Julie Johnson Kidd Travel Research Fellowship​

The Julie Johnson Kidd Travel Research Fellowships have been developed in 2015 to assist faculty engaged in the liberal arts and sciences in research and pedagogy projects that contribute to informing classroom teaching. The Fellowship was innovated several times. Over the years, the mission of fellowship is still in line with the principles announced in the ECOLAS Manifesto and demonstrates opportunity for European higher education on the bachelor level as proposed by ECOLAS.

2026 Julie Johnson Kidd Scholarship call for applications

Call for applications: 

Online ECOLAS lectures, plus face-to-face lectures at an inviting institution

Application deadline: November 30, 2026

Scholarship value: Up to €1,700

Each scholarship can have two phases:  

  • Online lecture (€300)
  • Potential visit of 4-8 days to a university or liberal arts program to deliver 3-4 further lectures related to the applicant’s online lecture topic (€1,400)

ECOLAS will support 5 institutional visits up to June 2027.

With the Julie Johnson Kidd (JJK) Scholarship, ECOLAS will support online lectures and short visits to deliver related face-to-face lectures. Also, ECOLAS intends to create a database of recorded lectures, each with a list of 3-4 further lecture topics related to the online lectures. Institutions from around Europe are encouraged to invite JJK Scholarship recipients for short visits to deliver the remaining lectures and support in-person interaction.

How to proceed?

Applicants should submit a proposal by November 30, 2026, for an online lecture to be delivered on a topic related to their expertise. The proposal should consist of a 1-2-page outline of the lecture and references to their expertise in the subject area. In addition, the applicant should provide a list of topics for further lectures (a short paragraph for each) on related subjects. Send the application to [email protected].

The ECOLAS lecture series:

Recipients of the JJK Scholarship whose applications are accepted will prepare a 45-minute lecture that will be delivered online at an agreed date.

The lecture and discussion will be streamed and a recorded version made publicly available via the ECOLAS website. In addition, a list of the applicant’s proposed 3-4 further topics will be advertised by ECOLAS around Europe, inviting the lecturer to deliver their additional lectures in person. The applicant may also approach institutions to seek an invitation to deliver the remaining lectures.

Potential visit:

The additional 3-4 lectures would take place if a liberal arts institution or university in Europe were to invite and host the applicant for 4-8 days in order to deliver the remaining lectures face to face. (ECOLAS would provide €1,400 to the applicant to cover travel and other expenses.)

In the age of the internet and AI, we believe that personal encounters and face-to-face lectures remain an important element not only of liberal arts education but of education in general. A short visit would also offer an opportunity for informal meetings, discussions and enjoyable informal encounters with students and fellow academics.

 

Julie Johnson Kidd

Ms. Kidd has been President of The Endeavor Foundation, New York, formerly Christian A. Johnson Endeavor Foundation, for nearly forty years. The foundation was founded in 1952 by her father, Christian A. Johnson. Throughout those years, Ms. Kidd has believed that the most important work which the Foundation could undertake is in the field of education.

Ms. Kidd also believes that only through education can we make the world a better place. Within the education field, she has staunchly adhered to supporting and strengthening interdisciplinary study in the liberal arts and sciences at the undergraduate level, both in the United States and in many other countries. Additionally, Ms. Kidd has emphasized the development of cross-cultural understanding amongst people of all nations. She believes that without such understanding, mankind will not be able to protect this planet for future generations of all living things. Thus, she has expressed her deep gratitude for the naming of this Fellowship in her honor, which will promote the values that she holds so dear.

 

J. J. Kidd Fellowship was established in 2015. Here you can find information about the past years of the Fellowship.