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

This page is currently being updated.
The competition for visits in the 2026–27 academic year will open on November 12, 2025.

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.

The proposal for the visit should include the following goals:

• Advancing the applicant’s own research goals (applicable only for scholar 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 contracts, and conducting research. 

It is also possible to attend conferences and conventions, but the grant is not awarded solely for conference attendance. Teaching during the grant term is allowed but cannot be the primary purpose of the visit. 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 grant may be used to cover round-trip travel between Finland and the U.S. host city, as well as accommodation costs during the visit. It may not be used for covering local transportation costs. If a visa is required, the visa fee can be calculated as a travel expense in the application and will be compensated based on the actual fee.
• The exact grant amount is determined on the basis of the application, and the total grant can range up to 5000 euros.
• 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. 

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 ([email protected]) by the grant application deadline.

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

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 13, 2026, and must conclude by April 30, 2027.
  • 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?

Before submitting your application, please ensure that you have completed the application form and compiled all required documents listed below. 
Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Required Application Documents

• Application Form
  Complete the application form using Microsoft Word and save it as a PDF before submission.
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  Submit your CV as a separate PDF document.
• Invitation Letter from the Cleveland State University
  The letter should include information about the:
  • Purpose of the visit
  • Estimated visiting 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)
• Recommendation Letter from the Finnish Home Institution
  The letter must be submitted directly by the recommender via this link by the application deadline.
  • Evaluate your professional work
  • Describe the potential for collaboration between the home and host institution
  • Assess the applicant’s suitability as an ambassador of Finland, their home institution, and the Fulbright Finland Foundation

The recommendation can be, for example, from the Dean of the Faculty, Head of Department, or other as appropriate.
Doctoral students must request a recommendation from their supervisor.

Recommendation letters are confidential and will not be shared with applicants.

Please submit the completed application form as well as all the required supplements here by the application deadline.

Submitting Your Application

Once you have all the required documents ready, submit your complete application via the online form (SurveyMonkey link).

• Upload all required documents in the appropriate sections of the form.
• Only one submission is allowed per applicant.
• Applications cannot be edited after submission.
• The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all attachments are submitted via the online forms by the application deadline.

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, 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.