The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has announced the third year of an initiative supporting research and teaching in Buddhist Studies funded by a three-year grant of US$6.7 million from The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation.

Working with the foundation, ACLS offers a portfolio of fellowship and grant competitions that will expand the understanding and interpretation of Buddhist thought in scholarship and society, strengthen international networks of Buddhist scholarship, and increase the visibility of innovative currents in those studies. There are four research fellowships that support doctoral scholars, with submission deadlines of 17 November. They are:

1. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies
2. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Buddhist Studies
3. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Collaborative Research Fellowships in Buddhist Studies
4. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Research Fellowships in Buddhist Studies

Applications are invited from scholars at any stage of their career, from any location in the world, and from any institution of higher education and research at any location around the world. The 2015–16 Research Fellowships in Buddhist Studies complement the other components of the Program in Buddhist Studies, strengthening this comprehensive initiative to develop the finest work by scholars in the field.

These are global competitions. There are no restrictions as to the location of work proposed or the citizenship of applicants.

1. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies

Fellowship Details

- Stipend of US$30,000.
- Tenure: 10 consecutive months devoted full time to the dissertation to be initiated by 30 September 2016. No other employment is permitted.
- Submission deadline: 17 November 2015, no later than 9.00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
- How to apply: applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (OFA).

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships Program in Buddhist Studies will provide one-year stipends for PhD candidates to work full time on preparing dissertations. The fellowship period may be used for fieldwork, archival research, analysis of findings, or for writing after research is complete. 

Eligibility 

- Pursuit of the PhD degree at an accredited, degree-granting university.
- Completion by the application deadline of all requirements for the PhD degree except research and writing of the dissertation (the equivalent of ABD in the US system).
- The application must be written by the applicant in English.
- There are no residence or citizenship requirements.

Selection Criteria

- Intrinsic significance of the topic and its potential contribution to Buddhist Studies.
- Coherence and cogency of presentation.
- Feasibility of the plan of work.
- Potential of the applicant for an academic career in Buddhist Studies.

2. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships in Buddhist Studies

Fellowship Details

- Annual stipend of US$55,000. In addition, if required, a relocation allowance of US$5,000.
- Tenure: Fellowship period must begin between 1 July 2016 and 30 September 2017 and must last for two academic years, subject to the regulations of the host institution.
- No university overhead is permitted.
- Submission deadline: 17 November 2015, no later than 9.00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
- How to apply: applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (OFA).

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowships Program in Buddhist Studies will provide two years of funding to recent recipients of the PhD for residence at a university for the purpose of revising the dissertation into a publishable manuscript or for beginning the first new project after completion of the PhD degree. The teaching of one course per year will be encouraged. Priority will be given to residence at universities or colleges providing a collegial atmosphere and working conditions enabling the postdoctoral Fellow’s entry into an academic career in Buddhist Studies. 

Eligibility 

- Applicants must have the PhD officially conferred by an accredited, degree-granting university no earlier than 1 January 2012. 
- The PhD degree must be completed by 17 November 2015 (including defense and revisions) and conferred by 31 May 2016 (if the date of conferral is after the application deadline, the application must include an institutional statement attesting that all requirements for the PhD have been fulfilled. Successful applicants will be asked to submit proof of conferral).
- A scholarly product must be proposed, to be written in any language. Translations, collections, or databases are not eligible without an accompanying scholarly apparatus.
- The application must be written in English by the applicant.
- There are no residence or citizenship requirements. 
- The fellowship-in-residence may be proposed at any university or college except at the institution granting the applicant’s PhD or the institution of current employment.

Selection Criteria

- Intrinsic significance of the topic and its potential contribution to Buddhist Studies.
- Coherence and cogency of presentation.
- Feasibility of the plan of work.
- Record of the applicant’s previous accomplishments.
- Compatibility of the applicant with the proposed university. (The application must include a sample course outline. The university must submit via the online reference system a letter confirming willingness to host the applicant for a two-year postdoctoral fellowship-in-residence.

Note to Potential Host Institutions

Applicants must request a letter of support from the host institution at which they plan to spend the two-year fellowship period. This letter must be submitted by the host institution via the online application reference system. The fellowship provides an annual stipend for the Fellow. The fellowship will also cover health insurance, if not provided by the institution. Questions concerning financial details may be addressed to BuddhistStudies@acls.org.

3. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Collaborative Research Fellowships in Buddhist Studies

Fellowship Details

- Maximum award: US$200,000.
- Tenure: The fellowship period must begin between 1 July 2016 and 30 September 2017. Fellowship periods may vary according to project needs, but they should be planned for between one and two years’ duration. 
- It is preferred that Fellows devote time to the project that is free from teaching, administrative duties, and commissioned research during the academic year. Collaborative Fellows who take leave during the academic year may request stipends up to US$65,000 for a nine-month period to help fund release from teaching. If the project work is to take place during months without teaching obligations, Fellows may request stipends up to US$23,000. Funds may also be requested for project costs (travel, communications, acquiring materials). The selection committee will consider Fellows' designation of project time and requested stipends in assessing the team’s commitment to the collaborative project.
- No university overhead is permitted.
- Submission deadline: 17 November 2015, no later than 9.00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
- How to apply: applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (OFA).

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Collaborative Research Fellowships in Buddhist Studies will support work that may be interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary. International and multilingual projects are encouraged. Especially welcome are projects that relate different Buddhist traditions to each other or that relate scholarship on the broad Buddhist tradition to contemporary concerns in other academic fields.

Applications must list the project coordinator and the other principal collaborators, all of whom will be named collaborative Fellows. Applications must propose a clear plan for the collaboration with a jointly authored, research-based scholarly product. While scholars collaborate in many ways, such as reviewing each other’s work or sharing ideas at conferences, these fellowships will support only projects in which all collaborative Fellows dedicate a significant amount of effort to the joint work. 

Workshops may be proposed for Fellows and a small number of colleagues working on a similar topic. Conferences may also be proposed, but these must include public events for presentation of the work accomplished during the project. Proposals for such events must be applied for separately and will require detailed budgets. Up to US$5,000 is available for workshops; up to US$15,000 for conferences. The total amount of the fellowship, including funds for workshops and conferences, may not exceed US$200,000. 

Requests to fund conferences or workshops will be considered only as part of a broader, research-based project. Conferences or meetings in themselves do not fulfill the requirement for jointly authored, research-based scholarly products.

The project coordinator should apply on behalf of the team with requests for individual stipend amounts (and the associated periods of work on the project) and with requests (if any) for workshops and conferences. It is expected that project funds will be received, disbursed, and reported on by the project coordinator's university.

Eligibility

- Teams may consist of two or more collaborative Fellows, preferably not from the same institution.
- Every collaborative Fellow must hold a PhD conferred by an accredited, degree-granting university. However, an established scholar who can demonstrate the equivalent of the PhD in publications and professional experience may also qualify.
- The application must be written by the project coordinator in English.
- There are no residence or citizenship requirements. 
- Every Fellow must be released from teaching, administrative duties, and commissioned research on other topics for a minimum of three months per year of the fellowship period (i.e., a total of six months in a two-year project) to work on the proposed project.
- Although collaborative Fellows may alternate their periods of release from teaching, at least three months must be spent by all Fellows in one location for joint research, study, analysis, or writing.
- A scholarly product must be proposed, to be written in any language. Translations, collection, or databases are not eligible without any accompanying scholarly apparatus.

Selection Criteria

- Intrinsic significance of the project.
- Coherence and cogency of presentation.
- Potential contribution to Buddhist Studies by relating different Buddhist traditions to each other or relating scholarship on the broad Buddhist tradition to contemporary concerns in other academic fields.
- Innovation and effectiveness in utilizing diverse disciplinary perspectives and methodologies, and in crossing national, cultural, and linguistic borders.
- Feasibility of the plan of work.
- Collaborative Fellows’ records of achievement and qualifications to carry out the work proposed.

4. The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Research Fellowships in Buddhist Studies

Fellowship Details

- Stipend: up to US$70,000, which is intended to provide time free from other duties to work full time on the proposed project. The exact stipend will be calculated based on the Fellows’ current academic salary and other fellowships, grants, sabbatical salary to be received during fellowship tenure. A nine-month stipend may not exceed 125 per cent of the annual academic salary.
- Tenure: Fellowship period must begin after 1 July 2016 and must end by 30 June 2018. The tenure may last up to nine months and may be divided into two periods, each of which must be a minimum of three months.
- No university overhead is permitted.
- Submission deadline: 17 November 2015, no later than 9.00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
- How to apply: applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship Application system (OFA).

Research fellowships offer support for research and writing in Buddhist Studies for scholars who hold a PhD degree, with no restrictions on time from the PhD.

These fellowships provide scholars time free from teaching and other responsibilities in order that they devote full-time to research and writing on the project proposed. A fellowship period, during which no teaching, commissioned research on other topics, or administrative duties are allowed, may last up to nine months. It may be separated into two periods, each of which must be a minimum of three months. If the fellowship period lasts less than a total of nine months (minimum of three months), the stipend will be prorated.

There are no restrictions as to the location of the work conducted. Applicants must identify a significant scholarly product (monograph, series of journal articles, etc.) that will result from the fellowship. They will be asked for a final report at the end of the fellowship tenure describing progress made, and will be asked to report on the products resulting from it when they are published.

By accepting a stipend, the Fellow must stipulate that she/he has been officially released from teaching, commissioned research, or other employment during the entire fellowship period. A statement signed by the appropriate university official will be required as documentation.

Eligibility

- Applicants must have a PhD degree conferred by an accredited, degree-granting university (an established scholar who can demonstrate the equivalent of the PhD in publications and professional experience may also qualify.)
- The PhD degree must be completed by 17 November 2015 (including defense and revisions) and conferred by 31 May 2016. (If the date of conferral is after the application deadline, the application must include an institutional statement attesting that all requirements for the PhD have been fulfilled. Successful applicants will be asked to submit proof of conferral.)
- A scholarly product must be proposed, to be written in any language. Translations, collections, or databases are not eligible without an accompanying scholarly apparatus.
- The application must be written in English by the applicant.
- There are no residence or citizenship requirements.

Selection Criteria

- Intrinsic significance of the topic and its potential contribution to Buddhist Studies.
- Coherence and cogency of presentation.
- Feasibility of the plan of work.
- Record of the applicant’s previous accomplishments.

See more

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies
ACLS Online Fellowship Application (OFA)