BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program

Overview

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Office of Private Sector Exchange (BridgeUSA) announces an open competition for the administration of the FY 2023 BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program. The BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program provides between 30 to 45 scholarships for academic participants from within Ukraine. Programming will support scholars from Ukraine to collaborate and learn with U.S. counterparts, enabling them to put their exchange experiences into practice within their home institutions to rebuild and enhance higher education opportunities in Ukraine, and to support the rebuilding of Ukraine’s physical and social infrastructure. Throughout the program, exchange visitors will be encouraged to think about how they can apply lessons learned in the United States to their home institutions and share what they have learned within their communities.

BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program Model

1. Educational Placements/Professional Development: Proposals shall describe how exchange visitors will be supported in educational placements directly related to fields of study. This component is intended to provide exchange visitors with hands-on experience and ample opportunities to interact with their U.S. academic colleagues. Proposals should clearly outline how partnerships between exchange visitors and the U.S. host organization will be maintained after the exchange ends, and detail professional development opportunities for exchange visitors to maximize opportunities to collaborate with and learn from U.S. counterparts (e.g., participation in research conferences in the exchange visitor’s area of expertise or collaboration on initiatives or projects with U.S. colleagues).
2. Cultural Exchange: The proposal must explain how exchange visitors will engage in enrichment activities and shall include creative ideas for exposing exchange visitors broadly to U.S. institutions, society, and culture, including opportunities for students to better understand and appreciate diversity in the United States. BridgeUSA welcomes creative ideas for introducing exchange visitors to American institutions. Past examples include but are not limited to: visits to polling places, attendance at school board or city council meetings, and visits to museums, concerts, plays, and other cultural events featuring American content. The proposal must include a program component that matches exchange visitors with U.S. friendship families, mentors, or peers to facilitate the development of personal friendships and exposure to U.S. culture. Exchange visitors must also have opportunities to share their cultures and perspectives with Americans, e.g., exchange visitor presentations about their country or culture to college classes, local schools and community groups, and participation in community programming.
3. Leadership Development: The proposal must describe how the program will develop the leadership skills of BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program exchange visitors to enhance their capacities and to prepare them to share what they have learned with others in their community upon return home. Examples may include information on placements that will enable exchange visitors to take on leadership roles (e.g., teaching a class in their field where permitted by EVP regulations, involvement with student campus groups, or hosting a seminar).

• Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. Apply to ASU's internal limited submission competition on InfoReady.
• The BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program will focus on Ukrainian academics living in Ukraine in any of the three eligible J-1 categories: Professor, Research Scholar, and Short-Term Scholar. Scholars may be selected from disciplines in any of the following eligible fields: Agricultural Technology, Conflict Resolution/Peace Studies, Engineering, Information Technology, Mental Health, Pedagogy, and Urban Planning (refer to Section C.2.1. for details on eligible J-1 categories and eligible fields). Competitive proposals will demonstrate the ability to place exchange visitors across a wide variety of eligible fields. To ensure maximum program flexibility and in recognition of the challenges created by longterm absences from Ukraine given Russia’s full-scale invasion, the award recipient may have the capability of the Out of Country functionality in SEVIS for eligible J-1 categories to allow for continued program participation from Ukraine.

• Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. 
• Approximate Total Funding: $500,000, pending the availability of FY 2023 funds.
• Approximate Number of Awards: One.
• Anticipated Award Date: September 1, 2023, pending the availability of FY 2023 funds
• Anticipated Project Completion Date: September 1, 2026.