Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Grant
The DDRA program offers approximately 150 awards each year for six to 12 months to support dissertation research outside of Western Europe. Research topics can vary, but must relate to area studies or modern foreign languages and serve to deepen the nation's capacity and knowledge base in areas not typically included in US curricula. These grants are funded by the US Department of Education and administered by individual institutions like Michigan State University.
DDRA Events
- Fulbright-Hays DDRA Application Information Session
- Friday, January 19, 2024
- Recording and slides available
- DDRA Application Information and Timeline Overview
- DDRA Budget and Travel Information
- Will be posted by Monday, February 12, 2024
- Recording and slides will be available from Project Director
- Prerequisites:
- Attended or watched first application information session
- Attended or watched second timeline information session
- Already in the process of applying for a DDRA
Applicant Support
- MSU's Fulbright Program Adviser, who also serves as the Fulbright-Hays Project Director, is available to assist applicants with brainstorming, learning more about the program, and making sure all application components are completed.
- Students should work closely with their dissertation advisers to develop competitive applications. Portions of the application are completed online by students, while the campus adviser completes other sections and coordinates the submission with MSU's Office of Sponsored Programs.
- Once you have confirmed your intent to apply, the Project Director will provide support materials such as narrative writing tips, budget templates, information on traveling with dependents, sample documents, and more.
Eligibility
- Applicant must be a US citizen or permanent resident at the time of application
- Applicant must be a doctoral candidate (ABD status) by the time the award begins, typically in a field related to foreign languages or area studies
- Applicant must possess a high level of language proficiency (a language evaluation is required for each language of research)
- More information about eligibility can be found on the eligibility page of the DDRA website.
Benefits
Round trip international airfare, maintenance allowance based on living costs in the host country (including allowances for dependents if applicable), supplemental health and accident coverage, funds to support research (e.g., books, copying, local travel for interviews), and tuition or affiliation fees (in some cases).
Important Dates
- Competition open: January 29, 2024
- Confirm intent to apply with Project Director: February 2, 2024
- MSU deadline: March 13, 2024
- National deadline for applications: March 29, 2024
Application/Competition Timeline
Download a detailed timeline with deadlines for 2024 applications.
- Begin by exploring the DDRA website, including subpages and FAQs.
- Note that these dates all depend on the publication date of the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), which is unpredictable and has historically varied by several months. Once the NIA is published, the process moves very quickly, so prepare well in advance.
- Fall semester:
- brainstorm and discuss your plans with your dissertation advisor; make contact with faculty or other researchers in desired host institution, draft project description, contact MSU Fulbright Adviser to express interest
- January 2024: Notice Inviting Applications published
- In rapid succession after NIA publication (current deadlines for these steps appear in the detailed timeline):
- Request letters of reference
- Request letter of affiliation
- Request language evaluation
- Submit draft of human subjects statement to Project Director
- Submit draft budget to Project Director
- Submit CV to Project Director
- Submit draft narrative to Project Director
- Submit draft bibliography to Project Director
- Request transcript(s)
- Submit final budget to Project Director so it can be approved by the Fiscal Officer and the Office of Sponsored Projects
- March 13, 2024 by noon ET: Submit finalized application to Project Director via online G5 system. The Project Director then works with MSU's Office of Sponsored Programs to finish the institutional portions of the grant proposal.
- Week of March 25, 2024: Project Director submits application to G5 before national deadline of March 29, 2024.
- August-September 2024: Grant winners are notified
DDRA Application Components
- A DDRA application has two primary sections; the Project Director completes information relating to MSU, and each student applicant completes an individual section via the federal government's online G5 system. Students submit their sections to Project Director, who reviews them and submits the entire global application to the Department of Education.
- Components in the student section for the DDRA application include:
- Extensive biographical data (e.g., name, contact information, birth date, details of your academic background, occupational experience, extracurricular activities, publications, and previous international experience)
- Abstract and 10-page project description
- Bibliography of sources relevant to proposed research (2 pages)
- Detailed budget (following template provided by Project Director)
- CV (tailored to this project)
- Transcripts (MSU and any previous degrees)
- Affiliation letter from host institution
- Three letters of recommendation (submitted online by referees; one letter must be from dissertation adviser)
- Foreign language evaluation(s)
Learn More
- Complete the MSU Fulbright Program Interest Survey to give the Program Director some background information.
- Make an appointment with MSU's Fulbright Program Adviser to talk about your ideas, questions, and plans.
- Once the Program Director is aware of your intent to apply, she will share other MSU-internal DDRA resources, including templates and samples.
- The Department of Education DDRA website has many more details about the program and a helpful FAQ page.
