Seeking Solutions for Global Challenges Award

The Seeking Solutions for Global Challenges Award is a unique grant opportunity for U.S. scholars and professionals who want to impact the future and make a difference, finding solutions to current and global challenges through their research, teaching, or professional projects. The award is available for any field for visits of 2-6 months.

Purpose of the Grant Program

This award is designed to enable U.S. scholars and professionals to conduct research and/or teach in any discipline and/or conduct professional projects on topics of current and global importance at any Finnish institution for a period of two to six months.

The Fulbright Finland Foundation operates under the brand promise “Together Shaping the Future” and its vision is to “empower the minds that will find global solutions to tomorrow’s challenges by fostering academic and professional expertise and excellence in leadership”. The award was created to support the Foundation’s vision.

The award is meant for scholars and professionals who want to impact the future and make a difference, finding solutions to current and global challenges through their research, teaching or professional projects. The proposed Fulbright project should focus on a timely topic with global importance and produce benefits of significance to a wide community. Projects that are focused at a local level that have the ability to address international and global challenges are considered. Projects aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are encouraged.

Academic candidates are expected to teach and/or participate in research work according to the agreement between the candidate and the host. Likewise, candidates pursuing a professional project should discuss the content of the project with the host.

For teaching/research awards, applicants should discuss the teaching/research ratio with the host institution before requesting an invitation letter (e.g. lectures, modules or entire courses).

Read an article about the inaugural recipients of the new award.

Project focus areas could include (but are not limited to) the following:

Governance, Peace, and Wellbeing

Global health
Equitable Societies
Human rights and inclusive societies
Women in Society
Preventing Radicalization
Peace Mediation
Multilateralism
Education and innovation

Shared Environments

Sustainability
Climate Change
Arctic Cooperation
Circular Economy
Energy and resources

Emerging Technologies & Hybrid Threats

Artificial Intelligence
Cybersecurity
Media Literacy, Disinformation, and Societal Resilience

Managing Migration & Humanitarian Crises

Displaced Persons, Refugees, & Asylum Seekers
Irregular Migration
Economic Migrants

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Benefits

The Award is available for visits of 2–6 months. It includes:

Monthly grant of 5,000 EUR (approx. 5,600 USD*), paid out in euro in monthly installments.
One-time travel allowance of 1,800 USD.
Residence permit allowance based on the actual permit fees (incl. grantee and accompanying family members).
Housing for the scholar and their accompanying family arranged and paid for by the host institution. This information should be confirmed in the letter of invitation. Applicants should communicate their housing needs to the host institution during the application process so that appropriate housing can be arranged for them.
Orientation and support services provided by the Fulbright Finland Foundation in Helsinki. For example, the Foundation will arrange a four-day arrival orientation in Helsinki for all U.S. Fulbright grantees at the end of August each year (orientation is also arranged in January for grantees arriving for the spring semester).
Fulbright Finland mid-year activities and networking opportunities (such as the American Voices Seminar at the University of Turku) each year.

* amounts in USD are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.

Eligibility

The award is open for both academics and professionals. For academic applicants Ph.D. or other terminal degree is required. Professionals applying for the award should have significant professional experience.

The candidate must be a U.S. citizen. Proposals for medical research involving clinical training, patient care or patient contact are not eligible. Please contact the Fulbright Finland Foundation if you have any questions about the eligibility of your project.

U.S. Scholar Program eligibility guidelines and review criteria are published on the Fulbright Scholar Program website.

In Finland the applications are evaluated according to the evaluation criteria set by the Fulbright Finland Foundation Board.

Applicants residing in Finland are not eligible for a Fulbright grant.

Host institution

Any appropriate Finnish higher education institution, research center/institute or other applicable institutions to your specific project.

Candidates are expected to secure an affiliation with a Finnish institution and include a letter of invitation in the application. Assistance in locating possible host institutions and making connections is available from the Fulbright Finland Foundation if needed.

Read also about tips for finding a host university in Finland.

How to Apply?

The application period for the academic year 2024-25 has ended!

The U.S. program partner in the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program is the Institute of International Education IIE. Applications are submitted through IIE and forwarded to discipline-based peer review committees in the U.S. Applications that pass this initial peer review in the U.S. are forwarded to the Fulbright Finland Foundation in Helsinki to be reviewed by the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s review committees. The Fulbright Finland Foundation makes the funding decisions and final selections of grantees.

Additional information and detailed application instructions are available from the Fulbright Finland Foundation and the Fulbright Scholar Program websites.

Resources for Hosts:

Instructions for writing invitation letters and a checklist for a U.S. scholar's host

Timeline


Application period starts:	February 1, 2023
Application period ends:	September 15, 2023
Earliest possible starting date:	August 2024
Orientation seminar in Helsinki:	TBC (expected in mid-August 2024 and mid-January 2025)

Further Information

NOTE: Late June, July and early August are traditionally summer vacation months in Finland and responses to inquiries may be delayed. Applicants are advised to contact the Finnish host institution well ahead of time to solicit an invitation letter for their application.

Useful links:

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.