Fulbright/National Science Foundation Arctic Research Award

The Fulbright-National Science Foundation Arctic Research Grant provides approximately 2-5 awards annually for students to conduct substantive, Arctic-related research in Iceland. The grant is open to PhD students and students with a completed master's degree in all social and natural science fields. The proposed project must have relevance for the Arctic and the people living there, including work in fields such as political science, anthropology, archaeology, linguistics, governance, health (excluding clinical medicine), economics, ecology, glaciology, geology, education and other applicable fields. Projects must be well defined and must be completed within the grant period of 9 months, beginning in mid-August to September. Iceland provides interesting research opportunities in a wide variety of fields as a small, highly technologically advanced country. English is widely spoken and much used in academia, and Icelandic universities provide many courses in English. The Fulbright Commission in Iceland maintains close ties with grantees during their stay and provides a sense of community among Fulbright scholars and fellows. There are monthly grantee activities sponsored by the Commission, in addition to access to Fulbright alumni events and other social activities. Grantees are expected to engage with the host country community and conduct research that is Arctic-relevant and research-focused. Both mandatory virtual pre-departure orientation (March or April) and in-country orientation (end of August/beginning of September) are required. After six months on a residence permit, all grantees are automatically enrolled in the national health system, giving them the same access to health services as permanent residents.