Sustainable Development
Russia
Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
The U.S. Scholar Program to Russia has been temporarily suspended.
Lead an advanced course in sustainable development in English for Russian students and graduate students; give a series of occasional general lectures in English for the wider student body, assisted by an interpreter. Consult with Russian university faculty members on curriculum development and research questions in the area of sustainable development.
The U.S. professor will teach in his/her area of specialization, which could be any area of sustainable development, and will help shape the sustainable development curriculum and teaching standards in Russian education. Teaching duties would equate to one course per semester.
Possible course titles in sustainable development include, but are not limited to:
- International Trade and Sustainable Development; Global Finance and Regulation
- Corporate Governance
- Comparative Urban/ Regional Planning
- Resource Economy
- Economic History: Global Trends in Market Development in the 20th Century
- Politics/ Economics of Sustainable Development
- Indicators and Indices of Development
- Representation and Accountability
- Politics of Nature
- Environmental Security
- Global Public Goods
- Environmental Science and Public Policy
- Energy Law, Policy, and Climate Change
- Governance for Sustainable Development
- Immigration, Racial Change, and Education in the 21st Century Metropolis
- Methods of Teaching in Sustainable Development
- International Sustainable Development Education
- Role of Technology in Sustainable Development
Scholars selected for this grant will be required to attend a mandatory Pre-Departure Orientation in Summer 2025.
The award has been hosted repeatedly by Higher School of Economics, one of the leading institutions of higher education in Russia. The award is open to other locations, as well.
Four to nine months, depending on needs and interests of host institution.
One-semester grants may begin in September 2025 or late January 2026. Grants starting in September 2025 will be for four months in duration and grants starting in January 2026 will be for four or five months in duration.
Two-semester grants (9 months maximum) must begin in September 2025.
- International Trade and Sustainable Development; Global Finance and Regulation
- Corporate Governance
- Comparative Urban/ Regional Planning
- Resource Economy
- Economic History: Global Trends in Market Development in the 20th Century
- Politics/ Economics of Sustainable Development
- Indicators and Indices of Development
- Representation and Accountability
- Politics of Nature
- Environmental Security
- Global Public Goods
- Environmental Science and Public Policy
- Energy Law, Policy, and Climate Change
- Governance for Sustainable Development
- Immigration, Racial Change, and Education in the 21st Century Metropolis
- Methods of Teaching in Sustainable Development
- International Sustainable Development Education
- Role of Technology in Sustainable Development
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
All teaching will be in English; additional language proficiency not required.
Applicants must have a minimum of five years of experience at an institution of higher education or equivalent experience in a corporate or non-profit institution or government service. Rank of associate or full professor is preferred.
$3,550
$1,000 books and educational materials allowance; should be donated to the host institution (or other entity) upon grantee's departure.
Additional living and housing allowance is provided for grantees with one accompanying dependent or two or more accompanying dependents. These amounts range from $200/month to $400/month.
In addition, a travel allowance of $2,500 is provided for one dependent and $5,000 for two or more accompanying dependents.
Reimbursement for dependent education expenses may be available on a limited basis, depending on funding availability and grant duration. Grantees should confirm with IIE that proposed expenses meet eligibility criteria; however, availability of funds may not be known until the end of the academic year.
Dependents must accompany the grantee for at least 80% of the period abroad and a minimum of one semester in order to qualify for additional dependent benefits.
Please refer to the figures above for an estimate of total monthly Fulbright award benefits. Benefits may include a monthly base stipend, living and housing allowances, and additional one-time allowances. Benefits may vary based on a scholar's current academic rank (or professional equivalent), the city of placement, the type of award (teaching, teaching/research, or research), and the number of and duration of stay of accompanying dependents. Research-only or Professional Project grantees receive a standard stipend that is not adjusted for academic rank. In most cases, dependent benefits will not be provided to Flex grantees, or to grantees pursuing grants less than four months (or a semester) in length.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State reserves the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Russia
The U.S. Scholar Program to Russia has been suspended through the 2024-2025 academic year. Potential applicants for 2025-2026 need to discuss the status of the U.S. Scholar Fulbright Program to Russia with IIE (202-686-4000) before applying.
The Fulbright Program in Russia has existed for nearly half a century and has established a strong and positive reputation among institutions of higher education, government agencies, and the Russian public in the Program’s pursuit of mutual understanding between United States and Russian citizens and institutions. Today, there are more than 2,300 Russian Program Alumni and over 1,200 U.S. Alumni many of whom remain active supporters of the program and maintain ties with their host institutions and the many friends that they have made while on the program.
The International Fulbright Program Team is staffed by highly experienced academic exchange specialists, welcomes applications to the Fulbright Scholar Program from scholars of diverse social, academic, and vocational backgrounds and does not insist that participants speak Russian, have prior experience in the Russian Federation, or have Ph.D.’s. While there are academic research projects that require near fluency in Russian and a high level of experience in Russian academic research settings, many US scholars who have successfully participated in the program have taught a variety of courses in English in a range of Russian academic departments (English-taught courses are in high demand in Russia as it globalizes its higher educational system).
Good general information about Russia can also be found via the links below:
- Federal Agency on Tourism - RF Travel and Tourism
- Ministry of Education website about higher education in Russia for international students -
- U.S. Embassy in Russia - Resources for U.S. Citizens
Core Program
The core program is open to both academics and professionals. The academic year in Russia consists of two semesters, generally beginning the first week of September and the first week of February. Affiliations are available at a wide range of Russian academic institutions, and recent successful affiliations have been at institutions in Belgorod, Irkutsk, Izhevsk, Kaliningrad, Kazan, Krasnoyarsk, Novosibirsk, Perm, Petrozavodsk, Pskov, Rostov-on-Don, Tomsk, Tula, Tyumen, Vladivostok, Vologda, Volgograd, Voronezh, Ulan-Ude, Yekaterinburg and Yoshkar-Ola, among others.
The International Fulbright Program Team will consider placement requests based on prior academic contacts, if available, between scholars and proposed host institutions. However, final placements will be determined by the Program Team. Only a limited number of research awards will be awarded for Moscow and St. Petersburg. Scholars should expect to remain primarily in a single host city/institution, and they should not expect split affiliations or significant travel to secondary cities for research or lecturing purposes. Scholars traveling with children have successfully enrolled their children at a variety of English and Russian language schools, depending upon their needs.
All scholars are required to enter Russia on a U.S. passport with a Russian visa.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.