ASIA FELLOWS AWARDS
~ASIAN STUDIES IN ASIA~
~ASIAN STUDIES IN ASIA~
FUNDING AND ADMINISTRATION
The Asian Scholarship Foundation (ASF) is funded by a grant from the Ford Foundation. Its office in Bangkok administers the ASIA Fellows Awards in the region with assistance from its partner offices in Beijing, Hanoi, Jakarta, Manila, and New Delhi.
The ASF Board Management Committee is composed of twelve educational and public leaders from the People’s Republic of China, Northeast Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia. The Board Management Committee selects the fellows, oversees the program and makes policy decisions.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The principal goal of the ASIA Fellows Awards is to increase the overall awareness of intellectual resources in the countries of Northeast Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia and to contribute to the growth of long-range capabilities for cross-regional knowledge sharing. The ASIA Fellows Awards seek to develop regional expertise, establish a multilateral network of Asian specialists from many disciplines, professional fields and countries, stimulate interdisciplinary research and inter-societal comparison, and contribute to new developments within existing area studies communities. The awards offer opportunities for outstanding young and mid-career Asian scholars, and professionals to gain knowledge of the countries in the region and an understanding of the contexts that shape global and regional issues through research. They enable the awardees to conduct research in a participating Asian country for six to nine months.
ELIGIBILITY
1. Citizens of and residents in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, the People’s Republic of China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Republic of Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
2. Master’s/doctoral degree or equivalent professional training and experiences (minimum of 3 years of university teaching experiences for scholars or 5 years of work experience for professionals.)
3. Applicants must be 45 years old or younger at the time of the application deadline. However, those up to 50 years old proposing to do research in the field of Humanities may be given special consideration.
4. Proficiency in English or in the language of the host country appropriate to the proposed research project.
5. Those who are currently enrolled in a degree program, or have just completed a degree program for less than one to two years will not be eligible to apply. Those who were a recipient of a Ford Foundation fellowship grant within the last two years prior to the application are also ineligible.
CONDITIONS OF THE AWARDS
1. The proposed research projects for the ASIA Fellows Awards can be carried out in only one participating country (except the applicant’s own) and under the following conditions:
a. No applicant can propose to conduct their research in Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.
b. Applicants from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore cannot undertake research in each other’s countries.
c. Applicants from Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan can only apply to conduct their research in Thailand, the host country of ASF.
2. Any part of the proposed project that will be done in the applicant’s own country will not be funded under the ASIA Fellows Awards.
3. The proposed grant period must be between 6 to 9 months. Once awarded, a fellow is required to conduct research at the proposed host country throughout the grant period. Splitting of the grant period or conducting research in the applicant’s own country during the proposed grant period is not allowed under any circumstances.
4. While an applicant from South Asia or Southeast Asia may propose a research project in a country within his/her own region, preference is given to applicants who propose to conduct research in a region of Asia other than their own (e.g., an award to an Indian scholar or professional for research in China).
5. Applicants should not plan to conduct their research in a country with which their home country has a difficult diplomatic relationship because of the uncertainties of securing an affiliation and obtaining a research clearance and visa for a long-term stay.
6. It is preferable that invitation letter or e-mail to confirm affiliation from a host institution be obtained and submitted together with the application.
7. Fellowship awards are not for the purpose of completing requirements towards an academic degree (master’s thesis or doctoral dissertations).
FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITIES
ASIA Fellows awardees are placed at top-ranking research universities and non-academic institutions such as museums, archives or think tanks. Fellows should identify preferred placements in host countries. They may engage in an organized field research in the host country. Fellows are strongly encouraged to undertake some language training in their host country as part of facilitating their research. They are also provided the opportunities to present guest lectures, or to conduct seminars and workshops at the invitation of the host institutions.
All fellows are required to attend the Orientation Program in conjunction with the Tenth Annual Conference to be held in Bangkok in June 2010. They are also required to start the award IMMEDIATELY after the orientation. At the end of the fellowship, fellows must submit to the ASF office in Bangkok evidence of the results of their research project in the form of publications, photos of artistic works, audio/ video productions, etc.
AWARDS BENEFITS
Travel Allowance:
Round-trip travel between home country and host country
Maintenance Allowance:
In-country living allowance to cover housing and other expenses.
N.B. No travel nor living allowance will be provided for dependents
Limited accident and health insurance
Field Trip/Language Training Allowance:
For traveling within a host country, and a formal course on language training or with a private tutor in the host country
Research Allowance:
For research-related costs, computer purchase and internet connectivity to communicate with colleagues, other ASIA Fellows, and to access the Asian Scholarship Foundation Website
Excess Baggage/Shipping Allowance
SELECTION PROCESS
Regional review committees composed of leading scholars from participating countries conduct an initial review of the applications. In mid-March, short-listed candidates are interviewed by the review committee at a meeting in Bangkok. (The Asian Scholarship Foundation covers the travel expenses of short-listed candidates.) The applications of recommended candidates are then forwarded to the multi-regional Board Management Committee which will make the final selection of ASIA Fellows Awards recipients in May 2010.
EXAMPLES OF RECENT ASIA FELLOWS AWARDS
1. “A Comparative Study on Indian and Dvaravati Architecture During the Mid 6th -10th Century A.D.” conducted by aThai archaeologist and hosted by the M.S. University of Baroda, Gujarat, India.
2. “Religious Beliefs of the Chinese in Vietnam – Buddhist and Catholic Perspectives,” conducted by an associate professor from China and hosted by Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Vietnam.
3. “Media Development and Pluralism in Malaysia: A Third Eye View,” conducted by an assistant professor from Bangladesh and hosted by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
(More examples of approved research projects under the ASIA Fellows Awards can be found at the ASF website.)
APPLICATION DEADLINE
All application materials must be received by the Asian Scholarship Foundation on or before January 15, 2010. The application form can be downloaded from the ASF website: http://www.asianscholarship.org; or can be requested via e-mail: info@asianscholaship.org.
TIMELINE OF ACTIVITIES
March 2010 Interview of Short-listed Candidates in Bangkok
May 2010 Awards Notification
June 2010 Orientation Program and Tenth ASIA Fellows Annual Conference
June 2010 Awards Begin
SUBMITTING THE APPLICATION
All applications must be sent to the ASF Office in Bangkok:
ASIA Fellows Awards
Asian Scholarship Foundation (ASF)
29 Vanissa Bldg., 4th Fl.
Chidlom, Ploenchit Rd., Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Tel: (66-2) 655-1615-7
Fax: (66-2) 655-7977
E-mail: info@asianscholarship.org
CHECKLIST OF THE APPLICATION
Before submitting your application, have you attached all of the following?
1. Filled up application form
2. Research project statement
3. Curriculum vitae
4. Sealed letter of recommendation
