RESEARCH
SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM

Senior academic and research professionals are encouraged to apply. Candidates should hold a Ph.D. degree, or have significant relevant professional experience. Applicants must design and develop their own projects.

Applicants to the Research Scholar Program must:

• Hold a passport from Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania

• Not have immediate family members that are BAFF employees, BAFF Advisory Board, or Board of Directors members

• Agree to return to your home country for a minimum of two years immediately post-scholarship

Applicants will be selected based on but not limited to the following criteria:

• Hold senior academic or research or professional positions

• Have demonstrated a track record of achievement

• Proposed project likely will impact their home country or home institution upon completion

• Professional objectives match the values and mission of BAFF

• Able to serve as a cultural ambassador to the U.S.

• Willingness to engage in BAFF alumni network

The BAFF Research Scholar project proposal will be evaluated in terms of:

• Validity as a scholarly undertaking

• Feasibility (For example, can the project be completed in one year? Is the candidate’s formal training adequate for the project?)

• Potential impact and benefit of home institution or Baltic states upon completion.

BAFF provides J-2 visa sponsorship and a family allowance designed to support up to three accompanying family members. BAFF aims to remain true to its primary mission of providing financial grants to BAFF Research Scholars to gain valuable professional experience in the U.S. BAFF believes that a larger part of the funding granted to the BAFF Research Scholar should go to support the project proposal. The Family Allowance may be limited if the overall award exceeds maximum.

The decision to bring dependents is a personal one that should be carefully evaluated by applicants based on their financial circumstances and other factors. Applicants planning to bring their spouse and/or dependents with them should have sufficient personal savings to cover family-related expenses not covered by BAFF – for example, airfare and mandatory health insurance.

For J-2 Visa eligibility, a dependent is defined as any legally married spouse and underaged children. Dependents must accompany the applicant for a minimum of three months to receive a family allowance.

A Two-Year Home Country Physical Presence (Residency) Requirement is a requirement of participation in the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation Research Scholarship program.

Upon completion of the BAFF/CIEE Research Scholarship program, you are required to return immediately to, and reside in, your country of permanent residency for a minimum of two years and are not permitted to stay or attempt to stay in the U.S. or any other foreign country, including to work, pursue work, or study.

Short-term visits, up to a maximum of 14 days, to foreign countries for the primary purpose of tourism or short-term business are allowed. Visits longer than 14 days must be reported to your BAFF local representative prior to the start of the visit. In any calendar year, the total length of visits to foreign countries for either purpose may not exceed 90 days.

The residency requirement constitutes a moral obligation that relates to the foundational aim of BAFF to promote Baltic economic development through investment in the career development. The Residency Requirement is at the heart of the success of the BAFF Research Scholarship program. Please carefully read and consider the full description included in the Participant Agreement (last section of the Application Form) that you are required to sign in order to be eligible to apply.