International Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

The International Science and Engineering (ISE) encourages, supports, and provides funding for international postdoctoral research fellowships. ISE is realigning the way it supports these activities. Proposals will no longer be received by OISE's International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP). Instead, ISE will provide postdoctoral fellowship support for international research and education activities in partnership with NSF's directorate postdoctoral fellowship programs and the cross-cutting SEES Fellows program.

Applications should be submitted directly to one of these fellowship programs (see https://www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/fastlane.pdoc.DisplayProgramType). ISE will work closely with each of these programs to provide support for the international dimensions of postdoctoral fellowships.

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS THAT ALLOW AN INTERNATIONAL COMPONENT

Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships
Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions Research
Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology
SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability Fellowships
Transformative Computational Science using CyberInfrastructure Fellowships

GUIDANCE TO FELLOWSHIP APPLICANTS
` Applicants interested in ISE support for their fellowships should take the following steps:

1. Apply directly to one of the programs identified above.
2. Prepare and submit proposals that meet the eligibility requirements for that program, as well as the requirements for ISE co-funding (see next section).
3. Check the international cooperative activities box on the cover page of the application.
4. Identify the host country/countries on the cover page.
5. Identify the period(s) the applicant proposes to spend at the foreign research location(s) in the proposal.
6. Provide budget and budget justification for international activities, if allowed by the particular solicitation; if the fellowship program does not allow the applicant to build a budget page, contact the relevant Program Director for guidance.

CRITERIA FOR ISE SUPPORT

OISE will support the international dimension of an award based in part on the time in the foreign country, which may be within, or in addition to (if allowed by the relevant postdoctoral program) the tenure of the postdoctoral fellowship program to which the researcher applies, if the following requirements are met:

1. The proposal has a true intellectual collaborative component at a non-US location, under the mentorship of an international scientist; in some programs the international mentor may be the only mentor, while in some others it may be required that the fellow have a US mentor as well: please follow the relevant solicitation in preparing your proposal.
2. For the international collaborative research component, the fellow must be at the foreign research site (s) for a total of at least 9 months. While the time outside the United States does not have to be a continuous period, when combined, the total time must be 9 or more months. International research components of less than 9 months may be eligible for support as part of the fellowship programs identified above.
3. An applicant must not request a foreign research location in his/her country of origin. Please note that this may be allowable under the disciplinary solicitations, and may be funded without ISE co-funding. Ask the relevant disciplinary program director for guidance.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

NOTE: INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH ACTIVITIES THAT DO NOT MEET ISE CRITERIA FOR SUPPORT CAN BE INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSALS AND FUNDED BY THE POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMS WITHOUT ISE SUPPORT.

Extra Allowance: Increased travel costs and living expenses due to the international collaboration may be allowed, including expenses for dependent travel and living costs (if the applicant is at foreign location(s) for nine-months or longer), up to an extra $10,000 per year. For details on how to submit for this extra allowance, please contact the program director of the fellowship program you are applying to.

OISE Contact: If you have any questions regarding international collaborations please contact John Tsapogas, Program Coordinator, International Science and Engineering, phone: (703)-292-7799, email, jtsapoga@nsf.gov.