Fulbright Finland Travel Grants for Arctic Collaboration

Purpose of the Grant Program

The Fulbright Finland Travel Grants for Arctic Collaboration are special awards for researchers, faculty, and administrators from Finland whose work relates to the Arctic. The grant supports short-term visits to the U.S. to initiate or advance research collaboration and/or institutional partnership with a U.S. host institution in an Arctic-related field. 

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 Arctic-related research and build collaboration between their Finnish home institution and a U.S. host institution 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 a U.S. host institution in Arctic-related education, research, or outreach (e.g., mobility, education collaboration, joint research infrastructure, development of research and development ecosystems). 

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 collaboration between the Finnish home institution and the U.S. host institution, and cooperation between Finland and the U.S. in the relevant Arctic field
• 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. 

What Counts as an Arctic Project?

A project qualifies when the Arctic, the sub-Arctic, or the circumpolar North is the subject of the research or partnership, or when the collaboration is explicitly designed to serve Arctic communities, environments, or institutions.

Applications from all disciplines are welcome. Proposals in icebreaker science and technology, polar maritime engineering, and Arctic shipping are of particular interest.  

Topics could include, but are not limited to: 

• Icebreakers, naval architecture, and polar maritime technology
• Arctic ecosystems, cryosphere, and permafrost
• Arctic governance, security, including energy security, international cooperation, and law
• Arctic Ocean, sea ice, and marine research
• Arctic shipping, ice navigation, maritime safety, and operations in ice-covered waters
• Arctic societies, languages and cultures
• Education, research training, and community engagement in Arctic regions
• Health, wellbeing, and service delivery in sparsely populated northern regions
• Infrastructure, logistics, construction, and technology for cold climates
• Responsible use of natural resources, energy, and the circular economy in the North

The applicant must explain in the application how the proposed visit relates to the Arctic. Applications in which the Arctic connection is incidental or added as an afterthought will not be competitive.

Background of the program

The Fulbright Finland Travel Grants for Arctic Collaboration are special awards for Arctic cooperation between Finland and the United States. The award is a special call within the two existing Fulbright Finland short-term travel grant models, the Travel Grants for Research Collaboration and the Travel Grants for Institutional Partnership Building.

The grants build on the Fulbright Finland-U.S. Icebreaker Capacity Building Program (ICECAP), which in November 2026 brought U.S. experts in icebreaker and polar technology to Finland. The travel grants work in the other direction and across the whole Arctic field: they enable Finnish researchers, faculty, and administrators in any Arctic-related discipline to travel to the U.S. and develop collaboration with a U.S. host institution.

Benefits

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

Grant:

• The grant is awarded as a single sum. When planning the budget in the application, use the following two components as guidelines:
  • Travel allowance of up to 2 000 euros, based on the realistic cost of an economy-class round trip between the applicant’s home city in Finland and the U.S. host city.
  • Accommodation allowance of 1 000 euros per week for the first four weeks of the visit and 700 euros per week for each week thereafter.
• The total grant can range up to 12 300 euros. The exact grant amount is determined on the basis of the application and the length of the visit.
• 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.
• The grant may not be used for covering meals or other living costs. Applicants should be prepared to cover all other expenses related to the visit through other funding sources. 

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 and higher education representatives in Finland whose proposed visit is related to the Arctic. This includes:
  • Researchers, including doctoral students (Research Collaboration track)
  • Administrators, i.e., staff involved in institutional or academic administration (Institutional Partnership Building track)
  • Faculty members, i.e., teaching or academic staff (either track, depending on the purpose of the visit) 
• Home institution: Applicants must be affiliated with a Finnish higher education institution or a Finnish research institute (e.g., the Finnish Meteorological Institute, Natural Resources Institute Finland, Finnish Environment Institute, Geological Survey of Finland).
• 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:
  • Research Collaboration track:
    • Previous recipients of the Fulbright Finland Travel Grant for Research Collaboration are ineligible to apply.
    • 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 Travel Grants may apply for another Fulbright Finland Foundation grant after submitting a completed final report of their travel grant visit.
  • For Institutional Partnership Building track
    • Previous recipients of any Fulbright Finland Foundation grants and staff of the Foundation are ineligible to apply for this grant (includes all years of programs and operation since 1949).
    • Recipients of the Fulbright Finland Travel Grants may apply for another Fulbright Finland Foundation grant after submitting a completed final report of their travel grant visit.
  • Parallel applications: An applicant may not submit the same project to this grant and to other Fulbright Finland Travel Grants in the same application round. Applicants whose project is Arctic-related should apply through this special award.

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 may 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.

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 Travel Grants for Arctic Collaboration
• 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 Arctic-related 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. In addition, the review considers the Arctic relevance of the proposal and the concreteness of the planned collaboration. 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, regarding 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.