The NEURUS Fellows program is a framework of formal and informal exchange agreements and arrangements among partner institutions. There are two distinct but complementary programs, which together increase the critical mass of comparative regional research among participating universities.
NEURUS Exchange Fellows
The NEURUS Exhange Fellows program is a traditional semester-length exchange program principally designed for graduate students, although advanced honors undergraduates have also benefitted. It is structured to facilitate interaction within annual cohorts of participating students. It has the following elements:
NEURUS Independent Fellows
The NEURUS Independent Fellows program is designed to accommodate highly flexible visitations of doctoral students, post-doctorates and faculty among partner institutions. Exchange timing and varying length visitations are featured, highly specialized topics and more than one host institution are possible, within-continent visitations are eligible, and third party finance is strongly recommended to defray expenses (e.g., European Union and National Science Foundation mobility programs, national or university research travel support, home-university faculty research projects, etc.).
NEURUS Independent Fellows act much more like visiting scholars at their host universities. Therefore, the degree of in-kind host university support (e.g., office space) varies according to the nature of the research project and length of visitation. Independent Fellows receive preferential opportunities to participate in Fulbright-NEURUS Regional Research Workshops, week-long events featuring research presentations by new and experienced scholars, social events, and excursions. Host universities have uniquely specific conditions and opportunities for NEURUS Independent Fellows to become integrated into ongoing academic functions and they have varying capacities and willingness to host fellows in any given year, so early contact is advised.
NEURUS Independent Fellows may originate from universities outside the NEURUS consortium:
NEURUS Exchange Fellows
The NEURUS Exhange Fellows program is a traditional semester-length exchange program principally designed for graduate students, although advanced honors undergraduates have also benefitted. It is structured to facilitate interaction within annual cohorts of participating students. It has the following elements:
- Heavy emphasis on applied research. The NEURUS Exchange Fellows program is not a conventional exchange dominated by coursework at the host institution. Instead, participating students spend the majority of their time at their host institution conducting research on their topic of their choice. Completed NEURUS papers are posted online (NEURUS website) and made widely available in the RePEc papers archive. For more information about the research project element of the NEURUS Exchange Fellows program, click here.
- Staggered continental exchange. Students at all partner institutions make their exchange visits in the same semester, thus providing opportunities for interaction of all NEURUS Exchange Fellows at each partner institution in a given program year. Traditionally, European students visited their U.S. hosts in the fall of a given academic year; U.S. students visited their European hosts in the spring semester. Click here for an animation of the operation of the exchange under the original six university consortium. Beginning in 2010/11 and introduction of the ICURD Program, American students will visit their European hosts in the fall semester and European students will visit their U.S. hosts in the spring semester.
- Continental seminars. The staggered exchange provides an opportunity for all NEURUS Exchange Fellows in a given academic year to meet for a 2.5 day seminar each semester, together with advising NEURUS faculty, to discuss projects and solicit feedback. Beginning in 2010/11, the Fall continental seminar is held in Europe, usually in late September or early October. The Spring continental seminar is held in the United States, usually in early to mid-March. More information here.
- Preparatory distance learning courses. NEURUS Exchange Fellows have the opportunity to take an online distance learning course to familiarize themselves with approaches to urban and regional issues, institutions, and scholarship on the continent of their host university. Distance learning courses are normally completed in the semester prior to the host institution visit.
- Competitive selection and bilateral placement. Each partner institution determines how many NEURUS Exchange Fellows it is able to send in a given year, as Exchange Fellows typically receive some financial support to defray travel and tuition costs. Once selection of participants is made by the home institution, application materials are shared with potential host institutions and placements discussed by NEURUS partner faculty to ensure student interests can be appropriately supported at the proposed host institution.
- Host institution advising. NEURUS Exchange Fellows enjoy active advising by NEURUS faculty at both their home and host universities. Most host universities also offer a research design seminar designed specifically to provide guidance to visiting NEURUS students.
- Growing alumni network. As of July 2010, over 120 students have participated in NEURUS as Exchange Fellows. NEURUS maintains an active password-protected online alumni directory that permits Fellows to remain in or establish contact with one another.
NEURUS Independent Fellows
The NEURUS Independent Fellows program is designed to accommodate highly flexible visitations of doctoral students, post-doctorates and faculty among partner institutions. Exchange timing and varying length visitations are featured, highly specialized topics and more than one host institution are possible, within-continent visitations are eligible, and third party finance is strongly recommended to defray expenses (e.g., European Union and National Science Foundation mobility programs, national or university research travel support, home-university faculty research projects, etc.).
NEURUS Independent Fellows act much more like visiting scholars at their host universities. Therefore, the degree of in-kind host university support (e.g., office space) varies according to the nature of the research project and length of visitation. Independent Fellows receive preferential opportunities to participate in Fulbright-NEURUS Regional Research Workshops, week-long events featuring research presentations by new and experienced scholars, social events, and excursions. Host universities have uniquely specific conditions and opportunities for NEURUS Independent Fellows to become integrated into ongoing academic functions and they have varying capacities and willingness to host fellows in any given year, so early contact is advised.
NEURUS Independent Fellows may originate from universities outside the NEURUS consortium:
- Partner Bi-lateral: Fellows have the opportunity to move from one NEURUS member university to another, based on faculty-to-faculty contacts concerning the usefulness and shared interests of all parties. Fellows are typically engaged in dissertation or faculty research project research that would benefit from home faculty-approved and arranged visitations with cooperating faculty at one or more other NEURUS partner universities. These visitations may involve reciprocal exchanges of researchers at home and host universities on similar projects, but one-way visitations are more likely.
- External Uni-lateral: Fellows from unaffiliated research universities anywhere in the world are also invited to visit one or more partner NEURUS universities. External Fellows will typically bring independently-defined research projects that are of interest to host university faculty. Externally funded post-doctoral applicants are the most likely candidates, but each member university is free to decide the kinds of research and scholars it wishes to host. For example, the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration accepted or hosted four external Independent Fellows in 2006, from Fudan University (Shanghai, China), Lund University (Sweden), the University of Warsaw (Poland), and the Bocconi University (Italy).
