What if you could step away from your regular academic responsibilities and spend a semester or full academic year at Harvard University, focusing exclusively on research that could improve how cities solve complex problems?
The Bloomberg Harvard Visiting Scholars Program, hosted by the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, provides researchers with dedicated time and support to pursue rigorous, policy-relevant research on urban problem-solving, city leadership, public-sector innovation, and evidence-based policy.
The program is particularly relevant for researchers exploring how data, artificial intelligence, organizational innovation, and cross-sector collaboration can improve cities and public services.
Quick Facts
- Opportunity Type: Visiting Research Scholars Program
- Host: Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University
- Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
- Duration: One semester or full academic year
- Format: In-person residency
- Funding: Funded
- Housing: Provided near Harvard University
- Research Support: Financial support for sustained research
- Visa Support: Expected for eligible international scholars
- Nationality: International applicants welcome
- PhD Required: Yes
- Academic Appointment Required: Yes
- Application Fee: No application fee stated
- Application Deadline: October 28, 2026
- Selection Notification: February 2027
What Is the Bloomberg Harvard Visiting Scholars Program?
The program is designed to give researchers protected time away from their usual responsibilities so they can develop research with practical relevance to cities and public-sector leadership.
Visiting Scholars become part of the intellectual environment at Harvard and can engage with researchers, practitioners and other members of the Bloomberg Center for Cities community.
The central focus is on research that can contribute to understanding how cities can become more effective, innovative and capable of delivering solutions to complex urban challenges.
What Research Areas Are Covered?
Applicants can come from a broad range of academic disciplines.
Research proposals may explore areas including:
- Mayoral leadership and city management
- Public-sector performance
- Organizational capabilities for innovation
- Evidence-based policymaking
- Government delivery capacity
- Data-driven decision-making
- Artificial intelligence in government
- Cross-sector collaboration
- Urban governance
- Public-service innovation
- Strategies for solving complex urban challenges
The program particularly welcomes research that can generate insights relevant to real-world urban problem-solving.
What Funding Does the Program Provide?
The Bloomberg Harvard Visiting Scholars Program provides financial support intended to make the research residency possible.
Housing
Selected scholars receive housing near Harvard University during their residency.
Research & Financial Support
The program also provides financial assistance to support scholars during their time at Harvard.
This support may help researchers arrange time away from their normal academic responsibilities, including potential course buyouts or similar arrangements, allowing them to dedicate sustained time to their research.
Visa Support
Harvard anticipates sponsoring appropriate visas for selected international scholars, subject to applicable institutional policies and requirements.
Important: The available information does not describe the program as a fixed monthly-stipend fellowship. Potenue should therefore avoid presenting a specific salary or stipend amount unless Harvard publishes one.
Who Can Apply?
The program is intended for established researchers rather than current undergraduate or master’s students.
Applicants must:
- Hold a PhD or comparable terminal research degree
- Currently hold a faculty or research appointment
- Be affiliated with a degree-granting university or recognized research institution
- Develop a research proposal relevant to urban problem-solving or city leadership
Researchers from different disciplines and academic ranks can apply.
This means the program may be relevant to researchers working in areas such as:
Public Policy · Economics · Political Science · Urban Planning · Computer Science · AI · Sociology · Management · Public Administration · Data Science · Governance
Can International Researchers Apply?
Yes. The program is open to researchers from different countries.
For selected international scholars, the Bloomberg Center anticipates supporting the necessary visa process, subject to Harvard’s institutional requirements.
Applicants should still verify their individual visa eligibility and documentation requirements before applying.
Application Deadline
The application deadline for the inaugural program is:
October 28, 2026
Applicants will be notified of selection decisions in February 2027.
Selected scholars can choose between:
- One-semester residency
- Full academic-year residency
depending on the program arrangements and their research plans.
What Should Your Research Proposal Focus On?
A strong proposal should clearly connect your research to urban problem-solving or city leadership.
For example, researchers could investigate:
- How AI can improve government decision-making
- How cities can use data to improve public services
- How mayors can build high-performing teams
- What enables innovation inside government organizations
- How governments can implement evidence-based policies
- How public, private and nonprofit organizations can collaborate more effectively
The strongest proposals should make the practical relevance of the research clear rather than focusing only on theoretical questions.
Is This a Fully Funded Fellowship?
The program provides housing and financial support, along with anticipated visa sponsorship for eligible international scholars.
However, based on the information available, it is more accurate to describe this as a funded visiting scholars program rather than claiming that every possible expense is fully covered.
Potenue should avoid using “100% fully funded” unless the official program guidelines explicitly confirm complete coverage of all participant expenses.
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