Research Grants and Fellowships

Who It's For: Senior, policy-oriented scholars and faculty from Kuwait

Length and Timeframe: The Spring 2027 Kuwait Visiting Scholar Fellowship is offered for the length of the spring semester (January 25th - June 30th). Visiting Scholars are generally expected to take a full leave of absence or sabbatical from their primary employer for the duration of their appointment. If an applicant's ability to accept the fellowship is contingent upon approval of a sabbatical or leave from their home institution, this should be clearly indicated in the application. Applicants should also specify the dates of the requested leave.

Application Timeline and Deadlines: The application for the Spring 2027 Fellowship is due by August 24th, 2026. Letters of recommendation will be due by August 31st, 2026, and decisions will be announced by September 15th, 2026.

Fellowship Description: The Kuwait Program Visiting Scholar Fellowship at the Middle East Initiative brings senior policy-oriented scholars to campus for one semester or one academic year, depending on their availability, to conduct a study group or pursue an independent research project on a critical public policy area relevant to Kuwait and the Gulf region. Visiting Scholars receive a stipend, travel support, and access to Harvard's libraries and other resources. This fellowship supports the Kuwait Program's broader objective of advancing evidence-based, rigorously scientific solutions to public policy challenges facing the State of Kuwait, the Gulf region, and the world.

Applicants may propose one of the following activities:

- Lead a Study Group: An advanced academic seminar for Harvard students, comprising four to seven sessions, on a topic of the scholar's choosing. Student participants would be selected through a competitive application process and expected to attend regularly. Study group proceedings may be developed in to a Kuwait Program report published by the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School.

- Conduct a Research Project: An independent research project related to the scholar's area of expertise, ideally in collaboration with a Harvard faculty member. The project should ultimately culminate in a significant scholarly output, such as a book, edited volume, or paper to be published by the Middle East Initiative under the Kuwait Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, or a peer-reviewed open-access journal article.

Eligibility: The Kuwait Program Research Fellowship is designed to attract the most accomplished senior policy-oriented scholars and faculty from Kuwait. Applicants must be from Kuwait, currently residing and working in Kuwait, or formally affiliated with a Kuwait-based academic or research institution.

Priority Research Areas: Priority will be given to applicants whose proposals center one or more of the following priority policy areas as they relate to the State of Kuwait and the Gulf region: health, education, energy, environment, water and food security, and digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

Application Requirements: All applicants must submit the following materials:

CV/Resume: This should include all degrees earned (with dates), as well as expected dates of completion for any degrees currently in progress. 

Study Group or Research Project Proposal (3-5 pages): Describe the project you intend to pursue when in residence at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Study Group Proposals should include:
- Title and description that summarizes what overall topic you’d like to explore over the course of the sessions, with background and context into the topic and key areas of interest/relevance to HKS students
- Proposed outline of subtopics organized by session, and total number of sessions (between four and seven suggested)
- Proposed/suggested examples of reading assignments for each session

Research Project Proposals should include:
- The key questions, challenges, or gaps that your project aims to address, respond to, or build upon.
- Timeline outlining the stages you anticipate for completing and publishing the proposed research.
- Names of any Harvard faculty members with whom you would like to collaborate, if selected, and explain how their work is relevant to your research.
- Any other potential funding sources you are pursuing or may pursue.

Contact information for 3 recommenders: Please note that you are responsible for ensuring that your recommenders submit their recommendations by email to Laura Boehm, MEI Program Coordinator for Fellowships and Research Administration (laura_boehm@hks.harvard.edu), by 11:59pm ET on Monday, August 31. MEI ordinarily will not contact delinquent recommenders. 

Writing Sample (fewer than 50 pages, English language only):

- Must include an abstract of 300 words or less 
- Will preferably be single-authored 
- Can be either published or unpublished 
- Must be composed without the use of generative AI.
- Examples include: policy brief, journal article, book chapter, dissertation chapter, or white paper you have produced in your field. 

For further questions, please contact Laura Boehm, MEI Program Coordinator for Fellowships and Research Administration (laura_boehm@hks.harvard.edu).

The Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through funding from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

Who It's For: junior and mid-career policy-oriented scholars and faculty from Kuwait and/or Kuwaiti institutions

Duration: Academic Year (September 1st - June 30th)

Application and Deadline: The application period for AY26-27 fellowships has closed. Please check this page in September for information about the fall 2026 application cycle for AY27-28 fellowships.

Fellowship Description: The Kuwait Program Research Fellowship at the Middle East Initiative provides junior and mid-career policy-oriented scholars with a ten-month stipend and access to Harvard’s libraries and other resources to pursue an independent research project on a critical public policy area relevant to Kuwait and the Gulf region. This fellowship supports the Kuwait Program’s broader objective of advancing evidence-based, rigorously scientific solutions to public policy challenges facing the State of Kuwait, the Gulf region, and the world.

Eligibility: The Kuwait Program Research Fellowship is designed to attract the most promising junior and mid-career policy-oriented scholars and faculty from Kuwait. Applicants must be from Kuwait, currently residing and working in Kuwait, or formally affiliated with a Kuwait-based academic or research institution.

Priority Research Areas: The Middle East Initiative is particularly interested in emerging scholars and social scientists whose proposed research is both policy-relevant and aimed at appearing in peer-reviewed, internationally-ranked, Open Access journals. Priority will be given to applicants whose research proposals center one or more of the following priority policy areas as they relate to the State of Kuwait and the Gulf region: health, education, energy, environment, water and food security, and digital transformation and artificial intelligence

The Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through funding from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

Who It's For: Junior and mid-career policy-oriented scholars and faculty, with a particular focus on scholars who are from and intend to return to the UAE, the Gulf, and the Arab world.

Duration: Academic Year (September 1st - June 30th)

Application and Deadline: The application period for AY26-27 fellowships has closed. Please check this page in September for information about the fall 2026 application cycle for AY27-28 fellowships.

Fellowship Description: The Emirates Leadership Initiative Research Fellowship at the Middle East Initiative provides junior and mid-career policy-oriented scholars a ten-month stipend, as well as access to Harvard’s libraries and other resources, to pursue an independent research project on a critical public policy area relevant to the UAE, the Gulf region, and the broader Arab world. Areas of particular interest include optimizing governance, increasing economic dynamism, strengthening human capital, and improving public policy design and delivery.  

The ELI Fellowship is designed to attract the most promising junior and mid-career policy-oriented scholars and faculty, with a particular focus on scholars who are from and intend to return to the UAE, the Gulf, and the Arab world. We welcome applications from policy analysts, public servants, and social scientists whose proposed research demonstrates a strong potential for constructive, real-world impact.

Priority will be given to applicants whose research proposals center the four MEI research priorities, which reflect the most salient public policy challenges facing the Gulf and broader Middle East region:

Optimizing Governance: 

- Enhancing the effectiveness of local governments. 

- Developing models for governing new technologies and managing their social and economic impacts. 

- Improving service delivery and efficiency through, among other measures, digital transformation projects. 

Increasing Economic Dynamism: 

- Diversifying hydrocarbon-based economies. 

- Fostering private sector development. 

- Managing tradeoffs between economic openness and policy autonomy. 

Strengthening Human Capital: 

- Reforming K-12 and higher education systems to maximize innovation and knowledge-production and pursue other socially valuable goals.

- Developing upskilling, reskilling, and leadership programs. 

- Managing the balance between attracting global talent and developing local capacities. 

Improving Public Policy Design and Delivery: 

- Promoting the rigorous use of evidence in the design, execution, and evaluation of public policies. 

The Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through funding from the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi Government.

For: Harvard faculty members with Principal Investigator (PI) status and their Kuwait-based collaborators. 

Description: Kuwait Program Faculty Research Collaboration Grants are designed to catalyze Harvard faculty-led research focused on the most critical policy areas facing the State of Kuwait and the broader Gulf and Arab regions today, and to foster collaboration between Harvard faculty and scholars in or from Kuwait. 

We are particularly interested in proposals that: 

- Involve co-investigators or postdoctoral fellows who are from or based in Kuwait, as well as collaboration with research institutions in Kuwait. Proposals without Kuwaiti or Kuwait-based co-investigators or postdoctoral fellows that involve fieldwork in Kuwait, particularly with high potential for generating new connections with Kuwait-based researchers, will also be considered.

- Employ the most up-to-date scientific and data-analytic methods and intend to culminate in peer-reviewed publications, with a preference for those slated to appear in Open Access journals.

Please note that all recipients of Kuwait Program Faculty Research Grants are required to present key findings of their research in Kuwait at academic centers as well as public institutions where relevant.

Priority Research Areas: Priority will be given to proposals that center one or more of the following priority policy areas as they relate to the State of Kuwait and the Gulf region:

- Health

- Education

- Energy

-Environment

- Water and Food Security

- Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence

Application Requirements: Proposals may be for one- or two-year grants and must be led or co-led by a faculty member with PI status at Harvard University. Grant funds may be applied toward research assistance, travel, summer salary, workshops, and course buy-out. 

Applications must include the following:  

- Research proposal (5 pages max)

- Itemized Budget 

- Disclosure of other sources of funding (if applicable)

- Curriculum vitae for senior researchers 

Submission Timeline & Review Process: Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the academic year. However, they will be reviewed only once per semester. Please note the following deadlines:

- Deadline for Consideration in Fall Review: November 30

- Deadline for Consideration in Spring Review: May 15

Proposals received after a deadline will be held for consideration in the following review cycle.

Please submit all application materials, and any inquiries, to MEI’s Associate Director, Julia Martin (julia_martin@hks.harvard.edu).  

The Kuwait Program at the Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through funding from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).

For: Harvard faculty with Principal Investigator (PI) status and their collaborators. 

Description: Emirates Leadership Initiative (ELI) Faculty Research Grants are designed to catalyze faculty-led research focused on the UAE and the broader region, and to foster collaboration with scholars and research institutions in the Emirates. 

We are particularly interested in proposals that: 

- Involve collaboration with scholars and institutions in the UAE and neighboring countries. 

- Generate comparative case studies of policy initiatives in the UAE and the Gulf that can be deployed in classroom teaching at HKS and beyond.

Priority Research Areas: Priority will be given to applicants whose research proposals center one or several of the following research areas, which reflect the most salient public policy challenges facing the Gulf and broader Arab world:

Optimizing Governance: 

- Enhancing the effectiveness of local governments. 

- Developing models for governing new technologies and managing their social and economic impacts. 

- Improving service delivery and efficiency through, among other measures, digital transformation projects. 

Increasing Economic Dynamism: 

- Diversifying hydrocarbon-based economies. 

- Fostering private sector development. 

- Managing tradeoffs between economic openness and policy autonomy. 

Strengthening Human Capital: 

- Reforming K-12 and higher education systems to maximize innovation and knowledge-production and pursue other socially valuable goals.

- Developing upskilling, reskilling, and leadership programs. 

- Managing the balance between attracting global talent and developing local capacities. 

Improving Public Policy Design and Delivery: 

- Promoting the rigorous use of evidence in the design, execution, and evaluation of public policies. 

Application Requirements: Proposals may be for one- or two-year grants and must be led or co-led by a faculty member with PI status at Harvard University. Grant funds may be applied toward research assistance, travel, summer salary, workshops, and course buy-out. Applications must include the following:  

- Research proposal (5 pages max)

- Itemized Budget 

- Disclosure of other sources of funding (if applicable)

- Curriculum vitae for senior researchers 

Submission Timeline & Review Process: Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the academic year. However, they will be reviewed only once per semester. Please note the following deadlines:

- Deadline for Consideration in Fall Review: November 30

- Deadline for Consideration in Spring Review: May 15

Proposals received after a deadline will be held for consideration in the following review cycle.

Please submit all application materials, and any inquiries, to MEI’s Associate Director, Julia Martin (julia_martin@hks.harvard.edu).

The Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through funding from the Department of Government Enablement – Abu Dhabi Government.