Applications which do not meet the requirements listed below will NOT be considered and the processing fee will not be returned.

The application deadline for the AIIS Fellowship Competition is July 1.  Applications must be postmarked on or before July 1.  Overseas applicants should allow sufficient time for their applications to arrive on or before the deadline.  Applicants will be notified of the selection committee’s decisions by the beginning of October. The earliest possible departure date for India by awardees is eleven (11) months following the date of application submission.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all application materials, including letters of recommendation, curriculum vitae, transcripts, and samples of work for Senior performing and creative arts applicants are received prior to the deadline.  Late materials will not be considered.

Please duplicate your completed application for your files.  Keep the duplicate and all submitted material in easy access, as you may need it for reference over the next two years.

Two full years must have elapsed between the completion of a previous AIIS fellowship and the current application deadline.  This rule does NOT apply to recipients of AIIS language program fellowships.

AIIS Fellows may not hold another major grant during the Fellowship period. 

Criteria for Evaluation:

The Selection Committee will assess each application on the basis of the project description, the candidate’s academic and/or professional record, and the quality of references.  Members of the Selection Committee represent a number of different academic disciplines within the field of Indian Studies, so the applicant must explain the nature and significance of the project in terms intelligible to a non-specialist audience.  Please avoid jargon and be as concise as possible.

1.                        Application Form:

The application must be typed and all questions answered on the form itself.  It is not acceptable to refer to appended material.  Be sure to answer each question on the form.  If all questions are not answered, the application may be rejected.

Please check the Fellowship for which you are applying.  AIIS Fellowships are available only in the following categories for the lengths of time specified:

Junior Research Fellowships.  Available to doctoral candidates at US colleges and universities in all fields of study, for periods of up to eleven (11) months.  Dependents allowance will be given for up to two dependents as long as they remain with the fellow in India at least six months. Under exceptional circumstances, an applicant for a junior fellowship who is a U.S. citizen may request up to five months of language instruction prior to commencing dissertation research.  The request for language training should be integrated into the project proposal.

Senior Long Term Research Fellowships.  Available to scholars who hold the Ph.D. or its equivalent.   Senior Fellowships are available for six (6) to nine (9) months. Dependents allowance will be given for up to two dependents as long as they remain with the fellow in India at least six months.

Senior Short Term Research Fellowships.  Available to scholars who hold the Ph.D. or its equivalent.   Senior Short Term Fellowships are available for up to four (4) months.

Senior Scholarly/Professional Development Fellowships.  Available to established scholars who have not previously specialized in Indian studies and to established professionals who have not previously worked or studied in India.  Senior Scholarly/Professional Development Fellowships may be granted for periods of six (6) to nine (9) months.

Senior Performing and Creative Arts Fellowships.  Available to accomplished practitioners of the performing arts of India and creative artists who demonstrate that study in India would enhance their skills, develop their capabilities to teach or perform in the US, enhance American involvement with India’s artistic traditions, and strengthen their links with peers in India.  Applicants for the Senior Performing and Creative Arts Fellowship must submit a sample of her/his work.  See Part 3 of the instructions for details.  Senior Performing and Creative Arts Fellowships are normally granted for periods of up to four months, although proposals for periods up to nine months can be considered.

Non-U.S. citizens are welcome to apply for AIIS fellowships as long as they are either graduate students or full-time faculty at a college or university in the U.S. Citizens of the United States, however, can apply for senior fellowships if they are not affiliated with an institution of higher education in the U.S.

Please note: We welcome applications from scholars who are part of a collaborative project involving other scholars.  However, we award fellowships to individuals not to teams, and the fellowship amounts awarded to successful applicants who are members of group projects will be equivalent to fellowships awarded to scholars who submitted applications for individual projects.

For the question regarding current status or title, if you are a faculty member, please indicate whether you are tenured or untenured.

The Project Summary must be typed on both the Application for Fellowship and the Reviewer Worksheet.

Applicants for the Junior Fellowship must obtain their adviser’s signature on the application form.

2.                        Reviewer Worksheet:

The Reviewer Worksheet provides basic identifying information about the proposed project.  It is used in the review process to summarize the three primary areas of competitive review:  Project Description, Academic and/or Professional Record, and Quality of References.

The Reviewer Worksheet also enables the AIIS to summarize general information about the applicant pool and the range of subject matter submitted to it for consideration.  Summary statements with this kind of information enable the Institute to solicit funds for its fellowship program.  When naming your discipline, please choose one only from the following categories. 

Anthropology                                  Archaeology                                   Architecture                             Art

Behavioral Sciences                         Communications                             Cultural Studies                        Economics

Education                                         Environmental Studies                    Ethnomusicology                       Film/Photography

Geography                                       History                                           History of Art/Architecture        History of Science

Linguistics                                         Literature                                       Natural Sciences                       Performing Arts

Philosophy                                        Political Science                             Public Health                             Religious Studies

Sociology                                          Theater/Dance                                Urban Planning

3.                        Supplemental Materials:

Please refer to the Application Checklist when assembling your application and return the checklist with your application materials to AIIS. 

All applications must include a typewritten project statement describing fully your proposed research.  Make clear your reasons for pursuing this research, the significance of your project and its relevance to other scholarship, your research methodology, anticipated results of your study, and your time-table for completing the project.  If the completion of this project requires research outside of India, or if you plan a departure from India during the time of award, please so note in the timetable for completion.  Also attach a one-page bibliography related to your project.  Please remember that your proposal will be read and evaluated by a committee representing India specialists with diverse disciplinary expertise.

The project statement must conform to the following requirements:  it must be no longer than six (6) pages, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, and printed in a type size no smaller than 12 points.  The project statement must be clearly legible.  Applications that do not conform to these specifications will not be read by the Committee or returned by the Institute.

All applicants must also submit a curriculum vitae of no more than two (2) pages.  It should include major publications with the names of publishers and dates of publication.  Citations for articles and monographs must be complete.  Please identify clearly all publications resulting from prior AIIS-supported research with an asterisk.

Applicants for the Junior Research Fellowship must include official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended in the U.S. with their application. 

Applicants for the Senior Performing and Creative Arts Fellowship must submit two copies of some significant sample of their work, e.g. high quality videotape for filmmakers, dancers and perhaps musicians; high quality audio tape (if not video) for musicians; and photographs or slides for visual artists.  Video and audio recordings should be continuous, not excerpted, at least fifteen minutes but preferably a half hour in length.  Materials will be returned at the candidate's request.

4.                        Confidential References:

Each applicant must secure three letters of recommendation.  Referees should have sufficient knowledge about the applicant and the proposed project to assess the project as well as the applicant’s qualifications to carry it out.

In the past we have found delinquent references to be the most serious problem in giving full consideration to an applicant’s proposal.  The applicant is responsible for assuring timely submission of recommendations.  We advise the applicant to include the referees’ sealed letters of recommendation with the application at the time of mailing.  If this is not possible, the referees can send the letters directly to AIIS.  We strongly recommend that you request letters of recommendation as soon as you receive the application materials.

5.                        Application for Approval of Research Project and for Authorization of Visa:

Approval from the government of India is required to receive an aiis fellowship for research in India.  No fellowship funds will be released until we have obtained government approval for your project.  All applications, regardless of the applicant’s citizenship, are submitted to the Government of India for approval.

Each question must be addressed on the Application for Project Approval and Visa Authorization.  Appended material is allowed to continue an answer, but simple reference to appended material in answer to the question is unacceptable.

Be brief, but thorough.  If this form is incomplete, the entire application may be rejected and returned to you without further consideration.

While the Indian Government requires six copies of the research approval application (as indicated on the Project Approval Form), we ask that you submit only two copies of the complete form and we will do the duplication in India.  We require one picture affixed to each of the two forms submitted and five additional passport-sized photographs with your signature on the back of each.  The Indian government also requires you to submit a photocopy of the front page of your passport and, for non-Indian citizens, of any Indian visas in your current passport. We keep one copy of the research approval application in our Chicago office and forward the other to our India office for duplication for the Government of India.

The Indian Government requires that all foreign scholars be associated with an Indian institution.  Please provide the names of three institutions with which you wish to be affiliated.  Please CAREFULLY read the information regarding affiliation on the Affiliate Sponsor Form.  The Institute will pursue affiliation on your behalf to expedite the project approval process.

(revised 3/2007)

The following reflects the monthly calculations for AIIS Fellowship awards for the 2006-2007 award year:

Senior Long-term (includes Scholarly Development & Performing Arts)

Maintenance stipend per month  Rs 50,600

Research and travel per month  Rs 19,800

Dollar supplement per month  $115

Per dependent allowance per month  Rs 8,800

Senior Short-term

Maintenance stipend per month  Rs 55,660

Research and travel per month  Rs 19,800

Dollar supplement per month  $126

Junior

Maintenance stipend per month  Rs 30,800

Research and travel per month  Rs 13,200

Dollar supplement per month  $70

Per dependent allowance per month  Rs 8,800

Fellows who will be based in Bangalore, Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay) or New Delhi will receive an additional 15% cost of living supplement for the maintenance, dollar supplements and dependent's allowance. The dollar supplement, for the total number of months of the fellowship, will be paid in full to fellows prior to their departure for India. As part of their award, Fellows will also receive one round-trip airplane ticket from their city of origin to their primary research site in India. AIIS will also purchase tickets for 1.5 dependents accompanying Long-term Fellows only with a dependent maintenance allowance for up to 2 dependents. Short-term Fellows are not provided tickets or allowance for dependents.

IMPORTANT:
Please read the information below.
It is critical to the understanding of your AIIS Fellowship, its provisions and its limitations.

INSURANCE OPTIONS:

All AIIS Fellows must carry health insurance that cover them while in India and in the United States. AIIS Fellows who are faculty members at American colleges and universities most often carry a comprehensive health and accident insurance which will cover the Fellow and accompanying dependents while overseas. The Institute advises Fellows who have this sort of complete coverage (please check with your respective insurance representative) to maintain it rather than enroll in other programs. The Institute also strongly urges that accompanying dependents be covered by a comprehensive health and accident plan while in India.

Also, all AIIS fellows are required to be covered by the Institutes Medical Evacuation policy, which costs $4.80 for each month or part thereof that the Fellow plans to be out of the country. Medical Evacuation Insurance may also be purchased through the Institute for accompanying dependents. Fellows may buy insurance in India to cover personal effects. Ask for detailed information from the Director-General in New Delhi upon your arrival in India.

Senior fellows who are NOT affiliated with any of the AIIS member institutions will be required to pay an administrative fee before commencing their fellowships. Senior short-term fellows would pay $250 and Senior long-term fellows would pay $500. Junior fellows do not have to pay the administrative fee.

See the AIIS Homepage for downloadable applications