Pre-Assignments for Fulbright Finland-U.S. ICECAP

Back to the main page

Please familiarize yourself with the information in advance so that during the Fulbright Finland-U.S. ICECAP we can focus on questions that you may have after you have gone through the materials.

On this page you can find these four modules:

  • Module 1: The Fulbright Finland Foundation, Its Global Network, and Your Role as a Grantee
  • Module 2: Your Role in Publicity and Outreach
  • Module 3: Fulbright Finland-U.S. ICECAP Theme Specific Background Reading
  • Optional Module 4: Getting to Know Finland

Module 1: The Fulbright Finland Foundation, Its Global Network, and Your Role as a Grantee

Learning objectives:

  • To get acquainted with the unique features of the Fulbright Finland Foundation as a private Finnish non-profit organization, and to be able to talk actively and knowledgeably about the Foundation and its mission and programs both in Finland and in the United States.
  • To become familiar with some of the key concepts related to the Foundation's programs, such as citizen diplomacy, science diplomacy, knowledge diplomacy, and cultural diplomacy, and to begin to think about and shape your own role as a grantee and citizen diplomat. 

Pre-assignments

1. Learn about the Fulbright Finland Foundation

The Fulbright Finland Foundation is a private not-for-profit organization registered under Finnish law. As an independent foundation, it provides a unique platform for a large number of programs between Finland and the United States. Please note that among those, there are both Fulbright programs as well as awards operating outside of Fulbright. All of these programs are equally important.

2. Begin to design your own role as a Fulbright Finland Foundation grantee

All of the Foundation’s programs are leadership programs. In this context, “leadership” does not refer to rank or titles, but rather to a conscious decision to take responsibility to create meaningful change – a decision that does not depend on age, background, field, or a specific grant program. 

Citizen diplomacy is the concept that the individual citizen has the right, even the responsibility, to help shape international relations and foreign affairs. All Foundation grantees are citizen diplomats. It is up to each grantee to decide what that role will look like in practice. It will likely be different, for instance, for a senior researcher than to a young undergraduate, or a professional. But all are equally important. 

As a grantee, you are not an official representative of your government. As a citizen diplomat, you serve as a cultural ambassador, sharing your own, individual cultural background, characteristics, and thoughts. 

  • Reflect on your personality, preferences, and strengths, and start to think about how you wish to shape the role for you so that it feels comfortable and empowering.

To help you design your own role, it is important to understand the different dimensions and emphasis that it can take. For this reason, take some time to become familiar with some key concepts, such as science diplomacy, knowledge diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, and public diplomacy, just to mention a few. 

3. Optional: If you have time and you are interested in learning more, please consider viewing the following additional resources:

Module 2: Your Role in Publicity and Outreach

Learning objectives: To develop an understanding of my ambassadorial role and my responsibilities in the Foundation’s publicity and outreach efforts.

Share information about your award

We encourage you to share your good news on social media.

The Foundation can be found on social media:

Acknowledging the Foundation and Program Partners

Use the correct award name

When referring to your award (in interviews, social media, presentations), always mention the Foundation and the program partners. 

For example, if your home institution publishes a news article about your award, make sure it mentions

  • the Fulbright Finland Foundation,
  • NCURA, and 
  • FARIA

Also, make sure the grant program is named correctly (Fulbright Finland-U.S. Icebreaker Capacity Building Program).

We have prepared a media resource with more information about the Fulbright Finland Foundation, which you can share with interviewers or use as needed.

Email signatures and business cards

Sample signature:
Name
Grant Name and Year, e.g. 2026 Fulbright Finland-U.S. Icebreaker Capacity Building Program

Research papers, talks, and exhibitions 

We hope you proudly acknowledge the Fulbright Finland Foundation, and use your identification as a Fulbright Finland fellow to advance your research and/or project. This is your judgment call to make, but we encourage you to recognize the Foundation if the paper, talk, exhibit etc. comes from your time as a Fulbright Finland Foundation grantee.

There is no standard required language, but you can use, for instance, the following sentence: “This research/work has been supported by the Fulbright Finland Foundation.”

Fulbright Finland Foundation and its supporters make the program possible, while the scientific content and the research findings remain the responsibility of the researchers and are credited to them.

Module 3: Fulbright Finland-U.S. ICECAP Theme Related Background Reading

Learning objective: To familiarize yourself with the program themes and existing collaboration on icebreaker development between Finland, U.S., and Canada.

Optional Module 4: Getting to Know Finland

We hope you will take some time to learn about Finland prior to your program. We have compiled below some information that our grantees have found interesting and helpful. 

Finnish Education System, Higher Education, and Science

Foreign Policy

History of Finland

Finnish history dates back more than 10 000 years, and we recommend reading about it. The in-person orientation will also include a presentation about Finnish history. 

If you have time and you are interested in learning more, please consider viewing the following additional resources:

Further Reading

The Guide for coming to Finland includes many interesting topics to read through before and after arriving in Finland:

Please note that these pages are for the Fulbright Finland Foundation grantees only and not to be shared publicly.