Completing the Embark Online Application

Instructions for the 'Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program’ Application

The following instructions pertain to the 2011-12 awards cycle only (for awards tenable in academic year 2011-12). The 2011-12 awards cycle opens on 1 Feb 2010 and closes on 31 May 2010. Applications started before or submitted after these dates will not be considered.

Please read all instructions carefully and follow the step-by-step application guidelines below.
The process has five steps:

  1. Review eligibility criteria and award conditions
  2. Register online
  3. Complete the online application
  4. Review, print and submit online application
  5. Post your application to the Fulbright Commission

Application Deadline
The application deadline for awards for the 2011-12 academic year is 5:00 pm, Monday, 31 May 2010.

Important note: all application materials including letters of reference must be received by the application deadline.

STEP 1: Review eligibility criteria and award conditions

Review the selection criteria, minimum eligibility and Terms and Conditions relating to the category for which you intend to apply before making an application.

•    All-disciplines Scholar Awards
•    Scottish Studies Scholar Award
•    AstraZeneca Research Scholarship
•    Multiple Sclerosis Research Award
•    Diabetes UK Research Award
•    Robertson Professor in British History
•    Police Research Fellowships
•    Humphrey Public Affairs Fellowships
•    NI Civil Service Fellowships

STEP 2: Register online

Applications are completed online but must be printed and posted to the Fulbright Commission. When you click the Apply Now button, you will be asked to register to the Fulbright Commission’s website.

You will then be redirected to the Embark online application site where you will also need to register. Your email address will be your user ID. It is very important that you keep your user ID and password in a safe place. The Commission cannot retrieve lost user IDs or passwords. Please also note the URL for the Embark online application site for future reference.

You will be able to log in and out of your application account and will not be required to complete the application in one sitting.

STEP 3: Complete the online application

The online application is facilitated by CIES and is used by Fulbright organizations worldwide. Please read the instructions carefully before completing each item. Most questions and prompts are self-explanatory, however, the US-UK Fulbright Commission requires adherence to its specific policies and therefore your attention is drawn to the guidance below.

Preliminary Question 1. U.S. Permanent Residency
If you have or are applying for U.S. permanent residency, you are ineligible for the Fulbright Program.

Preliminary Question 2. Home Country
Ensure that you selected the United Kingdom. Selecting another country in this field will send your completed application to the Fulbright organization in that country and not to the US-UK Fulbright Commission, thus your application will not be considered.

Preliminary Question 3. Category of Grant
The US-UK Fulbright Commission offers following categories of grants only: lecturing, research or lecturing/research.

Lecturing: If the primary purpose of your project is to teach or team-teach at least one full semester course. (Note: You will be required to submit course syllabi along with a confirmed invitation to lecture.)
Research: If the primary purpose of your project is to conduct research. (Note: You will be required to submit a research bibliography.)
Lecturing/Research: If your project will include significant portions of both lecturing and research as defined above (Note: You will be required to outline both activities in your project statement, as well as submit course syllabi and a research bibliography.)

Award Name Allowable Option(s)
Robertson Visiting Prof in British History Award Lecturing or Lecturing/Research
All-disciplines Scholar Awards Lecturing, Research or Lecturing/Research
Scottish Studies Scholar Award Lecturing/Research
AstraZeneca Research Scholarship Research or Lecturing/Research
Police Research Fellowships Lecturing, Research or Lecturing/Research
Hubert Humphrey Public Affairs Fellowship Research or Lecturing/Research
NI Civil Service Fellowships Research or Lecturing/Research
MS Society Research Award Research
Diabetes UK Research Award Research

Personal Information 1 and 2. Home Country and Category of Grant
These fields will auto-fill from the selections you made during the preliminary questions.
Personal Information 6. Country of Citizenship
Select the country in which you hold primary citizenship from the drop-down menu.

Please note: Non-UK citizens are required to apply in their country of citizenship, even if they are resident in the UK. If, however, you are an EU citizen normally resident in the UK, you may apply to the US-UK Fulbright Commission only if you have been made ineligible in your country of citizenship. In this instance, you will need to submit evidence of this at the time of applying to the US-UK Fulbright Commission by affixing a covering letter and confirmation (email or letter) from Fulbright staff in your country of citizenship confirming your ineligibility in that country. The covering letter and confirmation email/letter should be sent by post along with all other application materials to the US-UK Fulbright Commission (see Step 5 ‘Post your application’).

Personal Information 7. Country of Legal Residence
Select the country in which you legally reside from the drop-down menu.

Personal Information 8. U.S. Permanent Residency
This will auto-fill from the selection you made during made during the preliminary questions.

Personal Information 10. City/Country of Birth
Enter your city of birth in English. Select your country of birth from the drop-down menu.

Employment Information 11. Current Position and Start Date, Department/Office, Institution
Select your current position title from the drop-down menu. If you do not find your position title, please select Other and type your title in the Other text box. List the name of your department or office, city, and province/state. Select your Institution using the Search Institution link. If you do not find your institution, please select Other and type your institution name in the Other text box.

Academic Credentials 12. Academic Credentials
Include only your highest terminal degree(s) here, up to three may be entered. Select your Institution using the Search Institution link. If you do not find your institution, please select Other and type your institution name in the Other text box. Select country, discipline, name of diploma/degree, date received from the drop-down menus.

Academic Credentials 13. Significant Professional Accomplishments and Publications
Professional accomplishments may include teaching and research awards, compositions and exhibitions, etc. Do not write “See curriculum vitae.” List accomplishments and publications as instructed below.

List up to three principal publications with the title, publication date and publisher’s name. (A complete listing of all publications should be included in your curriculum vitae.) Use the following format for bibliographic citation and distinguish between books and articles: for books, give title (underlined), publisher and date; for articles, give title (in quotation marks), journal or collection (underlined) and date.

Limit your list to a maximum of five accomplishments and publications that can be listed within the space provided. 700 Character limit. For space consideration, separate each item with a semicolon or number rather than beginning a new line.

Academic Credentials 14. Previous Fulbright Scholar Grant(s)
Include only Fulbright grants awarded. If you have participated in any other Fulbright Programme (such as Fulbright-Schuman or a Summer Institute), include this experience in the ‘Professional Travel 20’ section below.

Project Details 15. Project Title
The project title should succinctly describe the focus of the award activity. For lecturing/research awards, distinguish between both components, separating them with a semicolon.

Project Details 16. Brief Summary of Project Statement
In a few sentences, provide a concise overview that easily allows non-specialists to appreciate the significance of the project and any potential contributions to the field. The summary of your proposed research and/or lecturing activities should fit within the space provided. This abstract is meant to serve as a brief summary of the more detailed project statement. 700 character limit.

Project Details 17. Proposed Program Length and Dates
Indicate as precisely as possible the period during which you intend to carry out your proposed project in the United States.

Award Name Allowable Start Date Range Allowable Project Duration
Robertson Visiting Prof in British History Award August 2011 10 months
All-disciplines Scholar Awards Between 1 August 2011 and 30 April 2012 3 months to 10 months
Scottish Studies Scholar Award Between 1 August 2011 and 30 April 2012 4 months to 10 months
AstraZeneca Research Scholarship Between 1 August 2011 and 30 April 2012 10 months to 12 months
Police Research Fellowships Between 1 August 2011 and 30 April 2012 3 months to 5 months
Hubert Humphrey Public Affairs Fellowship August 2011 or January 2012 4 months
NI Civil Service Fellowships Between 1 August 2011 and 30 April 2012 3 months to 6 months
MS Society Research Award Between 1 August 2011 and 30 April 2012 12 months
Diabetes UK Research Award Between 1 August 2011 and 30 April 2012 12 months

Professional Information 20. Professional Travel and/or Residence Abroad During the Last Five Years
List the most relevant professional travel and/or residence abroad during the last five years. Be sure to include residence in the United States during the last five years. If you entered the United States on a J visa, please indicate the J category (professor, research scholar, student, specialist, short-term scholar, etc.) and provide copies of your previous DS-2019, if available.

Professional Information 21. Professional Memberships
List the four most relevant cultural, educational, and professional organizations that you have belonged to.

References 22. Identification of Referees
List the names and contact information of three persons that you will ask for a letter of reference. You will also enter the names and email addresses of your 3 referees later in the application process (see ‘References Page’ below).

English Proficiency 23. Self-Assessment of English Proficiency
You must indicate a self-assessment of your level of competence in English.

Preferred Host Institution(s) 24. Preferred Host Institution(s)
Some Awards are only tenable at certain institutions while others are tenable at any US academic institution.

Award Name Host Institution(s)
Robertson Visiting Prof in British History Award Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri
All-disciplines Scholar Awards Any 1 US higher education institution
Scottish Studies Scholar Award Any 1 US higher education institution
AstraZeneca Research Scholarship Any 1 US higher education institution
Police Research Fellowships Any 1 US higher education institution
Hubert Humphrey Public Affairs Fellowship University of Minnesota, Hubert H Humphrey Institute
NI Civil Service Fellowships Any 1 US higher education institution
MS Society Research Award Any 1 US higher education institution
Diabetes UK Research Award Any 1 US higher education institution

The US-UK Fulbright Commission requires applicants to include a letter of invitation/appointment at the time of applying. You will attach a copy of your letter of invitation/appointment from your prospective host later in the application (see ‘Letters of Invitation’ below).

Applications should only indicate one affiliation as outlined above. This does not preclude shorter side visits during the project period.

Police Research Fellows, Hubert Humphrey Public Affairs Fellow and NI Civil Service Fellows may be informally affiliated with a non-academic organisation (such as a police force or governmental body) but this may not take the place of an academic affiliation and, wherever possible, this should be arranged through the primary academic affiliation.

Contact/Family Information 27. Marital Status
Select the appropriate value from the pull-down menu. If you have entered into a Civil Partnership please select ‘Married’.

Accompanying Dependents/Family Members 28. Dependents
Please list all dependents (defined as spouse and unmarried children under the age of 21) who will accompany you on your grant. List names as they appear on their passports. If your dependent(s) have previously entered the United States on a J-1 or J-2 visa, please list the J category of sponsorship ([professor, research, scholar, student, specialist, short-term scholar) and provide copies of their previous DS-2019 and attach all accompanying dependents’ passports in the document upload section.

If you intend to have family members join you for part of your grant, but you are not yet sure if they will accompany you, please list them on the application and keep the Fulbright Commission informed of any changes. Those selected for a Fulbright grant will be required to submit copies of accompanying dependent’s passport data pages and information about any residence in the United States for the 12 months immediately preceding the grant start date to their local Fulbright organization in order to confirm eligibility and facilitate the issuance of forms required for visa application. Dependents who are U.S. citizens will not be issued J-2 visas and must travel on a U.S. passport.

If your dependents/family members will only make a short, touristic visit to the US whilst you conduct your Fulbright project, you do not need to enter their details here.

Note: Visa eligibility alone does not guarantee that a visa will be issued. That decision is made by the Consular Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy.

Alternate Funding 29. Alternate Funding
Please list all non-Fulbright funding you expect to receive during your grant (sabbatical funding or other paid leave from your employer, personal savings, etc.). Please list funding amounts in U.S. dollars –applicant s do NOT have to upload evidence of alternate funding. Please do not click the link ‘(please upload in the general upload section)’.

Police Research Fellows, Hubert Humphrey Public Affairs Fellows and NI Civil Service Fellows must indicate here the level of financial support granted by their employers in this field and are also required to complete page 3 of the Supplemental Commission ‘Promissory Statement by Applicant’s Employer’ which must be uploaded into the application system on the Financial Support page (see below).

Physical Impairment 33. Physical Impairment
This information is gathered for statistical purposes and to ensure appropriate placement and accommodations. The Fulbright Commission strives to operate a policy of equal opportunity and not
discriminate against any person because of sex (including gender reassignment), race, physical impairment, sexual orientation, religion or age.

You will now move on to the ‘Document’ section of the application.
Most pages in the Documents section are self-explanatory. However, please carefully note the following US-UK Fulbright Commission requirements.

Letters of Invitation
The US-UK Fulbright Commission requires applicants to include a letter of invitation/appointment at the time of applying. You must upload a copy of your letter of invitation/appointment from your prospective host later to the application system. The Commission will not accept letters of invitation that arrive by email, fax or post, or any that are received past the deadline of 31 May 2010.

English Language Proficiency
If your native tongue is English you may disregard this prompt an leave this page blank.

Financial Support Page
All applicants should upload the COMMISSION FORM on this page of the application. Police Research Fellows, Hubert Humphrey Public Affairs Fellows and NI Civil Service Fellows must complete both pages of the COMMISSION FORM including page 2 ‘Promissory Statement by Applicant’s Employer’. All other applicants are only required to complete the Monitoring information on page 1 of the COMMISSION FORM.

Passport Page
Please only include the bio and photo page of your passport; do not scan and upload the entire passport.

References Page
When you register and enter details for your 3 recommenders, they will each be sent instructions via email for how to submit their online reference for you. However, the email they receive will not indicate the deadline for submitting reference letters. You must inform your recommenders that they must submit their references by 5:00 pm, Monday, 31 May 2010.

Please also note that as the emails are sent by the online system itself, the message may be caught by spam/junk email filters so please inform recommenders that they should looks for the email a few minutes after you register their details. The US-UK Fulbright Commission will only accept recommendation letters via the online system, and will only accept reference submitted on time, without exception.
You will be sent an email notification when each of your three recommenders submits their reference. You may also log in to your Embark application account and monitor the status of your references by clicking the 'References' button on the left-hand side of the page.

STEP 4: Review, print and submit online application

Carefully reread your application form and when you are happy with it, proceed through the submission process. Please ensure that you print a copy of the application as it will be posted to the Commission in the next step (see below).

STEP 5: Post your application to the Fulbright Commission

Your application is not considered complete until the US-UK Fulbright Commission receives all of your supporting documentation in hard copy. Please ensure that you attach sufficient postage when sending forms/letters to the US-UK Fulbright Commission in London. We will not accept excess charges for items that have been underpaid -- they will be returned unopened.

If you would like confirmation that the Fulbright Commission has received your application, you must send your application via Recorded Delivery. Commission staff will not confirm receipt of applications by email, phone or in-person.

Post all application documents in one envelope, labelled it clearly with your full name, to:

Fulbright Awards Programme

Application for: INSERT NAME OF AWARD CATEGORY 

Applicant: INSERT YOUR NAME
The US-UK Fulbright Commission
Fulbright House,
62 Doughty Street
LONDON, WC1N 2JZ

Additional Information

Interviews

Applicants will be notified by email in early August, ten weeks after the application deadline, if they have been invited to interview. Interviews are provisionally set for: 16-27 August 2010.

Make note of the interview dates and ensure that you are available. Unfortunately, if you are unable to attend the interview date that you are invited to, you will not be considered for an award in this year. All interviews will be conducted in person; the Commission will not allow telephone interviews.

The selection committees comprise people drawn from the following list: representatives from a relevant professional field, senior academics, senior US Embassy representatives, Fulbright alumni, Fulbright Commissioners and senior Fulbright Awards staff.

Important note: The US-UK Fulbright Commission is unable to comment on individual applications or the reason for their refusal.