Deadline: Unspecified
The Institute of International Education’s Scholar Rescue Fund (IIE-SRF) is the only global program that arranges, funds, and supports fellowships for threatened and displaced scholars at partnering higher education institutions worldwide. These year-long fellowships of $25,000USD 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. We have awarded IIE-SRF fellowships to 984 scholars from 60 countries, placing them at 449 host partner institutions in 51 countries around the world.
Eligibility Criteria
IIE-SRF accepts applications from professors, researchers, and public intellectuals who face threats and cannot continue their work in their home countries. Scholars from any country and in any academic field or discipline may qualify. Applicants are assessed based on academic qualifications and experience, the quality and/or potential of their work, and the urgency of the threats that they face.
Preference is given to scholars who:
- hold a Ph.D. or highest degree in their field and have significant teaching and/or research experience at a university, college, or other institution of higher learning;
- have an established record of published research;
- demonstrate superior academic accomplishment or promise;
- are facing or have recently fled from immediate, targeted threats to their lives and/or careers in their home countries or countries of residence;
- will benefit their home and/or host academic communities.
We encourage applications from women and members of ethnic, racial, cultural, or religious minority groups, or those otherwise underrepresented in their fields.
Unfortunately, IIE-SRF typically cannot consider applications from individuals who:
- are seeking to continue their studies, including Ph.D. study, or to complete an academic training program;
- have been displaced or have resided outside their home countries for more than two years;
- hold citizenship or permanent residency in a safe second country;
- will have completed two years on a comparable fellowship or other program for threatened scholars.
Because of high demand for assistance, IIE-SRF is not able to grant fellowship support to all applicants who meet the minimum eligibility requirements.
Benefits
- The IIE-SRF fellowship award includes a grant of up to US$25,000, along with individual health insurance and relocation funding, 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 or other sources.
- IIE-SRF requires that the hosting institution provide financial support that is equal to or greater than the IIE-SRF fellowship award. This matching support generally takes the form of a stipend or other direct benefits that would offset the fellow’s cost of living such as housing, airfare, or health insurance. Other in-kind contributions such as office space, computer and library access, or laboratory/bench fees are encouraged for a complete fellow support package but do not qualify as part of the matching contribution.
- IIE-SRF may consider on a case-by-case basis a waiver of the full host funding requirement in order to allow fellows to undertake appointments within their home regions or in countries where the cost of living is lower and the funding requirement is prohibitive.
