About the Fulbright Specialist Program
The Fulbright Specialist Program provides Fulbright grants abroad for qualified U.S. scholars and professionals to complete short-term projects lasting 2-6 weeks. Central to this program is the original Fulbright purpose of advancing mutual understanding, establishing long-term cooperation, and creating opportunities for institutional linkages.
The Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP) provides highly qualified U.S. academics and U.S. professionals whose credentials and experience are at the faculty or full professional level with an opportunity to share their expertise by carrying out projects requested by host institutions abroad. Specialists are frequently academics; however, professionals such as attorneys, journalists, scientists, economists, security experts, and experts in eligible fields (such as business, communications, public health, and public administration) often take part in the program as well. Specialists exchange knowledge, build capacity, and establish partnerships benefiting participants, institutions, and communities both in the United States and overseas. The FSP provides U.S. expertise and leadership to overseas hosts and promotes long-term collaboration between U.S. and host country institutions through projects that align with U.S. Department of State goals and the priorities of foreign host institutions.
Duration: The minimum length of a FSP project is 14 days and the maximum is 42 days, including travel days and weekends.
Eligibility, Fields, and Activities
Eligible Host Institutions: Foreign host institutions eligible to request Fulbright Specialists include, but are not limited to: reputable academic institutions (universities, colleges, research institutions, vocational/technical educational institutions); government institutions (ministries); cultural institutions (museums, libraries, conservatories, theaters); non-governmental organizations (NGOs, think tanks), and public health-related institutions (public health organizations, teaching hospitals).
Preference will be given to requests from Slovenian institutions that are not hosting traditional Fulbright grantees for a semester of teaching/research in the same academic year. Slovenia is eligible for a total of three Fulbright Specialists per year.
Eligibility for Fulbright Specialists: For U.S. academics and professionals to become eligible to serve as a Fulbright Specialist, they must first be approved to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster. Application Process for Specialists — Fulbright Specialist Program
Eligible Disciplines
Projects designed by prospective host institutions should focus on one of the below eligible disciplines: Agriculture, American (U.S.) Studies, Anthropology, Archeology, Biology Education, Business Administration, Chemistry Education, Communications and Journalism, Computer Science and Information Technology, Economics, Education, Engineering Education, Environmental Science, Law, Library Science, Math Education, Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies, Physics Education, Political Science, Public Administration, Public/Global Health, Social Work, Sociology, Urban Planning
Priority Fields: While projects will be reviewed in all disciplines, preference will be given to requests from the following priority areas: Climate Change, Energy Security, Diversification and Sustainable Energy Sources, Investigative Journalism, Entrepreneurship, Countering Disinformation.
Ineligible Institutions, Fields, and Activities: U.S. or U.S.-based institutions and profit-making companies and organizations such as businesses and corporations are not eligible to host Fulbright Specialists. Projects with activities focused on English language such as designing curriculum, conducting needs assessments, teacher training, or high-level educational consultations, are not eligible for the FSP. Specialists may not carry out personal research projects—they must carry out projects proposed by host institutions. Clinical medical research or projects involving patient contact are ineligible under the Fulbright policy.
Fulbright Specialist Program Activities
The FSP encourages host institutions to tailor projects to their own needs. However, all projects should have an educational or training focus. Due to the short-term nature of the exchange, projects should have concrete objectives that can be achieved over the course of the Specialist’s visit. Past Specialists have supported host institutions by conducting activities such as:
· Delivering a seminar or workshop
· Consulting on faculty or workforce development
· Developing academic or training curricula and materials
· Lecturing at the graduate or undergraduate level
· Conducting needs assessments or evaluations for a program or institution
Financial Arrangements
The U.S. Government will cover international travel and daily honorarium. Host institutions must provide cost share for in-country meals, lodging, and local transportation expenses (to and from lodging to the location of the project as well as additional local transportation to conduct personal errands and attend or participate in local cultural activities). These funds must be provided in-kind or upon arrival, not on a reimbursable basis. All costs, including costs covered by host institutions and in-kind contributions, must be quantified and reported in the program management system prior to approval of the project. Specialists are prohibited from self-funding programmatic costs.
How/When to Apply
Applications from eligible Slovenian institutions will be accepted till January 31, 2024 and will be approved on a rolling basis. Projects may begin after May 31, 2024, and must be completed by September 30, 2025.
The host institution must submit the application via the online project portal: https://worldlearning-community.force.com/FSPHost/. In order to apply as host institution, please register as a new user and fill in the online application. If the host institution does not have the technical capabilities for submission into the online system, it may contact the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana at LjubljanaExchanges@state.gov to request a Word document version of the online form that must then be uploaded by the Post or Commission into the portal for review.
Prospective host institutions can contact the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana at LjubljanaExchanges@state.gov to receive detailed application instructions as well as information on country-specific deadlines and selection procedures. Host institutions may also email Fulbrightspecialist@worldlearning.org for assistance with the online portal.
In order to join the Roster, interested candidates should submit an application via the online portal.
