Fulbright Commission the Netherlands - Fulbright Scholar Program (Netherlands)

Fulbright Scholar Program (Netherlands)

You receive a lump sum of 15,000 US dollars (about 13,800 EUR) for a stay of 3 to 6 months at a US university or research institute. There you teach, do research, or combine both. In special cases the stay can run up to 1 year, but the amount stays 15,000 US dollars. This is a top-up grant: it covers the extra costs of your US stay, not direct research costs like equipment, materials or printing. So you need other funding alongside it. You also get partial health insurance during the stay. The Fulbright Commission the Netherlands awards 2 of these grants for the 2027-2028 academic year. Your stay must start after 1 September 2027 and end before 1 May 2028.

Who can apply

• Your position: You are an academic, such as a professor (hoogleraar), university (senior) lecturer (universitair (hoofd)docent) or lector.
• Employer: You work at a university or non-profit research institute in the Netherlands, another EU country or the UK.
• Nationality: You hold Dutch nationality. You do not also hold US citizenship or a US residence permit.
• US invitation: You arrange your own place at a US university or research institute and have a written letter of invitation from them.
• Recent US time: In the last 5 years you have not spent more than 3 months in the US for research or teaching. You are not currently in the US or already running a project there.
• Where you live: In the 6 years before applying, you have not lived 5 years or more in a row outside the EU/UK.
• Purpose: Your plan is teaching, research or both. Conference visits, tours of several institutions and research with direct patient contact (for example medicine, psychology or nursing) are not funded.

How to apply

You apply online through the Fulbright/IIE portal by 1 December 2026 at 12:00 (Dutch time). That is also the deadline for your recommendation letters and invitation letter. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) reviews the applications, and the Fulbright Commission's board makes the final decision. Results come in May.

How realistic are your chances?

Only 2 grants go out each year, so places are few. But the requirements narrow the field a lot: you need a senior academic position, Dutch nationality and a confirmed US invitation. The panel favours applicants who have not yet had a long US research or teaching stay. A strong project and a well-matched host institution are what decide it.