Public Policy Fellowship
The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship provides opportunities for U.S. early and mid-career professionals and practitioners to serve in placements in a foreign government ministry or institution around the world. Fulbright Public Policy Fellows build mutual understanding and contribute to strengthening the public sector while cultivating public policy experience in their area of expertise. The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship also includes an independent research component that focuses on an issue related to the Fellow's in-country work.
The Fellows will have an opportunity to build their knowledge and skills, provide support to partner-country institutions, and promote long-term ties between the U.S. and the partner country.
Participating Countries and Eligible Disciplines
Applications will be accepted in any public policy applicable area. The fields and focus areas listed below are of specific interest to the participating countries, but applications in all related public policy fields are encouraged.
PERU
Fields: Combatting gender-based violence, social inclusion, anti-corruption, equality, integration, sustainability, dialogue and reconciliation, identity and diversity
Potential Host Ministries/Focus Areas: Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Ministry of Women and Vulnerable Populations, Ministry of Development and Social Inclusion, Ministry of Production, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Housing and Construction, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Mesa de Concertación de Lucha contra la Pobreza (a multiparty group that works on policies to fight poverty), and the National Council for Science, Technology, and Technical Innovation (CONCYTEC), among others
Language: Advanced (superior) Spanish is required.BURMA
Fields: Economics, Economic Development, Public Administration, Public/Health, Education, Environmental Science, Environmental Policy, Political Science, Agriculture, Energy, Drug Issues, Policy on Rehabilitation of Drug Users, Cyber Crimes & Cyber Security, Media
Potential Host Ministries: Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, Parliament
Language: Fulbright Public Policy Fellows for Burma do not need language proficiency skills, though they are helpful. Fellows communicating in English are strongly encouraged to use simple, clear English spoken slowly with counterparts until their facility with English is clear.COTE D’IVOIRE
Fields: Ministry of Security sector reform, environment and sustainable development, customs reorganization, justice and human rights, construction and urban planning, commerce and industry, and entrepreneurship
Potential Host Ministries: Ministry of Water and Forests, National Security Council, Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Justice/Human Rights, Ministry of Construction, Housing & Urbanization, Administration of Territory and Decentralization, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Private Sector Promotion
Language: French proficiency is required.UKRAINE
Potential Host Ministries/Focus Areas: Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Social Policy; Ministry of Education; Ministry of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration; Ministry for Veterans Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories and Internally Displaced Persons of Ukraine
Language: Level of Ukrainian depends on ministry. Preferred: basic level of Ukrainian or Russian language skills for some specific ministries; others work in English on a regular basis.
- Fellows will work with ministry officials as “technical specialists”, immersing themselves in ongoing assignments and new initiatives, at the direction and under the supervision of host government officials. They will have the opportunity to work on issues related to their sector and contribute to public policy-related projects that benefit the host country. In addition, Fellows will undertake an independent research project related to their area of expertise.
- Fellows will be hosted by their relevant ministry and spend approximately 80% of their time carrying out ministry-directed projects. Approximately 20% of their time will be dedicated to their independent research project. Fellows must work with their ministry supervisors to agree upon a schedule, which will be determined on an individualized basis and will take different forms depending on the country and the placement.
- The research project is expected to be an independent project proposed during the application phase, but should be focused on a field or sector related to the ministry placement and be adaptable to the work done in the ministry.
Grant Details
Grant Length:
The minimum length of the total grant is four months and the maximum is nine months. Eight to nine-month grants are preferred. Grants for the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship have a flexible start date and also flexible timeframe of a semester or academic year (4-9 months), with sufficient time to carry out the goals of the project. Earliest start date is July 2022; latest start date is March 2023. For Ukraine placements, preference is for grants that begin in September 2022.Number of Awards Available:
Approximately 10 globally (expected at least two per country), depending on individual grant lengths and overall global budgetOther Required Activities:
Pre-Departure Orientation Fellows will participate in an in-person pre-departure orientation (approximately 1.5 days) in July 2022.
The minimum length of the total grant is four months and the maximum is nine months. See Catalog of Awards for more information.
September 15, 2021
Resources:
- Webinar - Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship Info Session (May 16, 2019 - 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm EDT)
Archive
Begin Your Fulbright Public Policy Fellowships Application
Contact:
FPPF@iie.org
For questions about eligibility for the Fulbright Scholar Program, visit our Eligibility page.
Only U.S. citizens are eligible to apply for a grant through the core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. If you live abroad and are not a citizen of the United States, and would like to apply for a grant to visit the U.S., please visit the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program.
Application Components
UPLOAD: Short Essay Questions
Fulbright Public Policy Fellows will be hosted by ministry officials as “technical specialists” and spend approximately 80% of their time carrying out ministry-directed projects. Approximately 20% of their time will be dedicated to their independent research project.
All Fulbright Public Policy applicants will be required to complete short essay questions to explain your specific strengths as a candidate and motivation for participating in the Fellowship to reviewers and potential hosts. You will be asked to address your experience and skills, what you are proposing to do, why it is important, why you, and what impact you hope to have. It must be clear and compelling to audiences both inside and outside your field. Additional guidelines regarding the contents of the essay questions are below:
Experience and Skills:
· What knowledge and experience do you bring to this fellowship, including specific strengths, academic training, and relevant work experience, and how will they be transferable and beneficial to your potential host ministry?
· Describe how you have supported and assisted policy related projects. Be specific about the public policy challenge you addressed, the outcome, and how you worked with others to address it.
Career Trajectory:
· What is the trajectory you have followed, and what are your plans for the future? How does the Public Policy Fellowship fit into your career path and future goals? This is separate from the facts presented elsewhere in the application and may address your personal history, background, development, and the opportunities to which you have, or have not been exposed.
Country Selection and Preparation:
· Why have you selected this country?
· What experiences have prepared you to work in this country? Include any prior experience(s) living or working in a foreign culture or culture different from your own.
· What challenges do you expect to face as a foreign national working in the host country government? How will you adapt, address, or manage them? Provide examples of your familiarity with the culture and chief public policy challenges of the country/region for which you are applying.
Research Project:
· What do you propose to do? State clearly your methodology and the nature of your research (quantitative/qualitative/mixed methods).
· What significance does it hold for your discipline, your development, the host country’s benefit, and how will the results be disseminated?
· What research facilities and resources do you plan to utilize in the host country?
· What specific challenges might you encounter while carrying out your research, and how will you address them?
UPLOAD: CV/RESUME
Upload: Resume
All applicants must include their resume which details their relevant professional experience.
Format Requirements:
· Up to 5 pages, single spaced, 12-point or larger font size; 1-inch margins
· Headers and/or bullets to organize and convey key elements
· File type: Adobe PDF or Word document
· File size cannot exceed 10MB
· Include page numbers
· Only Latin alphabet characters are allowed (i.e., do not include any words or phrases that contain non-English characters)
Content Guidelines:
· List employment history, including relevant public policy and other professional experience.
· If including publications, use full citations.
· List items chronologically, starting with the most recent
· Refereed publications should be listed separately from non-refereed publications
Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship Review Criteria
As reviewers take into account the basic objectives of the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, they apply the following criteria:
- Suitability of the applicant: Professional record in a relevant public policy sector as evidenced by the previous three to five years of work experience. Relevant and appropriate expertise to complete the proposed activities successfully.
- Quality of the project: project’s significance; feasibility in terms of resources available and time allocated to the project; for the research project, originality of topic, clear methodology.
- Need for residence in host country to accomplish the project.
- Potential impact: ability to identify and address the needs and interests of the host ministry and host country; potential benefit to the host country, applicant, and their discipline; potential for outreach to the public in host and home country, and to establish lasting connections and ties with the host country; ability to carry out the project and impact your sector/specialty area.
- Record of service to the field and/ or the home institution.
- Ability to serve as an unofficial cultural ambassador for the United States, including, but not limited to personal attributes of collegiality, cultural adaptability and sensitivity, a strong service orientation and high degree of versatility, resourcefulness, and creativity.
- Foreign language proficiency as specified in the award description for the relevant proposed host country, or commensurate with the requirements of the proposed project.
- 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 sectors.
|
February 2021 September 15, 2021 November/December 2021 December 2021
January February/March 2022 July 2022 July 2022 to March 2023 |
Launch of Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship competition. Application opens Application Deadline Peer Review Committee reviews applications and makes recommendations for further consideration by U.S. Embassies or binational Fulbright Commissions in the host country U.S. Embassies or binational Fulbright Commissions overseas review recommended applications, interview candidates (virtually), and consult with host government ministries on candidates. Successful candidates are nominated for selection Recommended candidates reviewed by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for approval
Pre-departure Orientation (PDO) takes place Scholars depart for host countries |
Meet the 2019-2020 Fulbright Public Policy Fellows
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||
|
|
|||||
Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship
For general questions about the Fulbright Scholar Program, visit our FAQs page.
How do I apply?
The application is available online. Please read the application guidelines before beginning your application.
What is meant by early career? Is there a profile of a candidate that is the target of the application?
Early to mid-career entrepreneurial and self-starter professionals with a graduate degree in a public-policy related field (e.g., JD, MPA, MPH) and a minimum of three to five years of full-time work experience. Postdoctoral candidates and practitioners active in the public or private sectors with a record of experience and accomplishment in a public policy related area are encouraged to apply. Candidates with field-specific background applicable to public policy (e.g., Energy, Agriculture, Engineering) are preferred.
Do I have to know a foreign language?
- Peru- Advanced (Superior) Spanish is required.
- Burma - Burmese language fluency is not required but helpful.
- Cote d’Ivoire - Proficiency in French is required.
- Ukraine – Basic level of Ukrainian or Russian language skills for some specific ministries is preferred; others work in English on a regular basis
Fulbright Public Policy Fellows will be required to carry out a position in a foreign government ministry effectively and seamlessly. Meeting the language requirements is critical for completing the daily requirements of the professional placement. For research grant activity, language fluency sufficient to complete the research project is required. For applicants without local language proficiency, feasibility of conducting research must be demonstrated in both the project statement and the language self-evaluation form of the Fulbright application. Non-native speakers who have local language abilities will be asked to also register an external evaluator within the application.
What type of research project will be accepted?
Research projects should be an independent, public policy focused proposal that identifies and addresses the needs and interests of the host ministry and host country; demonstrates potential to advance knowledge, and to establish lasting connections and ties with the host country. A smaller component of the Fellowship 20% of total time), the independent research project must be carried out in consultation with the ministry, on a schedule that meets the ministry project timeline/goals/etc. for your specific assignment.
Examples of successful past projects and placements include:
- Examining opportunities to strengthen inter-ministry collaboration for public health
- Implementing alternative dispute resolution mechanisms
- Supporting corruption prevention practices
- Assisting with trade negotiation preparations
- Examining intercultural-bilingual education quality
- Streamlining renewable energy policies related to geothermal law
- Conducting census mapping of community health workers