The Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Estudios Norteamericanos “Benjamin Franklin” at Universidad de Alcalá (Instituto Franklin-UAH) offers the “Washington Irving” aid to assist SAAS members with their research in the field of American Studies. The aid covers a research stay of 15 days at the Instituto Franklin-UAH venue during July or the first two weeks of September.

Funding: The amount of the aid is 1,600€, to be used for accommodation (600€), transportation (200€), photocopies and office material (100€), computer material (100€) and books from the specific bibliography suggested by the applicant (600€). These books will be part of the Instituto Franklin- UAH’s bibliographical collection but will be available for the applicant during his/her research stay. A suitable place on the premises of the Instituto Franklin-UAH will also be available for the recipient of the aid to conduct his/her research.

Requirements: To be eligible, candidates should be full members of SAAS at the time of application and continue being so for at least two years after receiving this aid. The aid is not compatible with any other financial aid or funds perceived for the same research purpose. The grantee should mention the Washington Irving aid in any publication derived from his/her research stay. The grantee should also present the results of his/her research at the conference following the acceptance of this aid, notwithstanding that he/she may also do so in other forums or by other means.

Submission and Required Documentation: applications will be submitted by email (PDF file) to: Dr. Míriam Fernández Santiago, mirfer@ugr.es

Application submission will be open from the publication of this call until March 15, 2025. Applications must include the following documents:

1. A signed copy of the candidate’s Curriculum Vitae, as PDF file.
2. A signed copy of the candidate’s academic record, if the applicant is a student or the beneficiary of a research fellowship or scholarship, or service record issued by the competent authority of the employer institution.
3. A sworn statement as scanned PDF file indicating that the applicant will not receive any other financial aid for the same purpose during his/her stay.
4. A brief report as PDF file of the research project, containing a summary of the state of the question that is going to be analyzed, the specific goals of the research and its relevance, and the methodology to be employed. In addition to the project’s bibliography, the candidate should provide a list of the relevant bibliography to be purchased with the aid. The grantee should confirm previously that the required bibliography is not available in the UAH’s or Instituto Franklin–UAH’s bibliographical collections.

The final decision will be announced by email to the candidates and published on the SAAS website (www.saas-web.org), on the Instituto Franklin website (www.institutofranklin.net), and on the SAAS annual bulletin. When the award of the aid coincides with the celebration of a SAAS Conference, it will be also announced in the assembly celebrated during the Conference.

Resolution and Selection Process: A Commission appointed by the SAAS Executive Board and the Instituto Franklin-UAH will evaluate the proposals and publish a prioritized list of candidates. The Commission will take into account the applicants’ academic, scientific and professional merits, as well as the quality of the research project presented and its feasibility. Additionally, the Commission could request any necessary advice to assess the scientific quality of the projects submitted by the applicants. The Commission’s decision is non-appealable. In case of the grantee refusing the aid, the Commission will follow the prioritized list.