The Commission responds to the demand in Spain for visiting professionals by sponsoring U.S. senior lecturers and researchers at host institutions that largely benefit from their experience, different perspectives, training, and educational culture, and has the goal of establishing long-lasting partnerships.

Spain's univeristies are increasingly focused on internationalization. By offering degree programs taught partially or entirely in English, they are attracting students from a wide variety of other countries, providing viewpoints in studies and discussions that are often unique and enriching for U.S. scholars. Scholars will be afforded the opportunity to both teach (undergraduate or graduate students, depending on award) and research at their host institutions, and are often invited to work with faculty on curriculum development. Research groups are usually multicultural and English is predominantly the working language. Research/teaching proposals will be evaluated not only for their excellence, but also for their potential to increase mutual understanding and future collaboration between Spain and the United States.

The academic year in Spain broadly runs from September to June, with breaks during the Winter and Spring holidays (approximately December 22-January 8 and coinciding with the weeks surrounding and including the Catholic Holy Week). Research activity continues in July, whereas August is a very quiet month and most institutions are closed.

Language proficiency should be commensurate with the project's scope. Please discuss this point with your host institution in advance, and ask specifically whether a language other than Spanish is widely used in the area (Basque, Catalan, or Galician). Researchers are usually fluent in English, while there may be wide differences in the students' English proficiency. For day-to-day life, a working knowledge of Spanish is useful, especially in smaller cities and towns.

Prospective applicants may contact the Spanish Fulbright Commission for further information at adviser@fulbright.es or www.fulbright.es.

For more detailed information about Spain, please see the OECD's Spain profile.