Fulbright Commission the Netherlands - Fulbright grant for scholars (USA)

Fulbright grant for scholars (USA)

You receive 15,000 USD (about 13,800 EUR) for a stay of 3 to 6 months at a US university. There you teach, do research, or combine both. In special, well-argued cases the stay can run up to 1 year, but the amount stays at 15,000 USD. The money is paid in US dollars. You also get partial cover for your own health costs during the stay. This is a top-up grant, so you pay part of the cost yourself or through other funding. The Fulbright Commission the Netherlands awards two of these grants for the 2027-2028 academic year. Family members who travel with you are not covered.

Who can apply

• Your position: You are a professor (hoogleraar), a university (senior) lecturer (universitair (hoofd)docent) or a lector.
• Employer: You work at a Dutch university or non-profit research institute, or at a comparable body elsewhere in the EU or in the United Kingdom.
• Nationality: You have Dutch nationality. If you live elsewhere in the EU or the UK, you apply through the Netherlands.
• No US ties: When you apply, you do not hold US citizenship, a US green card or a US visa, and you are not already in the USA.
• Recent time abroad: In the last 6 years you have not lived more than 5 years in a row outside the EU or the UK. In the last 5 years you spent no more than 3 months in the USA for research, study or teaching.
• Your project: You have not started it yet. You arrange the cooperation with a US host institution yourself and get a letter of invitation from them.
• Field: Most academic fields qualify. Research with patient contact does not (medicine, veterinary science, psychology, nursing, physiotherapy and similar). The grant does not fund conference trips or visits to several institutions.

How to apply

You apply online through the IIE portal by 1 December 2026, 12:00 Dutch time. You also need three online reference letters. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) gives a confidential assessment, then the Fulbright Commission board makes the final decision. You hear the result in May.

How realistic are your chances?

Only two grants go out each year, and the target group is narrow: Dutch academics who already hold a teaching or research post. That keeps the applicant pool small, but the competition for each place is real. Strong academic standing and a well-argued US project help. Applicants who have not already spent long periods teaching or researching in the USA are preferred. A solid letter of invitation from a fitting host institution is what makes a case competitive.