This opportunity is currently closed.
The ARISC Conference Travel Grant promotes cooperation and exchange among South Caucasus and U.S. researchers and institutions by providing support to Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian scholars and PhD students for presenting research at scholarly conferences or workshops in the U.S. The ARISC Travel Grant provides travel costs up to $3,000 USD.
The Conference Travel Grant funds may be used for the presentation of papers, organization of panels, active participation in workshops that include topics relevant to area studies of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and/or Georgia at scholarly conferences in the U.S. This competition is open only to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Georgia, with priority given to those affiliated with colleges, universities, or research institutions in the South Caucasus (e.g. students, faculty, researchers).
Additional Terms:
- Invited single lectures are not eligible for this award; however, invited conference and workshop presentations are eligible.
- An applicant may apply more than once per year; however, only one award will be made per applicant.
- Future preference will be given to those who have not received an ARISC Conference Travel Grant in the previous two years (from the date travel was completed).
- Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. It is recommended to submit at least 6 months in advance. Complete applications must be submitted to ARISC no later than three (3) months prior to event date.
- All travel between the U.S. and South Caucasus that uses funds from the fellowship program must meet the provisions of the “Fly America Act” (i.e. flying on a U.S. flag air carrier service) or Open Skies Agreement.
The ARISC Programming Advisory Body will make all awarding decisions.
Application requirements:
- Application form (must be downloaded to be completed)
- If attending a conference:
- an abstract of the presentation paper, or abstract of panel
- letter/email of acceptance to the U.S. conference by the U.S. conference organizers
- If attending a workshop:
- announcement of the workshop
- a statement of intent: what you expect to learn from the workshop, how it pertains to your research, and how your future research will benefit from participation
- letter of acceptance to the U.S. workshop by the U.S. workshop organizers
- If you are a graduate student:
- letter of recommendation from professor overseeing your research
- Proposed itemized budget. Allowable costs: airfare, ground transportation, conference registration fee, lodging, meals and incidentals (also referred to as per diem).
- Curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
Additional Terms for Awardees
- All foreign nationals traveling to the United States on the ARISC Conference Travel Grants must enter the U.S. on a J-1 visa. This includes foreign nationals holding other types of U.S. visas and foreign nationals who do not need a visa to enter the U.S. as a tourist. If a foreign national participant does not enter the U.S. on a J-1 visa ARISC will not be able to reimburse the applicant for any of their travel expenses. The grant is voided if entry is by any other visa or means. Awardees must immediately notify ARISC if they have
- a U.S. residency visa, or
- a non-residency visa
- Note that if an awardee has dual passports, they will need to travel on their Armenian, Azerbaijani, or Georgian passport.
- For a foreign national participant to obtain a J-1 visa they will first need a DS-2019 issued. The awardee will complete a form for ARISC that will then be used by the U.S. Department of State to create a DS-2019. The completed DS-2019 will be mailed to the awardee and the awardee will then need to take it to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate to apply for a visa. The J-1 visa does not have a fee for application.
- Awardees will be issued a short-term J-1 visa. By holding this visa, awardees may not apply for a residency visa for two years following the end of their J-1 visa expiration date. If there are extenuating circumstances that would require a residency visa within two years, awardees may apply for a waiver to this rule, however there is no guarantee that the waiver will be granted. Awardees are allowed short-term travel to the United States within that two-year time frame.
The purpose of this award is participation in a specific conference or workshop. As such, awardees will not be able to stay in the U.S. significantly longer than the duration of the conference or workshop, nor to travel widely while they are in the U.S., per requirements of the J-1 visa.
Please address inquiries to programs@arisc.org. All applications must be submitted via email to programs@arisc.org
ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, gender, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, or status as a covered veteran.
Funding for the ARISC Conference Travel Grant Program is provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State through a grant from the Council of American Overseas Research Centers.