travel to all program meetings, travel and maintenance for the exchange visit, research materials and assistance.  Accommodations and meals for program seminar meetings will be covered separately. Grants will also include limited accident and sickness benefits.  Research exchange visits to the U.S. should be a minimum of two months, not to exceed three months.

About Your Proposal

Research proposals with the potential to make a significant impact on public policy are especially welcome.  You are encouraged to present projects that use regional development as a catalyst to improve the life for local communities and regions across the Western Hemisphere.  At its core, your proposal should focus on how to build realistic implementation models that involve stakeholders across various sectors. 

Applications must be submitted online at the following website:
https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/scholars/30/

Interested persons may also send an e-mail to gregoirej@state.gov for further information.