Grants for U.S. Students: Whitaker International Program

Application Deadline: January 23, 2012

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is pleased to announce the opening of the 2012-2013 Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program competition.

Program Overview

The Whitaker International Program provides funding to emerging U.S.-based leaders in biomedical engineering/bioengineering to conduct a study and/or research project abroad, with the underlying objective of increasing international collaboration in the field of Biomedical Engineering (BME). Grant projects—including lab research, coursework, and public policy work—are intended to enhance both the recipient’s career and the field. Founded in 2005 by the Whitaker Foundation (now closed), the program is administered by the Institute of International Education.

Whitaker International Program grants are awarded based on an activity/project proposal that is relevant to biomedical engineering. Note that not all aspects of the project have to be strictly BME-related, but the applicant should showcase how the award will enhance his/her future goals in the bioengineering field. The program also allows for non-BME majors to apply as long as the candidate has relevant experience and interest in BME.

We anticipate offering about 50 grants, but only the highest-quality applicants are offered awards. In the last three competitions, 20, 35, and 40 grants were awarded.

We are seeking to increase our pool of qualified applicants, so all eligible students who are exploring the idea of going abroad for a post-graduate/post-doctoral project are encouraged to apply. Aside from the personal and professional benefits to the individual grantee, benefits to the home institution also accrue, as new university partnerships have developed with hosting institutions overseas; collaborations have developed between U.S. bioengineers and their academic counterparts worldwide; and U.S. labs have benefited from having their students learn and bring back new and, sometimes, cutting-edge technologies and procedures.

Awards have included research in heart blood flow, improved prosthetic leg design, development of affordable oral cancer screening tools, and investment in BME research. Projects occur worldwide, and have taken place in many European countries, as well as in such places as China, South Africa, Vietnam, Australia, Singapore, and many more.

Types of Grants

The Whitaker International Program has two categories:

Fellows: Graduate-level applicants, from graduating seniors through current Ph.D. students. Fellows receive a stipend for one year, and are eligible for tuition reimbursement.
Scholars: Post-doctoral applicants, who recently received their Ph.D. Scholar awards can be for as little as one academic semester or as long as two years of funding, depending on their needs. Second year funding is contingent on demonstration of progress made during the first year.

Website & Online Application

The online application is now open with a January 23, 2012 deadline. For information pertaining to the program, including eligibility requirements, examples of potential host institutions, and former grantee profiles, please visit the following websites:

www.whitaker.org/
http://whitaker.usapplications.org/

Whitaker Program Online Forum

A new Whitaker online forum has been created for applicants to interact with former grantees and ask them questions about grant projects, tips on the application, securing host affiliations, and the general grant experience. Additionally, the forum has answers to many Frequently Asked Questions on the Whitaker Program. Please visit: www.whitaker.org/forum/

Publicity Materials

Please feel free to circulate this announcement to your colleagues or to students who you think would be eligible for the program. Program brochures are available upon request.

If you have any questions about the Whitaker International Program or would like to request a Program brochure, please contact Program Officer Sabeen Altaf at saltaf@iie.org.