Harvard-Yenching Institute Publication Grant

In order to encourage publication of high quality academic monographs issuing from a research stay at the Harvard-Yenching Institute, the Institute invites applications from HYI alumni for a subsidy to facilitate publication by a reputable academic press.

The Harvard-Yenching Institute has allocated funding to allow for a limited number of high-quality book manuscripts to be published each year. This Publication Grant will be awarded on a competitive basis to authors who are former Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholars or Visiting Fellows (from the regular fellowship program as well as training programs), Coordinate Research Scholars, or recipients of the Harvard-Yenching Library Research Grant. Funding will be paid directly to the press.

A total of 6 grants are available every academic year, with no more than one to be offered for a publication in each of the following places: Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, and no more than two in China.

Eligibility Criteria

  1. The applicant must be a former Harvard-Yenching Institute Visiting Scholar, Visiting Fellow, Doctoral Scholar, Coordinate Research Scholar, or recipient of the Harvard-Yenching Library Research Grant who has returned to his/her home country for at least two years;
  2. The subject matter of the manuscript must be related to the humanities and social sciences with an emphasis on culture;
  3. A significant part of the research and/or writing of the manuscript must have been conducted during the author’s stay at the Harvard-Yenching Institute;
  4. The manuscript must be accepted for publication by a reputable academic press.  The selection of the press identified by the author must be approved by the Harvard-Yenching Institute;
  5. The press must agree to acknowledge the Harvard-Yenching Institute Publication Grant in the front matter of the published book.

Application Process

Applications should consist of the following items and should be submitted electronically to the Harvard-Yenching Institute at hyiprog@fas.harvard.edu.

  1. The applicant’s Curriculum Vitae (including the year when the HYI visiting scholarship was received and the names of any Harvard faculty member(s) with whom the applicant may have worked with during his/her research stay at the Institute).
  2. A summary of the manuscript in no more than 1,000 words.
  3. A full Table of Contents.
  4. One representative chapter of the manuscript, complete with citations.
  5. A letter from an academic publisher verifying that the manuscript is complete and has been formally accepted for publication pending receipt of adequate publication funding. The letter should also indicate the amount of the required fund and its rationale; the proposed publication schedule; the contact information for the appropriate press representative; the agreement of the press to acknowledge the Harvard-Yenching Institute Publication Grant in the front matter of the book; and, within two months of publication, the agreement of the press to provide a written narrative and financial report of how the fund was used.
  6. A detailed preliminary budget.

There are two deadlines for submission of applications to the publication grant each year: April 15 and October 15.  Decisions made by the HYI review committee are final.