Office of Postsecondary Education Fulbright Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program CFDA Number 84.022A | Apply Online

Fulbright-Hays DDRA Fellowship Program (CFDA 84.022A) FAQs

1) What is the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program?

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program (CFDA 84.022A) is a discretionary grant opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, through the International Education Programs Service. It supports doctoral candidates who need to conduct full-time dissertation research overseas in modern foreign languages and area studies.

2) What is the main purpose of the DDRA program?

The program is designed to strengthen U.S. capacity in language and regional expertise by enabling doctoral researchers to spend a sustained period abroad doing research that cannot be replicated in the United States. Examples include working in foreign archives, conducting field interviews, accessing specialized collections, and deepening advanced language competence connected to dissertation work.

3) What types of research activities does DDRA funding generally support?

Based on the program description, DDRA support is geared toward on-the-ground overseas dissertation research activities such as foreign archival work, field interviews, use of specialized overseas collections, and advanced language development that is directly tied to the dissertation.

4) Who is eligible to apply directly for this grant: students or institutions?

Institutions of higher education (IHEs) are the direct eligible applicants, not individual students. The student participates through an internal process at their university, but the IHE is the entity that formally applies to the U.S. Department of Education.

5) What types of institutions of higher education (IHEs) can apply?

Public and state-controlled IHEs and private IHEs may apply, according to the opportunity description.

6) How do students participate if they cannot apply directly?

Students prepare individual applications as part of the overall submission package. The IHE then submits the set of eligible student applications to the Department of Education as its grant application. In practice, students typically work with their graduate school, sponsored programs office, or the campus Fulbright-Hays contact to complete internal routing steps and meet campus deadlines.

7) Where must the application be submitted?

Applications must be submitted electronically using the U.S. Department of Education e-Application system through the e-Grants website at http://e-grants.ed.gov.

8) Can an application be submitted by emailing an electronic copy to the Department of Education?

No. The notice explicitly states that neither the IHE nor the student applicant may submit an application by emailing an electronic copy to the Department.

9) How is application information handled during completion?

The opportunity notes that application data are entered and stored in an online database during completion within the Department of Education e-Application system.

10) What is the official source for the complete and controlling requirements?

Applicants are directed to rely on the official Federal Register notice for the full and controlling requirements. The synopsis emphasizes that the Federal Register notice governs details such as eligibility specifics, pre-application and application instructions, submission procedures, performance measures, competitive priorities, and official contacts.

11) Where can the Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations be accessed online?

The synopsis notes that the Federal Register and the Code of Federal Regulations can be accessed online through GPO Access.

12) What is the Funding Opportunity Number for the competition described here?

The listing identifies the Funding Opportunity Number as ED-GRANTS-091710-001.

13) When was this competition posted, and when did applications become available?

For the competition described in the listing, the opportunity was posted on September 17, 2010, and applications became available on September 17, 2010.

14) What was the deadline for transmittal for this competition?

The deadline for transmittal listed for this competition was November 2, 2010.

15) What was the archive date for this competition?

The archive date listed for this competition was December 2, 2010.

16) About how many awards did the Department anticipate making?

The Department anticipated making about 150 awards for the competition described.

17) What was the estimated total funding level for this competition?

The estimated total funding level listed was $15,576,000.

18) Is cost-sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity states there is no cost-sharing or matching requirement.

19) What is the funding activity category?

The funding activity category is Education.

20) Under what assistance listing is this opportunity categorized?

The listing describes the assistance listing as Overseas Programs: Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad.

21) Who should be contacted for technical help (system or access issues)?

The listing provides a technical contact for help with accessing the full announcement or systems issues: Julius Cotton, ED Grants.gov/FIND Systems Admin, 202-245-6140, julius.cotton@ed.gov.

22) Who should be contacted for programmatic questions about DDRA?

The program manager identified for programmatic questions is Amy Wilson, International Education Programs Service, U.S. Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW, Room 6082, Washington, DC 20006-8521, 202-502-7700.

23) What key reminder does the synopsis give about rules, forms, and expectations?

The synopsis repeatedly underscores that applicants should consult the official Federal Register notice as the definitive source for detailed rules, required forms, and the precise selection and reporting expectations tied to the DDRA fellowship.