Carnegie China Fellowship Guidelines and Application

CUSP offers a stipend of $20,000, which can be applied to buy out teaching responsibilities, research-related travel expenses, research assistant compensation, etc. As a note, fellows are responsible for their own health insurance and research-related travel logistics.

Fellowships may not be deferred.

This fellowship is available to U.S. citizens only. Candidates must have received a PhD or JD from an accredited university. 

Applicants do not require an institutional affiliation to apply. 

The fellowship will not accept: applicants working on a PhD or JD; proposals of a partisan or advocacy nature; rewritten doctoral dissertations; the editing of texts, papers or documents; and the preparation of textbooks, anthologies, translations and memoirs.

Applications that satisfy the eligibility criteria are subsequently subjected to a multi-stage review process involving both internal evaluations by CUSP and a selection committee including experts from inside and outside the University of Maryland.

The basic criteria for selection include:

• The significance of the proposed research, including the importance and originality of the project
• The policy relevance of the project (as a note, policy relevance does not preclude works of a historical, sociological or other nature. The key element is that the lessons learned or findings may be of interest to policymaker understanding about a given topic)
• The quality of the proposal in definition, organization, clarity and scope; describe what the reviewers will learn from your project, why it is important, and how the reviewer will know your conclusions are valid. A clear hypothesis or step-by-step argument of a central problem helps capture the essence of your work for the reviewer. Also describe your methodology, i.e. how and why your approach is the best way to deal with such a problem. Since each field has different methodologies that the reviewer may not know, tell the reader what archives, sources and techniques you plan to employ.
• Capabilities and achievements of the applicant and the likelihood that the applicant will accomplish the proposed project; not only should your proposal demonstrate how you have the technical know­how and ability to reach some conclusion, but that the conclusion is not preconceived. The proposal should convince the reviewer that there is something genuinely at stake with your inquiry and that your project will yield interesting results
• Potential of a candidate to actively contribute to the life, priorities and mission of CUSP by making expert research accessible to a broader audience

All applications must be completed online (see application below). CUSP will not accept materials submitted via email or by other means. A complete application must be submitted in English, and will include the following:

1. Project Proposal (not to exceed five single-spaced typed pages, using 12-point type)
2. Current CV/resume not to exceed three pages (please note: a list of publications, presentations or events placed at the end of the CV/resume does not count toward the three page limit)
3. Two letters of reference, emailed to cusp@umd.edu.

It is essential to make your project clear to individuals outside your own field and to explain its broader implications. The proposal should not exceed five single-spaced typed pages using 12-point type, and be submitted in PDF format. The following elements should be addressed in the proposal:

1. A detailed description of the topic and its importance; 
2. The originality of the proposed study (explain what makes the project distinctive);
3. The basic ideas and hypotheses; 
4. The methodology to be used (including the activities you will undertake to gather the data you need for your project and the techniques that you will use to analyze the data in order to prove your thesis);
5. The present status of your research, including how much has already been done in relevant collections and archives, and what you would hope to accomplish through this fellowship.

Two letters of reference must be submitted online by the submission deadline. It is your responsibility to ensure that we receive your reference letters. Applications missing reference letters will be considered incomplete. Your referees should be familiar with you and your work, and you should send them a copy of your project description so that they can comment specifically upon your proposed study, your qualifications for undertaking it, and how you and/or your work would contribute to the program's goal of bridging the gap between the world of learning and the world of public affairs. Reference letters must be written in English. Do not send letters written for another purpose, such as those for a job application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to follow up with their referees to confirm that they have sent their letters to CUSP. Letters of recommendation should be sent by the referees to cusp@umd.edu.