email: niels.hendriks@luca-arts.be
Become a Fulbright Scholar in Design
At the LUCA School of Arts in Genk, Belgium
Fulbright U.S. Scholar - Teaching and Research
The Caring. And Design Research group at LUCA School of Arts is pleased to be part of the Fulbright Scholar programme. As a U.S. postdoctoral researcher or professor, you can be selected for an All Disciplines award that offers award holders a fully funded 3-9 month exchange/residency at the LUCA School of Arts in Genk, Belgium and includes a monthly stipend of 3,000 EUR per month to support living expenses.
In addition, Fulbright also covers the travel costs (currently set at 1,000 EUR for scholars) as well as providing administrative support to the grantee, enrollment in an accident and sickness protection program, and cultural programming while in Belgium.
LUCA School of Arts is located in Genk, Belgium in a thriving multicultural community situated in the former location of the Winsterslag coal mine. This post-industrial location influences the school's position in the community. Here at LUCA School of Arts, Campus C-Mine we strive to be responsible to the community in which we exist and serve while extending the boundaries of disciplines (photography, animation, game design, film and product design. Strategically located in the heart of Europe, the location has supported the development of an extensive network with other schools and research institutions across Europe and beyond.
The Caring. And Design Research Cluster
at the LUCA School of Arts, Campus C-Mine
Specifically, the research cluster on ‘Design, Care, empathy and well-being’ prioritises participation and the real lives of people while including local marginalised communities and integrating design research into design education. Dedicated to designing objects, tools and services which respond to the growing needs and populations of communities and their network of care, the research group researches and develops methods and processes that support the involvement of people, their family and professional caregiver in the design process.
Our most specialised expertise involves care for people with dementia. Dr. Niels Hendriks and Dr. Andrea Wilkinson co-founded the Dementia Lab Conference, where research and educational activities at the intersection of dementia, care, and design take centre stage. Being a visiting scholar at LUCA School of Arts, and more specifically within the Caring. And Design Research cluster, looks to encourage scholars to link up with topics that fall under the broad topic of care such as health literacy, e-health, integrating marginalised communities in care services, accessibility and social wellness and inclusion.
Visiting scholars will be invited to participate in local courses (across the disciplines mentioned above) as well as defining and engaging in their own complementary research. Next to this, scholars will be invited to support the development of the new international Masters programme on Design and Care, in which they will support curriculum development while providing guest lecturing support in existing coursework related to social design and care. The programme in development will provide graduate design students with different cultural lenses on contemporary care needs while providing the tools, frameworks and methods necessary to capture, articulate, reflect on and integrate the vision that they have for their own practice within these spaces. Next to this, the Masters program will be perpetually exploring the nature of education and what it means to teach, educate and learn and it will actively seek out new learning models and means of engagement in order to support self directed study and cross cultural teamwork. Scholars engaged in future-forward teaching activities, Masters curricula, international and cross-discipline design education are encouraged to apply.
Step 1 / Eligibility - External link
U.S. Citizenship
In the last 6 years, cannot have lived 5 consecutive years abroad
Award requirements for degrees
No other Fulbright grant in the last 2 years
No employee/immediate family of the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, and of public or private organisations under contract to the U.S
Step 2 / Find an award - Link
In this case, it is the 24134-BE award entitled All Disciplines award for Belgium.
Step 3 / Review checklist - Link
Fulbright offers a checklist to ensure you do not miss any information necessary for your application.
Step 4 / Begin application - Link
Applying is possible through the platform of Fulbright.
Step 5 / Submit application
Deadline: September 15th, 2023 at 11:59 PM PST
This submission is for the grant period of September 2024 - April 2025.
Timeline after application
September
IIE reviews applications for program eligibility and technical completeness. Applicants will be notified if any required application component is missing, and asked to provide additional documentation as needed. Only complete applications will be forwarded to the peer reviewers.
October-November
Peer Review Committees evaluate applications, meeting to review and determine whether or not applications are recommended for further consideration in the host country. Peer Review committees are primarily structured by discipline whereby a group of peers in your discipline will read and assess your application to determine if it meets the review criteria (See Review Criteria page).
December
Applicants are notified by email whether or not their application has been recommended for further consideration in the host country. Please let IIE know if your email address changed since you submitted your application.
December-May
Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies (Posts) or binational Fulbright Commissions overseas review recommended applications and nominate candidates for selection.
January-June
All recommended candidates are forwarded to the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for approval.
IIE notifies candidates whether they have been selected to receive a Fulbright award. This notification is also emailed. Please let IIE know if your email address changed since you submitted your application.
June-Onwards
Grant details are finalised and grants may begin per start dates listed in the Catalog of Awards. For some countries, an orientation may be scheduled for applicants selected for grants.
Application documents (more detailed descriptions available here)
Project Statement
The project statement is your opportunity to explain your proposed project and specific strengths as an applicant to reviewers and potential hosts. Scholars are encouraged to reach out to Niels (niels.hendriks@luca-arts.be) and Andrea (andrea.wilkinson@luca-arts.be) to discuss potential topics․ It must be clear and compelling to review audiences both inside and outside your discipline․ It should be well-organised and developed, and realistic in scope for the time you will be present in Belgium. Your statement should complement the information you provide in your essays and CV/resume. You may find the Review Criteria helpful as you prepare your statement. (Here are sample Project Statement Excerpts).
3-5 pages; Adobe PDF (recommended) or Word Document
Single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins
Endnotes or footnotes may be used, full citation for a source mentioned in Project Statement in the Reference List to save space in your Project Statement.
Do not include hyperlinks or references to external websites.
More detailed description of the content of the Project Statement can be found here.
CV/Resume
All applications require a curriculum vitae or resume. It should be clearly organised and tailored to the award to which you are applying.
Up to 6 pages; Adobe PDF (recommended) or Word Document
Single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins
Use headers and/or bullets to organise and convey key elements, and page numbers
Do not include hyperlinks or references to external websites
Letters of Recommendation
The application requires two letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation evaluate your professional work, including the abilities and expertise you bring to your project; your ability to adapt; the merits of the project; and, as applicable, your teaching or research effectiveness. You are encouraged to provide those who provide the recommendations with a copy of your project statement.
Applicants must register their recommenders in the online application and are responsible for ensuring their letters are submitted by their recommenders via the online system by the application deadline. Recommenders cannot submit their letters outside the online system.
Applicants can track the status of the letters of recommendations on their online application and can send reminders to recommenders to submit their letters of recommendations by the application deadline.
Letters of recommendations can be submitted by your recommenders before or after you submit the application but must be submitted by the application deadline.
All recommendation letters must be in English.
More detailed descriptions of who may serve as a recommender and what the letters should include, can be found here.
Instructions for recommenders can be found here.
Up to 3 pages; Adobe PDF (recommended) or Word document.
On letterhead and signed (recommended)
Deadline: September 18th, 2023 (note that recommendations may arrive after you submit your application; applicants should submit all other materials by September 15, 2023.)
Short Essays
The essays are your opportunity to describe why you have selected the particular country (or countries), how Fulbright fits into your career path, your cultural preparation, and your teaching preparation (if teaching is selected). The details you provide here should be clear and compelling, and should complement the information in your project statement and CV/resume. You are encouraged to write these in a document before copying them into your application. Please be mindful of character limits.
Country selection (2,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation)
Why is this country the best match for your project?
What experiences have prepared you to undertake your project in this country (countries)? Please describe your prior experiences in the host country/countries (if any).
Career trajectory (1,500 characters, including spaces and punctuation)
How will this Fulbright award fit into your career path and future goals?
What is the trajectory you have followed, and what are your plans for the future?
Cultural preparation (2,000 characters, including spaces and punctuation)
Please address your familiarity with the host culture, and any other global experiences that prepare you to adjust successfully to life in the host country.
What challenges do you expect to face as a foreign national in the host country?
How will you adapt, address, or manage them?
Provide examples of your ability to be adaptable, flexible, culturally sensitive, collegial, and how you may serve as a cultural ambassador for the U.S.
Reference List (required for Research or Teaching/Research activities)
A Reference List is required if your award activity includes research, regardless of discipline.
The Reference List demonstrates to the review committee that you are aware of the current state of research or work related to the discipline of your proposed project. It should contain sources that situate your project in the current field and include any critical theory informing your project.
References may include (but are not limited to) journal articles, books, newspaper articles, works or exhibitions by other artists, conference proceedings, reports, films or videos, collection articles, court cases, microforms, websites, and digital images.
You may choose the format: your Reference List can be an enumerative list, or it can be annotated/explanatory (within the 3 page limit).
You may choose any citation style.
You may put the full citation for a source mentioned in your Project Statement in the Reference List to save space in your Project Statement
Please note the Reference List should not consist solely of your own publications.
Do not include hyperlinks or direct reviewers to external websites.
Up to 3 pages; Adobe PDF (recommended) or Word document
Single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins
Use headers and/or bullets to organise and convey key elements; use page numbers.
Syllabi (required for Teaching or Teaching/Research activities)
Syllabi or sample course outlines are required if your award activity includes teaching.
Submit two or three course syllabi or sample course outlines relevant to the planned grant activity.
Your syllabi/course outlines should be designed by you and expressive of your teaching philosophy.
Indicate whether they have been used previously or have been developed for this application
Up to 10 pages, total (not per syllabus or outline); Adobe PDF (recommended) or Word document.
Single spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins.
Use headers and/or bullets to organise and convey key elements; use page numbers.
Letter of Invitation (preferred, but not required) → by LUCA School of Arts
Also known as the invitation, this is a letter provided by the proposed host institution expressing their interest in hosting you and your proposed project.
Applicants are responsible for obtaining and uploading the letter of invitation to their Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program application if required by the award.
Letter(s) of invitation will be accepted through September 28, 2023.
Since a letter is not required, your application will proceed in the review process with or without an invitation.
If your invitation is expected to arrive after the September 15 application deadline, you should submit your application by September 15 without the letter. You will be able to upload your letter of invitation to your application through September 28, 2023.
More detailed descriptions of the invitation requirements can be found here.
Portfolio (required for Arts disciplines)
For projects in the discipline of design, a digital portfolio is submitted to aid in the evaluation of the application. The portfolio should demonstrate your technical skills, ability in the genre(s), and your artistic direction. The portfolio should be a well-edited, representative collection of your work/research and should support the nature of your proposed project. Files must be uploaded directly to the application; do not include hyperlinks or direct reviewers to external websites.
Up to 10 images, pictures, and graphics Including artwork, graphic designs, photographs, prints, drawings, sketches, photographs, maps, sculpture, etc. Images with descriptive notes (e.g., dimensions, date of execution, materials used, etc.) are preferred over PowerPoint presentations.
Up to 15 pages (total) of writing samples
Up to 30 minutes in total of audio and video files for all edited segments (not per segment)
Important: You must provide relevant and appropriate details for each work, including titles, nature, dimensions, authorship, and dates of execution/production for each work.
Applicants may include any of the elements above in their portfolio. Anything submitted that is not entirely your own work must be clearly identified as such (e.g., filmmakers must indicate the role they played, such as directing, editing, etc.), including your percentage of effort.
Do not include hyperlinks or references to external websites.
More detailed descriptions of the accepted file formats (no larger than 5GB) can be found here.