2025 CAORC-INYA Scholars Fellowship Program for U.S. Postgraduate Scholars conducting Research Work on Myanmar/Burma in a Third Country

2025 CAORC-INYA Scholars Fellowship Program for U.S. Post-Doctoral Researchers conducting Research Work on Myanmar/Burma in a Third Country

Fellowship awards from $4,000 to $4,400 for a maximum of 3 months

Application deadline extended to November 20, 2024 (11:59 PM EST)

The Inya Institute announces the 2025 CAORC-INYA Scholars Fellowship competition for research that will contribute to studies on Myanmar in any aspect of its wide linguistic, cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity and to a better understanding of the country’s past or present political and socio-economic situation. Applicants must be U.S. citizens who have obtained their PhD degree in the last 10 years (at the time of submitting application).

The 2025 CAORC-INYA Scholars Fellows will have until September 30, 2025, to complete their research work in a Third Country of their choice.

The program is funded by CAORC through a grant from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. State Department. 

Information about the fellowship competition

  • Research must contribute to studies on Myanmar in any aspect of its wide linguistic, cultural, religious, and ethnic diversity and to a better understanding of the country’s past or present political and socio-economic situation. Any field of research will be considered, including the arts, humanities, social sciences, economics, political sciences, law, environment studies, and public health;

  • Research must take place in a third country outside of the U.S. and Myanmar (due to the current closure of Myanmar’s international borders); For example, it may be conducted at the British Library and other U.K. libraries, or among Myanmar communities living in India, Thailand, Singapore, Japan, etc…

  • Joint research projects are not eligible for this competition. Only individual research projects will be considered;

  • Applicants must be U.S. citizens. U.S. permanent residents are not eligible for this competition;

Application Contents

The application to be completed in the CAORC Survey Monkey Application Portal (orcfellowships.smapply.org) requires the following items:

  • Information about the Applicant: first name, last name, mailing address, email address, phone number, citizenship, major field of study, department, date and year the PhD degree was obtained, university where it was obtained, current occupation, dates (if any) of previous research in Myanmar, length of award requested, tentative dates of project;

  • A Curriculum Vitae;

  • Description of the proposed study with the following sections:

  1. Project title

  2. Project abstract (max. 100 words)

  3. Approach and research methodology (max. 500 words)

  4. Significance of the project (max. 500 words)

  5. Work done to date (max. 300 words)

  6. Work to be accomplished during the fellowship period (max. 500 words)

  7. Third Country selected and list of places where research work will be conducted (max. 300 words)

  8. Budget narrative describing how the award will be expended

  • Project Bibliography;

  • One Reference Letter.

Fellowship Benefits

  • Award from $4,000-$4,400 for a maximum of 3 months;

  • A transportation stipend of up to $1,900 for the round trip airfare from the U.S. to a third country and in-country transportation expenses.

Terms and Conditions

  1. Fellows must submit a one-page Final Report to the Inya Institute within a month completing their fellowship.

  2. During the tenure of their fellowship, fellows must present their research project through an online presentation and write a short contribution which will be published in the institute’s quarterly e-newsletter.

  3. Fellows are responsible for obtaining the appropriate research permission and visas.

  4. Air Travel from the U.S. must meet the conditions of the Fly America Act.

Deadline, Selection, and Notification

Applications must be sent by November 20, 2024 (11:59 PM EST).

Fellowships will be awarded by a Selection Committee composed of academics with long-standing experience and recognized expertise on Myanmar. Applicants will be judged according to the following criteria:

  • Merits of the proposal, its significance, relevance, and potential contribution to research on Myanmar studies;

  • Applicant qualifications;

  • Feasibility of the research design;

  • Feasibility in terms of resources and amount of time allocated to the project.

Awards will be announced by December 20, 2024.

For any queries, email us at: contact@inyainstitute.org