Short-Term Visitor Program 2017 Application

Purpose

Appointments through the Short-Term Visitor Program are for scholarly visits to the Smithsonian Institution for research, collaboration, and/or consultation with Smithsonian staff. Awards are to help cover the costs of travel and living expenses during the visit.

Eligibility

- Any advanced graduate student or scholarly investigator not residing or attending school within commuting distance of the Smithsonian facility where he/she wishes to visit

-Awards may not be used to extend other Smithsonian appointments. Only one award can be offered to a visitor within a twelve-month period.

How it Works

The length of a visit is based on the amount of time necessary to carry out the project, as determined by the applicant and the sponsoring Smithsonian staff member. If the applicant who is a U.S. Citizen or a resident of a developed nation requests the maximum stipend of $100 per day, support from this program normally will be limited to 21 days or less, with a maximum award of $2000. Longer visits of up to 30 days, with a maximum award of $4000, will be considered for applicants from countries in the developing regions of the world and from the former Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union. Visits of more than 21 to 30 days (with stipend requests of less than $100 a day) may be considered if a candidate indicates other sources of support for the visit but the stipend limits of $2,000 for U.S. citizens/residents of developed nations and $4,000 for residents of developing nations/residents of the former Eastern Bloc and Soviet Union still apply.

How to Apply

You can access the application for the Short-Term Visitor Program here.

- Applications are reviewed approximately three months before the fiscal-year quarter in which visits will begin (i.e., October-December, January-March, April-June, July-September).

- Applications should be submitted as far in advance of the proposed visit as possible. Since funding for this program is limited, applicants are strongly recommended to provide alternate dates in a later fiscal quarter in case funds have been exhausted for the period of the first dates.

- Applicants should complete the attached application form and submit it, with a curriculum vitae and a statement of the purpose of the visit, directly to the Smithsonian staff member with whom the visit has been arranged.

Selection Criteria

Decisions on awards are made on the basis of recommendation by Smithsonian research staff, the availability of funding, the impact on potential fellows, the diversity of research disciplines, and the merit of proposals as related to ongoing Smithsonian research.

Applicants will be notified of the results of the review by letter from the Office of Fellowships and Internships (OFI). A copy of the award letter must be signed by the awardee and returned to the OFI to confirm that the award has been accepted. If not specified in the award, exact dates for the visit must be communicated to OFI as far in advance as possible.