2024-2025 AIFIS-CAORC Research Fellowship for U.S. Scholars to Indonesia
Deadline Extended to January 5, 2025
Funding for this program is provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State through a grant from the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC).
Call for Applications
The American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS) invites applications from graduate and post-graduate researchers who are US citizens and wish to pursue their research activities in Indonesia. We are offering a grant of US$6,000 for each scholar to conduct research projects in any field of contemporary and traditional Indonesian Studies. AIFIS encourages applications for projects that foreground collaboration with Indonesian counterparts as well as that produce open source content for public dissemination and/or curriculum development. These grants can be applied toward travel, accommodation and support of research activities in Indonesia.
The submission deadline for applications is extended to Sunday, January 5, 2024 at 11:59pm ET.
For further information please read the eligibility guidelines and application instructions below, or contact the American Institute for Indonesian Studies (AIFIS) by email at aifis_fellowships@aifis.org
Eligibility Guidelines
Eligibility requirements apply at the time of application. Applicants must meet all of the following requirements and will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin and/or disability.
Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
Must either be currently enrolled in a graduate degree program or hold a Ph.D. or equivalent professional degree (post-doc).
It is recommended that candidates have significant facility in Indonesian language.
Fellowship Terms and Conditions
Applicants must propose and conduct field research in Indonesia. Funding is not available for research conducted in the United States.
Fellowship tenure must be of at least six weeks (45 days) in duration.
Fellows must complete their fellowship travel and submit a final report by September 30, 2025. In this phase of fellowships, AIFIS is not able to offer any extension grant of use beyond the September 30, 2025 deadline. Any unused portion of the stipend must be returned to AIFIS by this date.
Fellowship awards will not exceed $6,000. No dependent allowance is available.
AIFIS is unable to provide health or other insurance to its fellows. Fellows are required to supply AIFIS with proof of health insurance as well as emergency evacuation and repatriation of remains insurance before leaving the United States.
AIFIS does not advise fellows on tax questions concerning their stipend.
All foreign researchers to Indonesia are required to seek Ethical Clearance and/or Research Permit from the National Agency for Research and Innovation (BRIN), and Limited Stay Visa for Research Activities (E29) from the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration. AIFIS will provide guidance on these protocols, but researchers and their Indonesian counterparts are responsible for securing these permits directly.
Important Notes Regarding Applications
AIFIS’s preferred method of submission is via the online application portal. Once an application is submitted it cannot be resubmitted or edited.
Degree candidates who will obtain their doctoral or equivalent professional degree by May 2025 and plan to use the fellowship for post-degree research should apply as a post-graduate scholar.
If you are a U.S. citizen degree candidate studying abroad, please send Master’s transcripts and a letter from the registrar stating that you are registered in the doctoral or equivalent advanced degree program.
Award notifications will be made available to each applicant via email and through the SMApply portal. Expect results in January 2025.
Fellows are advised that it can take up to six months to obtain the necessary research clearance and should plan accordingly. If you are planning to conduct research travel in the summer of 2024, we recommend beginning the MOU process between your home and host institutions as soon as possible.
Due to the variable nature of permit and visa processing times in Indonesia, AIFIS recommends waiting to purchase international flights until after the research permit and visa are issued, or to purchase easily changeable flight reservations. AIFIS is not responsible for any loss of flight ticketing due to delays in the issuance of permits and visas.
AIFIS reserves the right to decline fellowship funding for any any unethical use of funding and/or attempt to circumvent Indonesian protocols for the issuance of research permits and visas.
Application Instructions
A complete application consists of:
1. Completed AIFIS-CAORC Research Fellowship Application Form
Submitted online through the CAORC & ORC Grant Application Portal, together with the following documents:
2. Proposal Narrative and Project Bibliography
Proposal Narrative: In 1500 words or less, please describe the nature of your proposed project and your competence to carry out the required research. State your research question and the methods and procedures you will use to conduct your research. Indicate the libraries, museums, archives, field sites that you plan to use while conducting your research. Indicate an Indonesian institution that you have been in contact with and is willing to sponsor your research. (No formal agreement is needed at this time but will be necessary for research permit and visa requirements.) Finally, indicate the extent to which you have investigated other funding sources.
Project Bibliography: 1-page maximum, additional pages will not be submitted to the readers for review.
3. Curriculum Vitae
3-pages maximum, additional pages will not be submitted to the readers for review.
4. Transcripts (pre-doctoral candidates only)
Unofficial Transcripts will be accepted
5. Two (2) separate letters of recommendation
Letters of recommendation should be submitted directly by your referees through the CAORC application portal no later than Saturday, November 30, 2024.
Please include one recommendation letter which speaks directly to your Indonesian language ability.
Advanced Degree candidates must have one letter from their academic advisor.
NOTE: Your proposal narrative and project bibliography, curriculum vitae, and transcripts must be uploaded as part of your application on the CAORC & ORC Grant Application Portal. Documents in MS Word or PDF format are preferred.
Tips for Letters of Recommendation
Ask for letters as early as possible. The applicant is responsible for notifying referees of their request for letters and for ensuring those letters are submitted to AIFIS by the deadline.
References can be submitted in either English or Indonesian language.
Degree candidates must submit one letter from their academic advisor.
Do not submit more references than the two required.
Troubleshooting the Online Application Portal
If you are having trouble accessing the online application through the Survey Monkey Apply website, please try to following:
Reset your password to the website. If you have used SMApply for other grant applications in the past, you may need to reset your password in order to login again.
If you have served as a reviewer or administrator for any other programs run on the SMApply website, you will need to ensure that you are signed on in the role of “applicant.” You can do this by clicking on your name in the top right header to select the appropriate role in the dropdown menu.
Please check that messages received from SMApply are not automatically directed to your SPAM folder.