Fulbright Scholar Award

Fulbright-MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® Visiting Professor

Austria

Application Deadline
closed
Award Code
25299-AT
Activity Type
Professional Project
The Professional Project activity type provides professionals and artists in various fields the opportunity to interact with relevant organizations abroad to explore a topic related to their field without answering a defined research question. Professional Projects may include: professional consultations; artist residencies; visits to organizations in the applicant's field; practical experience in day-to-day operations; public lectures; mentoring; arranging exhibitions, performances or musical compilations; preparation of print materials (books, articles, or reviews); exchange of expertise with other professionals; participation in public events; or other appropriate professional activities.
Teaching
Teaching includes classroom teaching, as well as giving guest lectures, workshops, and seminars, and engaging in other related activities. Classroom teaching is typically at the undergraduate and graduate level, and courses may be designed by the scholar or prescribed by the host institution and may be taught or co-taught by the scholar. The teaching load varies by award, as well as the host institution. Scholars may also consult on building research capacity, advise graduate students, and assist with thesis advising.
Teaching/Research
A combination of teaching and research as described above. Refer to the award description for any specifications on percentages of time that should be devoted to teaching vs research.
Degree Requirements
Ph.D. (or other terminal degree) required
Career Profile
Early Career Academics
Awards are open to those who have been working in the capacity of a teacher or scholar for no more than seven years.
Mid-Career Academics
Awards are open to those who have been working in the capacity of a teacher or scholar for more than seven, and less than 13, years.
Senior Academics
Awards are open to those who have been working in the capacity of a teacher or scholar for more than 13 years.
Higher Education Administrators and Executives
Awards are open to those who have been working in the capacity of administrators or executives with a focus on the international dimensions of their campuses.

Number of recipients

Exactly
1
Award Start Period
September 2026 or February 2027
Award Length
4 months
Flex Option
No
Multi-Country/Area Award
No
Disciplines
Agriculture
Biochemistry
Biology
Business
Chemistry
Communications
Engineering
Information Sciences/Systems
Law
Marketing
Media Studies
Nutrition
Political Science
Public Health
Public Policy
Social Work
Sociology
Tourism
Scholars selected for this award will be required to
Advise and/or mentor students
Conduct a research project of the applicant’s choosing
Teach graduate and/or undergraduate courses designated by the host institution
Teach graduate and/or undergraduate courses of the applicant’s choosing

In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities‎.

Award Activity

A flexible combination of teaching, advising students, research, and international academic collaboration projects that entails teaching a minimum of two courses (classes meet once a week for 90 minutes). The format, content, and level of the individual courses (advanced undergraduate and graduate) as well as research foci are negotiated on a consensual basis with the host institution, contingent upon the grantee's interests and the grantee's expertise.

MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® is interested in establishing ongoing collaborations with the scholar's US institution and anticipates that the visiting professor will facilitate and sustain these cooperations. In the project statement, applicants should explain how their project will result in collaboration between their home institution and MCI. Applicants are also expected to describe how they intend to commit in sustaining the collaboration between both institutions.

Locations
Location Selection: Award is hosted by the institution listed below
Locations Detail

The award is located at MCI | The Entrepreneurial School®, an internationally oriented and entrepreneurial institution with 3,600 students.

For more information about Innsbruck, visit Austria's official travel portal.

Award Length and Period

Grants must begin in late September 2025 or late February 2026 in line with the Austrian academic year and the mandatory orientation. Grant activities at the host institution will begin on October 1, 2025 or March 1, 2026 and end on January 31, 2026 or June 30, 2026 respectively.

Areas of Interest

MCI is seeking scholars with interdisciplinary interests and approaches to work in one or more of the following fields: engineering or life sciences such as biotechnology and food engineering, environmental, process and energy engineering, industrial engineering, mechatronics, medical and sports technology, software engineering, information technology, business, management, economics, tourism, health management, business law, social work, e-learning/distance learning. The disciplines of engineering and life sciences are preferred.

For more information about the various disciplines and programs offered at MCI please refer to their website.

All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).

Citizenship/Residency Requirement
Not applicable – all U.S. citizens are eligible to apply, regardless of dual citizenship or residency.
Invitation Requirement
A letter of invitation is optional.
Language Proficiency Requirements
None, English is sufficient
Additional Language Requirement

Instruction will be in English. Some knowledge of German is advantageous but not required. 

If German is required to complete the proposed research project, proficiency must be documented in the project proposal.

Additional Qualification Information

This award is open to academics and professionals with required terminal degrees, career profile, and teaching experience in relevant fields.

You may be asked to participate in an interview as part of the in-country selection process.

Award Allowances

€5,000 per month (approx. $5,500; exchange rates may fluctuate) for four months

Estimated Travel and Relocation Allowance for Grantee

All grantees receive a travel and relocation grant of €1,000 (approx. $1,100; exchange rates may fluctuate).

Do you offer additional dependent benefits
No
Estimated Cost of Living

For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please click here.

Special Award Benefits

MCI will either provide the grantee with housing, or subsidize housing with a stipend up to €800 (about $880, depending on currency fluctuations) per month for four months, contingent upon the grantee’s needs.

Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.

Austria

What is life like for Fulbrighters in your country?

Fulbright Austria offers up to 24 awards, including two research awards and 22 teaching awards with research options. The great majority of awards are anchored at specific Austrian institutions and correspondingly dedicated to host institutions' specific fields of interest, ranging from natural and life sciences, engineering, and business and economics to the social sciences, arts, and humanities. Fulbright Austria hosts two US scholar cohorts per year, with the majority of scholars arriving in spring.

In recent years, Austria has established itself as one of the top-ten destinations for Fulbright US Scholars, a success which is largely due to the excellent partnerships the Austrian Fulbright commission has built with institutions across the country. As enthusiastic supporters of the Fulbright program, Austrian institutions are excited to welcome US scholars to their campuses and to expand their professional networks. 

Please note that Austrian institutions will be on summer break from July 1 until September 30. If you contact faculty and staff, please consider that turnaround times will potentially be longer as of early July.

Fulbright Austria (the Austrian-American Educational Commission) evaluates proposals in terms of their potential to fulfill the program's mandate of promoting mutual understanding between the peoples of Austria and the United States. Proposals for flexible combinations of teaching and research will be evaluated for their scholarly excellence, comparative approaches, bilateral relevance and potential for establishing or enhancing institutional relationships. As a rule, the quality of an applicant's proposal is more important to the Austrian-American Educational Commission than the academic rank of the applicant.

Fulbright Austria expects applicants to take all possible measures to avoid plagiarism. For resources on plagiarism, please visit these external resources:
• The Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research’s Best Practice Guide for Research Integrity and Ethics
• The Austrian Agency for Research Integrity’s website

Grantees to Austria are responsible for costs related to obtaining a visa in the US. 

In country, the first grant payment will be disbursed at the start of the grantee's assignment, pending submission of the Austrian bank information form. Bank processing times for the first grant payment may take up to two weeks from the date of submission. Grantees should be prepared to cover their own expenses for this period. No dependent support is available. 

For an estimated overview of the cost of living in Austria, please visit: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/country/austria

For further information on life in Austria, please visit the U.S. Embassy Vienna's website and the Austrian Embassy Washington's website.

Dr. Franziska Brunner, Scholar Program Officer
Fulbright Austria (Austrian-American Educational Commission):
Email: fbrunner@fulbright.at
Address: Fulbright Austria, MQ, Museumsplatz 1, 1070 Vienna, Austria
Website: www.fulbright.at
Diversity Statement download: .pdf

Previous Fulbright Recipients

To view the alumni who have awards to Austria, please visit the grant pages on Fulbright Austria's website at https://www.fulbright.at/programs/in-austria/scholars.
 

Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.