Fulbright Arctic Initiative | Fulbright Scholar Program

Non-U.S. Scholars

Each year roughly 850 faculty and professionals from around the world receive Fulbright Scholar awards for advanced research and university lecturing in the United States. Individual awards are available to scholars from over 100 countries.

Non-U.S. Scholars

U.S. Institutions

U.S. Higher Education institutions are instrumental to the success of the Fulbright mission. They are key allies in advancing the goal of sharing knowledge across communities, promoting mutual understanding across nations and improving lives around the world.

U.S. Institutions

Fulbright Arctic IV (2024-2026)

Building on the scholarship of three previous cohorts of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative, Fulbright Arctic Initiative IV brought together a network of twenty outstanding professionals, practitioners and researchers from the United States (6), Canada (3), the Kingdom of Denmark (including Greenland) (3), Finland (3), Iceland (3), Norway (1), and Sweden(1) for monthly webinars, thematic group collaboration, three in-person meetings and an individual exchange experience between 2024 and 2026. Two Co-Lead Scholars, alumni of FAI, provided intellectual leadership and guidance throughout the program, in addition to mentoring program participants, connecting program scholars to other international experts, and facilitating discussion and collaboration among the scholars.

FAI IV stimulated international research collaboration on different dimensions of Arctic security while increasing mutual understanding between people of the United States and other Arctic countries. Using a collaborative, multi-dimensional, interdisciplinary approach, the program addressed key research questions relevant to Arctic countries’ shared challenges and opportunities as they relate to the multiple elements that contribute to the Arctic being a safe, healthy, and prosperous place to live and thrive.

Each Fulbrighter participated in an individual exchange visit to another Arctic country to conduct research on their individual research topic and to serve as a cultural and scientific ambassador from their country of origin, in addition to taking part in virtual and in-person meetings to collaborate with the full group and with their thematic research groups. In April 2026, the full group convened in Anchorage, Alaska to present and discuss their research findings with other Arctic experts and general audiences.

Program Activities

FAI IV scholars actively participated in several different learning environments. The components of this Fulbright opportunity included:

Thematic Group Collaboration. A significant component of FAI is to collaborate in interdisciplinary thematic groups to develop recommendations for Arctic experts working within and across various fields. The fourth cohort focused on three areas: 1) Mental Health and Well-Being, 2) Arctic Resources, and 3) Security and Governance. In their thematic groups, scholars produced white papers and manuscripts based on their thematic findings as well as a collaboratively written brief that summarizes their recommendations for a wide range of audiences. To inform these efforts, each thematic group conducted three to five community listening sessions in communities of their choosing to gather input and feedback on their research findings.
In-Person Meetings. Scholars attended three in-person meetings over the course of the 18-month program. The first two in-person meetings in Norway (September 2025) and Greenland (June 2026) provided opportunities for scholars to work together on their thematic group topic and products with in-person mentorship from the Co-Lead Scholars and other members of the FAI IV leadership team. The final in-person meeting took place in Anchorage, Alaska, where scholars were able to showcase their thematic group and individual research findings through a series of events and meetings with Arctic experts, professionals, and policymakers while interfacing with broader audiences.
Individual Exchange Visit. Each scholar also undertook an individual exchange of 6-12 weeks to conduct research on a topic of their choosing. American scholars visited other Arctic countries, while citizens of other nations conducted their exchange visits at research institutions in the United States. These individual research exchange visits allowed scholars to study and learn about the values and culture of their host country as well as to study a particular area of scholarship that enhanced and contributed to their existing work and led to innovations in their fields.

Research Findings

View recommendations generated by the three collaborative working groups of the fourth cohort of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative.

Interested in Applying to Join the Next Cohort of the Fulbright Arctic Initiative?

The program does not currently have an active competition open, but please check this website for updates on upcoming opportunities. Interested parties may email the program at arctic@iie.org or sign up to receive updates and announcement about future opportunities.

The Fulbright Arctic Initiative is a program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA).