Fulbright Finland - E. Michael Loovis Travel Grants to Cleveland State University

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The competition for visits in the 2027–28 ends on January 27, 2027, at 23:59 (Finnish time).

Purpose of the Grant Program

The Fulbright Finland–E. Michael Loovis Travel Grants to Cleveland State University are intended for researchers, faculty, and administrators from Finland to initiate or advance research collaboration and/or institutional partnership with Cleveland State University (CSU).

Applicants apply in one of two tracks and indicate the track in the application form:

• Research Collaboration for researchers, including doctoral students, who wish to advance their own research and build collaboration between their Finnish home institution and a CSU in that research area.
• Institutional Partnership Building for administrators and faculty members who wish to initiate or advance long-term partnerships between their Finnish home institution and CSU in research, or outreach (e.g., mobility, education collaboration, joint research infrastructure). 

The proposal for the visit should include the following goals:

• Advancing the applicant's own research goals (applicable only for Research Collaboration applicants)
• Initiating or advancing long-term institutional partnerships between the applicant’s Finnish home institution and Cleveland State University
• Sharing information about Fulbright Finland Foundation grant opportunities both while in the U.S. as well as at the home institution in Finland

Examples of activities during the visit may include making contacts, launching or piloting collaboration projects, negotiating agreements, planning joint field studies, preparing joint publications and funding proposals, developing mobility, curriculum, or exchange cooperation, and agreeing on the shared use of research infrastructure.

It is also possible to attend conferences and conventions, but the grant is not awarded solely for conference attendance. Teaching cannot be the primary purpose of the grant, and candidates need to be aware that for teaching purposes a visa is required, and it is the grantees’ own responsibility to obtain a visa. The goals of the visit must be realistic given the proposed length of stay.

Background of the program

The Fulbright Finland - E. Michael Loovis Travel Grants to Cleveland State University are special awards made possible by a long-term alumni donation agreement.

Benefits

The grants are available for visits ranging from one week to three months, and include:

Grant:

• The total grant can range up to 5 000 euros. The exact grant amount is determined on the basis of the application.
• The grant is awarded as a single sum. When planning the budget in the application, use the following two components as guidelines:
  • Travel: the realistic cost of an economy-class round trip between the applicant’s home city in Finland and the U.S. host city.
  • Accommodation: the realistic cost of accommodation at the host city for the duration of the visit.
• The grant may not be used for covering meals, local transportation, or other living costs. Applicants should be prepared to cover all other expenses related to the visit through other funding sources.
• If a visa is required, the visa application fee (the consular fee paid to the U.S. Embassy) is compensated separately based on the actual fee and is not counted toward the maximum grant amount. Fees charged by the host institution for issuing the DS-2019 form or other visa-related documents are not covered.

Support services and additional benefits: 

• Personal advising services throughout the process provided by the Fulbright Finland Foundation in Helsinki.
• Orientation training to the U.S. culture, higher education system, and details for the upcoming visit. The training includes online materials and an orientation day in Helsinki.
• Access to local alumni support networks in Finland and in the U.S. 

Eligibility

• Who can apply: This grant is open to researchers (including doctoral students) and higher education representatives in Finland. This includes:
  • Researchers, including doctoral students
  • Administrators (staff involved in institutional or academic administration)
  • Faculty members (teaching or academic staff)
• Citizenship and residence: Applicants do not need to be Finnish citizens. However, they must be residing in Finland at the time of application and have a Finnish personal identity code.
• Grant period:
  • The visit may begin no earlier than May 20, 2027, and must conclude by April 30, 2028.
  • The visit can last from one week to three months.
  • Grantees must return to Finland after the travel grant visit.
• Individual grants:
  • Travel grants are awarded to individual applicants. Grants are not available for groups.
  • Duplicate or substantially similar applications from the same institution and focusing on the same project will be deemed ineligible.
• Previous grants:
  • Previous recipients of the Fulbright Finland Travel Grants are ineligible to apply again for the same travel grant category.
  • Applicants who have received another grant from the Fulbright Finland Foundation may apply for this grant one year after completing the previous grant.
  • Recipients of the Fulbright Finland - E. Michael Loovis Travel Grant to Cleveland State University may apply for another Fulbright Finland Foundation grant after submitting a completed final report of their travel grant visit.

Visa Requirements:

• Grantees with Finnish citizenship or from countries eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) may be able to travel to the U.S. without a visa. However, depending on the specific project, the U.S. host institution may require applicants to apply for an Exchange Visitor (J-1) Visa.
• Citizens of countries that are not part of the Visa Waiver Program need a Temporary Business Visitor (B1) Visa or, if required by the host institution, an Exchange Visitor (J-1) Visa.
• Fulbright Finland Foundation does not sponsor visas to the U.S.

Cleveland State University

Cleveland State University (CSU), established in 1964, is a public research university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. With approximately 14,000 students and 1,500 faculty members, CSU offers over 200 academic programs across eight colleges, including Engineering, Business, Law, and Health. The university is renowned for its partnerships with leading organizations, such as the NASA Glenn Research Center, and boasts an urban campus with more than 40 buildings that foster a vibrant academic community.

CSU’s commitment to research and innovation makes it an excellent choice for visiting scholars and professionals. The university is involved in applied research across various fields, providing state-of-the-art facilities and resources that support collaborative projects. Its strong connections to Cleveland’s dynamic industries, healthcare sector, and cultural institutions offer visiting researchers valuable networking opportunities, while CSU's emphasis on community engagement and global collaboration positions it as an ideal partner for establishing long-term academic and institutional relationships.

How to apply?

Applications are submitted through the Fulbright Finland Foundation's online application portal. Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed.

Steps

• Open the application portal and create an account.
• Click Start a new application and choose the Fulbright Finland - E. Michael Loovis Travel Grants to Cleveland State University
• Attach the required documents in the application portal, each as a separate PDF file:
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Invitation Letter from the U.S. host institution, which should include information about the:
    • Purpose of the visit
    • Estimated visit dates
    • Name of the host for the visit
    • Information about visa requirements: If a J-1 visa is needed, the host institution must sponsor it by issuing a Certificate of Eligibility for Exchange Visitor (DS-2019)
• Request a recommendation letter from your Finnish home institution by sending your recommender the recommendation link provided in the portal. The recommender submits the letter directly through the portal by the application deadline. The letter should:
  • Evaluate your professional work
  • Describe the potential for collaboration between the Finnish home and the U.S. host institution
  • Assess the applicant's suitability as an ambassador of Finland, their home institution, and the Fulbright Finland Foundation
• Submit your application in the portal by the application deadline.

The recommendation may be written by, for example, the Dean, Head of Department, Research Director, or another appropriate person. Doctoral students must request a recommendation from their supervisor. Recommendation letters are confidential and will not be shared with applicants.

Please note:

• Only one submission is allowed per applicant.
• Applications cannot be edited after submission.
• The applicant is responsible for ensuring that the application, all attachments, and the recommendation letter are submitted through the portal by the application deadline.

Support for Grantees with Disabilities

Extra funding support is available for grantees with disabilities. If you have a disability that would cause additional costs for the grant term, contact the Foundation to discuss reasonable accommodations. Send your self-assessment with a description of the disability and the specific accommodations requested to the Foundation (mihkel.vaim@fulbright.fi) by the grant application deadline.

Please note that disclosing the need for disability accommodation does not affect the review and selection process. 

Evaluation criteria

The applications are evaluated according to the evaluation criteria set by the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board, and the interviews focus on the following attributes. The Foundation does not provide feedback on individual applications, their review process, or on any single grant decision.

The grantees are required to submit a final report to the Fulbright Finland Foundation within 14 days upon the completion of the visit. The Fulbright Finland Foundation will also send a follow-up inquiry one year after the visit on continuing home and host institution collaboration and Fulbright Finland information sharing at the Finnish home institution.

What is the Fulbright Finland Foundation?

The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a private, independent, not-for-profit organization based in Helsinki, Finland. The Foundation’s aim is

• to promote a wider exchange of knowledge and professional talents through educational contacts between Finland and the United States, and
• to support the internationalization of education and research in Finland, and help U.S. and Finnish institutions create linkages.

What Makes the Fulbright Finland Foundation Programs Unique?

• In addition to the grant, the Fulbright Finland Foundation offers the grantees several additional benefits and free support services, as well as an access to a global, multi-professional network.
• We are looking for applicants who want to impact the future and to make a difference – applicants who want to facilitate positive change, develop and advance their own profession or discipline, and find solutions to national and international challenges in their field.
• The grantees also act as ambassadors for the Fulbright Finland Foundation, their home country, and their home organization and, in this way, do their part in sharing their home country and culture and contributing to the relations between Finland and the U.S.

This program is fully sponsored by the Fulbright Finland Foundation, and it is implemented outside of the U.S. State Department sponsored Fulbright program.