IMPORTANT NOTICE (3/17/2023): Due to the volume of submissions, our applications system was temporarily down for the last 12-24 hours. Therefore, to accommodate any individuals who may have had difficulties submitting their application, the program has extended the application deadline to March 24, 2023 11:59 PM HST. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.
In 2023, the East-West Center will host a six-week, US-funded Pacific leadership development program that will include a residency in Hawai'i and a field immersion in Washington DC. This program will provide individuals from a PICL member country/territory/State of Hawai'i the opportunity to enhance their leadership capacities and build a network with other leaders from across the Pacific and the US. Participants will engage in experiential learning exercises in a cohort of 25 early to mid-career professionals from all sectors. RPIL attracts participants possessing high leadership potential and a commitment to serve their national and regional development goals. The curriculum for these rising leaders will be centered around the following areas of critical importance to humanity identified in the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership (https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda). The program strengthens participants’ knowledge and understanding of key regional economic, social, political, health, educational and environmental issues, and cultivates culturally sustaining leadership capacities.
Program Dates: June 19 to July 28, 2023
Eligibility:
- Citizen and Bona fide resident of a Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders (PICL) Member country/territory/State of Hawai'i: American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Hawai'i, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. (NOTE: You are a bona fide resident of a PICL member country/territory/State of Hawai'i if you have resided there for a minimum of 5 years immediately preceding acceptance into the fellowship.)
- Bachelor’s degree. Exceptions may be considered on the basis of other relevant experience and qualifications.
- The program is aimed at early- to mid-career professionals, spanning the ages of approximately 21-35.
- A minimum of 3 years demonstrated impact in your professional career and/or local community.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
- 11:59 pm, March 24, 2023 (Hawaii Standard Time)
LETTER OF REFERENCE DEADLINE
- 11:59 pm, March 31, 2023 (Hawaii Standard Time) via Submittable
- Two letters of reference are needed to complete your application. It is recommended that you contact your Referee before you submit your application as a professional courtesy.
IMPORTANT APPLICATION GUIDELINES
- Read the instructions for each item carefully before entering your information.
- The application software does not log you out automatically when you exit your browser. Therefore, it is important that you sign out from your application account especially when you are using a public computer.
- Since you will not be able to edit your application after submitting, make sure to review your application before submitting. If your application is not ready, you can save it as a draft and submit it at a later time. The saved drafts of your application can be found in your account under My Submissions (or Submissions).
- If, after submission, you need to change something in your application, contact the RPIL team at RPIL@EastWestCenter.org


The Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center (EWC) has partnered with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to support the Development Research for Oceania Pipeline (DROP), a project that aims to deepen the pool of economic development experts in the Pacific region, build capacity in the region and address economic issues and recovery .
The purpose of DROP is to increase awareness and understanding of the development challenges of the Pacific. This program was established to provide support for graduate (Master and Doctoral) thesis and dissertation research related to priority Pacific development issues identified in consultation with senior officials of Pacific Developing Member Countries (PDMCs). Awardees will engage in policy-oriented field research with outputs developed in coordination with EWC and in line with ADB and regional development priorities.
Harnessing PIDP and EWC Pacific connections, networks, and expertise, the DROP program will support and mentor graduate student researchers in completion of policy-relevant research on Pacific development issues. In addition, EWC will leverage its communications and publications platforms to maximize the reach and impact of the DROP outputs. Sustained over time, the program will create two complementary pipelines: an expanding cohort of Pacific development experts, and a stream of policy-relevant Pacific development research. DROP supports ADB’s approach of strengthening knowledge services and working with developing Pacific countries to identify their needs, undertake high-quality research, and generate and share relevant knowledge products through partnerships with policy and academic institutions.
Important Application Guidelines:
You must submit your scholarship application by 11:59PM (Hawaii Standard Time) on May 15 and should have the following documents on hand to upload to your online application:
- Curriculum vitae or resume
- Thesis or Dissertation Research Prospectus
- A scanned copy of your official transcript for each higher education institution attended
- Two Letters of Recommendation, one of which from your graduate advisor at your home institution confirming advancement to candidacy or thesis
- Detailed budget following the template linked here.
For more information, please visit the East-West Center website, or email adb-drop@eastwestcenter.org.
Please Note:
- Read the instructions for each item carefully before entering your information.
- Submittable does not log you out automatically when you exit your browser. Therefore, it is important that you sign out from your Submittable account, especially when you are using a public computer.
- Since you will not be able to edit it afterward, make sure to review your application before submitting it. If your application is not ready, you can save it as a draft and submit it at a later time. The saved drafts of your application can be found in your account under My Submissions (or Submissions).
- If after submission you need to change something in your application, contact the ADB-JSP program at adb-drop@EastWestCenter.org.
- Access to technical help with using Submittable is available here.
- All fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
For inquiries, please contact the EWC Award Services Office at adb-drop@eastwestcenter.org.
Please include in your message your (1) full name, (2) research title, and (3) ADB-DROP award year for which you are applying.
Modern China in Three Keys is a two-week residential institute for college and university teachers that will be hosted on the East-West Center campus in Honolulu by the Asian Studies Development Program.
This residential institute will examine the turbulent dynamics of China’s transformation from a 19th century empire to a struggling multi-ethnic 20th century nation state and a 21st century economic and geopolitical global power, emphasizing cultural continuities as well as political experimentation in an evolving and aspirational “China dream.” Applicants accepted into this program will receive support for travel and lodging. Priority will be given to team applications from faculty at minority-serving institutions.
Dates: July 10-21, 2023
Location: Honolulu, Hawai‘i
DEADLINE
Applications must be submitted by March 24, 2023.
Applications are sought from humanities and social science teachers committed to infusing institute content into their undergraduate courses and to developing Chinese studies offerings on their campuses. Twenty participants will be selected with a target of including five to seven institutional teams, supplemented with a small number of individual participants. Preference will be given to applications from individuals and teams from minority-serving institutions.
Applications should include an institutional letter of support, current CV and an essay (up to 1,500 words) providing relevant information about your personal and academic background; your reasons for applying to this program; how you anticipate the Institute will impact your teaching and/or research; and a statement about how participating in the program will help further the growth of Asian studies at your school.
Each member of an institutional team must submit an individual application, which should include a paragraph identifying fellow team members and the institutional goals of participating in the program. Mention should also be made of any intentions for the school to support a team application for the Summer 2024 program on Southeast Asia, and whether any member(s) of the current team is likely to be part of the prospective team application.
This is part of an initiative funded by the Henry Luce Foundation to enhance undergraduate Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, especially at institutions that serve Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
For more information, please visit our website. To contact us, please email ASDP@EastWestCenter.org.
Create a Submittable account to see the full application and apply:
- Read the instructions for each item carefully before entering your information
- Submittable does not log you out automatically when you exit your browser. Therefore, it is important that you sign out from your Submittable account.
- Since you will not be able to edit it afterward, make sure to review your application before submitting it. If your application is not ready, you can save it as a draft and submit it at a later time. The saved drafts of your application can be found in your account under My Submissions (or Submissions).
- Contact the Asian Studies Development Program at ASDP@EastWestCenter.org if you need to change something in your application after submission.
- Submittable email notifications can be filtered as junk/spam. Be sure to add Submittable to your list of approved senders.
Important Application Guidelines
- Please read the instructions for each field carefully before entering your information.
- Submittable does not log you out automatically when you exit your browser. Therefore, it is imperative that you sign out from your Submittable account, especially when you are using a public computer.
- Since you will not be able to edit it afterward, make sure to review your application before submitting it. If your application is not ready, you can save it as a draft and submit it at a later time. The saved drafts of your application can be found in your account under My Submissions (or sometimes Submissions).
- If you inevitably need to change something in your application, contact the Student Affiliate program at studentaffiliate@eastwestcenter.org.
For inquiries, please contact the EWC Registrar's Office at:
East-West Center Student Affiliate Program
Attention: Registrar's Office
John A. Burns Hall, Room 2066
1601 East-West Road Honolulu, HI
96848-1601 USA
http://www.eastwestcenter.org/studentaffiliate
Email: StudentAffiliate@EastWestCenter.org
Telephone: 808-944-7738
Helps with Submittable for submitters are available here.
All fields with an asterisk (*) are required.
Applications for this Special Professional Fellows Program Opportunity for Young Economic Empowerment Leaders from the Pacific Islands will be accepted until April 14, 2023. Please answer all questions as instructed to ensure that your application is complete. The program will run from October 2-November 3, 2023. For all the eligibility requirements for the program please go here: https://www.eastwestcenter.org/apply