Short-term Scientist Exchange Program

Identifying a Sponsor for OIA Scientist Exchanges

The scientist exchange program of the NCI Office of International Affairs requires that the applicant identify and obtain an invitation from a qualified U.S. sponsor who agrees to have his or her laboratory serve as host for the visit. A qualified sponsor should be either (a) an investigator in the NCI Intramural Program, or (b) a Principal Investigator on an NCI research grant (or a grant from another NIH institute for cancer-related research). Sponsors are expected to share in the cost of an exchange by providing one-half of the subsistence allowance.

It is expected that qualified applicants will be aware of potential sponsors in their area of research through familiarity with papers published in international scientific journals. In addition, information on research of NCI intramural scientists is available at http://www.cancer.gov/researchandfunding/intramural/, and information on the entire NCI Research Portfolio (intramural scientists and extramural grantees) is available at http://researchportfolio.cancer.gov/.



Short-term Scientist Exchange Program

The Short-Term Scientist Exchange program promotes collaborative research between established U.S. and foreign scientists from developing countries by supporting, in part, exchange visits of cancer researchers to foreign laboratories. Visits of U.S. scientists to overseas laboratories in developing countries may also be considered for support. The visits may be from one week to six months in duration.

Eligibility Requirements

Candidates must have a minimum of three years postdoctoral experience in cancer research and have an invitation from a qualified sponsor. Sponsors or exchangees from the U.S must be NCI-supported principal investigators (PI's), in either the intramural or extramural research programs. Foreign sponsors must be established scientists recognized in the international peer reviewed literature. Foreign candidates must be proficient in spoken and written English. Persons holding U.S. permanent resident status ("green card"), or any work visa, are not eligible for this program.

General Conditions

In the case of U.S. exchange PI's, the foreign host institution covers the in-country expenses of the U.S. visitor. In the case of foreign visitors, a foreign source pays for the airfare, while OIA provides a subsistence allowance.

The subsistence allowance is generally the monthly equivalent of $41,700 per year (split equally by OIA and the sponsor). Cost sharing of the subsistence allowance by the sponsoring American laboratory is required. The program provides health insurance coverage for the awardee only and does not cover pre-existing conditions.

The program's objective is to facilitate interactions between American and foreign scientists, expecting that the first visit to the U.S. is productive enough as to generate funding for future visits through the regular peer review process. Second and subsequent visits to the U.S. will, in general, not be considered.

Applicants

Prospective candidate's visit is proposed to OIA by the director of his/her institution, stating that the candidate has a permanent position and will continue to receive full salary during the scientific exchange. The applicant must submit:

1. A letter of application, including a short curriculum vitae listing three scientists willing to act as references, and no more than five relevant publications. This should include an assurance by the candidate to return to the home country at the end of the exchange.

2. Letter of invitation from the prospective host.

3. A one- to four-page description of the collaborative research work to be undertaken in the sponsor's laboratory, specifying what is to be accomplished and indicating tentative dates for the visit.

4. Physicians whose proposed work involves incidental patient care need to have passed the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination in the Medical Sciences (FMGEMS).

5. Copies of degrees in original language and copies of English translations of those degrees.

Foreign candidates who on peer review have been accepted into the program will receive a letter with which to apply for a visa at the American Embassy or Consulate in the country of origin. American awardees must fulfill the visa requirements of the host country. Notification of approval will be provided to all awardees within 30 days of OIA receiving a complete application.

Once an exchangeship has been approved and an agreement has been reached between the candidate and the sponsor about dates of the visit, the dates cannot be changed.

Change of sponsors will, in general, not be permitted once an award has been made.

It is expected that qualified applicants will be aware of potential sponsors in their area of research through familiarity with papers published in international scientific journals. In addition, information on research of NCI intramural scientists is available at http://www.cancer.gov/researchandfunding/intramural/, and information on the entire NCI Research Portfolio (intramural scientists and extramural grantees) is available at http://researchportfolio.cancer.gov/.