976 



Individuals who apply for these awards and who want to study in 

 a foreign institution use the same application procedure ^" as for 

 awards tenable in domestic institutions. Evaluation procedures are 

 similar: senior postdoctoral, postdoctoral, and graduate applications 

 are evaluated by panels convened by the National Research Council; 

 science faculty applicants are evaluated by scientific panels appointed 

 by the Association of American Colleges.^^^ Applicants must include 

 "the duly executed Oath of Affirmation" required by Section 15(d) 

 of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. In addition, awards 

 are subject to the geographic distribution requirements the Founda- 

 tion imposes. 



Fellowship awards tenable abroad differ in three ways from those 

 tenable domestically: grantees are also given travel expenses and a 

 nominal stipend for equipment and research; applicants must specify 

 what particular scientific benefits will accrue from study at a particular 

 foreign institution, and applicants must be admitted at the foreign 

 institution prior to applying for the award. 



Issues surrounding the programs for the award of NSF fellowships 

 abroad have not been discussed in depth in either authorization or 

 appropriations hearings or in NSF annual reports. The Foundation 

 does include detailed information on awards for these programs in 

 Annual Reports. (See Table 25.) Similarly, the Division of Graduate 

 Education in Science provides statistical information in in-house 

 annual reports. (See Table 26.) Some information on operational 

 questions was provided by NSF in response to the State Department 

 questionnaire on Government exchange programs. Data in these three 

 information sources generate the following observations: 



— since the program began in 1952 (until 1970), the Founda- 

 tion has awarded 2,790 fellowships wliich were used overseas for 

 the four programs; 



— the majority of fellows who study abroad do so in Europe, 

 especially the United Kingdom, followed by France, Germany, 

 and Switzerland; 



— of the four programs, the one with the fewest number of 

 fellowship holders who elect to study abroad is the graduate 

 fellowship program, where 2 percent or fewer of grantees annually 

 have gone abroad. 



— science faculty fellows average foreign study at the rate of 

 10 percent per year. Postdoctoral and Senior postdoctoral fellow- 

 ship holders evidence greatest interest in foreign study. Approxi- 

 mately one-half to one-third of postdoctoral fellows have elected 

 to study abroad since the program began; the percentage has 

 been decreasing in the last several years. About 75 percent of the 

 postdoctoral fellowships awarded each year are for study abroad. 



32' "The evaluation of applicants will be based on their ability as evidenced by letters of recommendations, 

 previous scientific accomplishments and other indicators of scholarly activity, and on the proposed plan of 

 study or reseai-ch. The appropriateness of the fellowship's institution for the proposed plan of study or 

 research will also be considered." 



^^ Applications for postdoctoral and ^aduate fellowships are made directly to the Fellowship Office 

 of the NRC which directly administers the program. 



