East-West Center Scholarship Recipients and Student Affiliates are eligible to apply for grants to support conference travel and field research that is relevant to the Asia Pacific region. Conference grants cover the cost of airfare and conference fees up to $1,000 (US or International). Field research grants cover costs associated with original research for the grantee’s thesis or dissertation, up to $3,000. Grants are awarded competitively, in three rounds, through an application process. A call for applications will be sent approximately six weeks prior to the due dates for each round. Applications during the academic year should be submitted by the below dates. Applications won’t be reviewed until after the submission deadline and students should expect to hear the results from the review committee within two weeks of the submission deadline. Please keep this in mind when applying and submitting your dates.
- November 15
- February 15
- May 15
For additional information, please contact your program coordinator or Mona Nakihei at 808- 944-7583 or nakiheim@EastWestCenter.org. Turn in your application materials through Submittable.
Conference Scholarships
The purpose of the Conference Scholarship is to enable degree fellows and student affiliates at the East-West Center to present scholarly work at professional conferences and meetings with a national, regional or international reputation. Information, required forms and the funding application can be found here on Submittable. Here are some important points about the opportunity:
1. The applicant must be presenting an original work at a recognized meeting/conference. Poster sessions/presentations, training sessions, and workshops are not eligible for support.
2. Funds may be applied toward conference registration fees and the most economical round-trip air transportation on an American carrier. Hotel room and board or travel to other destinations are not eligible for funding.
3. The applicant must list East-West Center affiliation within the paper and abstract to be presented and in the meeting or conference program. Be precise. For example:
- East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellow
- East-West Center Student Affiliate
- Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program (ADB-JSP) Fellow
- US-South Pacific Scholarship Program (USSP) Fellow
- Partnership Scholars (VIED, IIU, DIKTI, KKU, etc.)
4. The applicant must clearly state their East-West Center affiliation on their CV.
5. No more than one Conference Scholarship per student participant may be funded during their time at EWC.
Field Research Grants
The purpose of the Field Research funding is to support original research associated with the degree participant’s or student affiliate’s thesis or dissertation. Normally, this involves research outside Hawaiʻi, including laboratory or field testing. Information, required forms and the funding application can be found here on Submittable. Here are some important points about the opportunity: Here are some important points about the opportunity:
1. All university department requirements must be fulfilled prior to the start of field research, and there can be no incompletes (I grades) pending in the applicant’s academic record.
2. All EWC requirements to date must be fulfilled
3. The field research proposal must be approved by the applicant’s university department and the UH-Manoa Human Studies Program, Institutional Review Board (IRB).
4. Funds may be applied toward airfare and research expenses only. Airfare must be on an American carrier. Funds are not available for lodging expenses or food.
5. The total time away from the Center (on active award status) must be less than 50% of the total grant time.
For questions or additional information, please contact your program coordinator or Mona Nakihei (NakiheiM@EastWestCenter.org).
Other Funding Sources
Ted and Doris Lee Studies in Asia Travel Grant
Ted and Doris Lee created a fund to offer American East-West Center student participants travel grants to have an Asian experience. The fund specifies that the travel awards can be used to conduct field research or enroll in a language study program in Singapore. While priority will be given to field research or language study in Singapore, field research or language study in other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be considered. ASEAN includes Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
For details on applying contact: Cindy Iwasaki at iwasakic@eastwestcenter.org or 944-7533.
EWCA Okinawa Alumni Chapter Travel Grant
The EWCA Okinawa Alumni Chapter has created a fund to offer student travel grants to East-West Center student participants who participate in the following activities on a theme related to Okinawa: presenting a paper at a conference, taking part in an internship, conducting field research, or studying in a summer institute. Priority will be given to students from Okinawa; however, all current East-West Center student participants working on an activity related to Okinawa are eligible for consideration. Grants are up to $1,000.
For details on applying contact: Cindy Iwasaki at iwasakic@eastwestcenter.org. or 944-7533.
Brian Bushley Memorial Scholarship
Through a fund established to honor the memory of former EWC student Brian Bushley, travel grants of up to $1,000 are available for students from Nepal or students whose studies are focusing on Nepal. Funds can be used for conducting field research in Nepal, presenting a paper related to Nepal at a conference, or other activity that seeks to benefit the advancement of understanding about Nepal and the betterment of its people. Eligible Conference or Field Research applications will automatically be considered for this funding.
If you have a special project which you believe could be considered for this travel grant, please contact Robert Moore, moorer@eastwestcenter.org.
Please also check out the Graduate Student Organization of UH for conference funding.