The SEI Research Fellows program is intended to offer opportunities for students and researchers around the world to conduct fieldwork or visit archives to advance understanding of an unencoded script. The research trip can be targeted towards visiting a community using a new script (i.e. a “neography”), documenting instances of script use, and conducting interviews, for example. Alternatively, an applicant might propose visiting archives to find attestations for a historic script and conducting interviews with experts. 

About two projects will be funded each year, splitting a fund of approximately $6000 USD. The project must be completed within one year. During the project term, SEI will provide mentorship, administrative support, and access to its network of experts. Grantees will be expected to provide a mid-term update and write up a report and blog post at the end of their term. 

Interested applicants are may to reach out to SEI leadership to discuss potential project ideas prior to formal submission of their application.

Key Dates:

• Call opens: May 16, 2025
• Applications due: June 13, 2025
• Awards announced: early July

Eligibility:

Applicants from anywhere in the world are eligible. Institutional/academic affiliation is not necessary.

Selection Process:

Research fellows will be selected based on the likelihood of success for their project. This will be judged by the responses provided to the questions in the Project Proposal, the relative urgency of investigating their selected script(s) for digitization, and SEI’s ability to support research on that script/region at the present time.

In the form below, please attach the following materials as a single pdf.

1) Project Proposal

2000 word limit, addressing the following questions:

• What script communit(ies) do you plan to research?
• Why are you well-positioned to conduct this research?
• What data are you collecting?
• What are the outcomes/goals of your work during the funding period?
• What level of access do you presently have to the archives/community?
• What risks do you anticipate?
• What additional resources (connections, mentorship, access to secondary sources, etc) might you benefit from?

2) Estimated Timeline

3) Estimated Budget

Provide a breakdown of what 3000 USD would minimally allow you to accomplish. If requesting additional funds, please specify how they would be used.

4) Contact information for 2-4 references

E.g. advisors, colleagues, institutional or community partners.