Southeast Asian Studies Regional Exchange Program (SEASREP)

The SEASREP Foundation in Manila administers this program, which is jointly funded by the Toyota Foundation and the Japan Foundation. The program supports studies on Southeast Asia by Southeast Asians in the field of social sciences and humanities and aims to encourage cross-national studies and develop cross-national expertise in the region. The program has three subprograms: (a) Southeast Asian language training; (b) Luisa Mallari Fellowship for M.A./Ph.D. research in Southeast Asian studies; and (c) Comparative and collaborative research grants.
(1) Southeast Asian Language Training Grants

These grants allow graduate students or faculty members to study a Southeast Asian national or local language other than her/his own. Such study is intended to enable the applicant to carry out library or field research. The grants cover tuition fee and other expenses for language training in another Southeast Asian country for a period of four to 12 months.
(2) The Luisa Mallari Fellowships for MA/PhD Research in Southeast Asian Studies

These grants, named after the late Filipino scholar of Malaysian literature and who was also a former SEASREP grantee, allows currently enrolled graduate students to carry out library or field research on a Southeast Asian country other than their own or on a comparative topic involving two or more Southeast Asian countries. Applicants who have acquired doctoral candidacy may also apply for limited and short-term exploratory grants to conduct preliminary research leading to full dissertation proposal. In highly meritorious cases, full Ph.D. study grant are also offered. The grants cover research costs, tuition, and living expenses.
(3) Comparative and Collaborative Research Grants

These grants support international collaborative research, comparative research, and other activities that contribute to strengthening Southeast Asian studies in Southeast Asia. Priority is given to basic scholarly research rather than policy-oriented research. Projects involving two- or multi-country collaboration are evaluated highly.
The grants support projects in the following categories:

(A) Research - whether individual research or collaborative team research - by Southeast Asian scholars in the humanities and social sciences that focuses on countries other than the researchers' own. The research may focus on one country (as long as it is not the researcher's own), involve cross-national comparisons (which may include the researcher's own country), or examine a regional theme, issue or problem.

(B)These grants support international collaborative research, comparative research, and other activities that contribute to strengthening Southeast Asian studies in Southeast Asia. Priority is given to basic scholarly research rather than policy-oriented research. Projects involving two- or multi-country collaboration are evaluated highly.
The grants support projects in the following categories:

(C)Conferences, workshops and seminars on pioneering or innovative topics in the field of Southeast Asian studies. These meetings may also aim to disseminate in the region the results of research in Southeast Asian studies conducted by Southeast Asian scholars.

(D)Invitations to a Southeast Asian expert in the region (i) to give a series of short-term (2-3 week) intensive lectures, (ii) to help develop a research project collaboratively with scholars at the host institution, or (iii) for both purposes (i) and (ii).

(E) Publication of the results of SEASREP-supported research.
Criteria and Eligibility

Subprogram (1) is open to Southeast Asian graduate students and faculty in the humanities or social sciences affiliated with a Southeast Asian university, below 40 years, and residing in the region; Subprogram (2) is open to Southeast Asian graduate students in the humanities or social sciences currently enrolled in a university in Southeast Asia residing in the region under the age of 40; Subprogram (3) (A) and (B) are open to any Southeast Asian scholar or team of scholars in the humanities or social sciences residing in the region with priority given to applicants from universities or research institutions; Subprogram (3) (C) is open to any humanities or social science department at any university in the region that offers Southeast Asian studies courses; Subprogram (3)(D) is solely for those who have previously received SEASREP grants.
Application Procedures

Grant guidelines and application forms for all the subprograms can be obtained from the SEASREP Foundation office in Manila and the websites of the Toyota Foundation and SEASREP Foundation (www.seasrepfoundation.org). The deadline for submission of applications is on 1 October 2007, and all applications should be sent to the SEASREP Foundation at the following address:

The SEASREP Foundation
Unit 612-613 Residencia de Regina
94 Xavierville Avenue, Loyola Heights 1108 Quezon City, Philippines,
Tel: [63-2]709-0854; E-mail: grants@seasrepfoundation.org
Additional Information

Copies of the list of the previous year's grant recipients, and other materials can be obtained from the Tokyo Joint Secretariat for SEASREP, in care of the Toyota Foundation, or from the SEASREP Foundation. This information can also be read or downloaded from the Toyota Foundation's website. The SEASREP Foundation publishes a biannual Southeast Asian Studies e-Bulletin and Annual Reports, both of which provide useful information for prospective applicants.

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INSTRUCTIONS FOR DOWNLOADING
APPLICATION FORMS


MPORTANT DATES

1 October 2007: Deadline of Applications
January 2008: Selection of grantees
March 2008: Approval of grant funds for 2008-2009
Late March 2008: Announcement of grantees for 2008-2009
Early April to May 2008: Release of grant funds