WASHINGTON, D.C. /eNewsChannels/ — The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announced today the launch of the Fulbright Regional Network for Applied Research (NEXUS) Program. Through international exchanges, seminars, and collaborative research, Fulbright participants from the United States and other countries throughout the Western Hemisphere will engage in collaborative thinking, analysis, and problem-solving with a focus on improving the quality of life for communities in the region.
The Fulbright Program has long pioneered exchange programs that promote cooperation and synergies among government, academic, private and civil society to increase mutual understanding and address critical global issues. Building upon this tradition, the Fulbright NEXUS Program offers a collaborative model for regional scholarly exchange that moves beyond theory. The program will encourage the formation of networks of scholars, practitioners and applied researchers, fostering joint ventures with long-term regional impact.
Fulbright NEXUS Scholars will spend up to one calendar year engaged in multi-disciplinary, team-based research in one of three broad, interrelated topics: Science, Technology and Innovation; Entrepreneurship; and Sustainable Energy. Applicants to the program must describe how they will explore public-policy research questions in the topical areas of engagement, demonstrating how their research project will involve governments, NGOs, businesses, and communities. Ultimately, participants will be expected to develop and pilot effective cross-sector implementation activities related to their research at the local, national and regional levels.
The Fulbright NEXUS Program draws on current U.S. foreign policy initiatives that promote the sharing of best practices to fight poverty and inequality in creative, market-driven and socially responsible ways. As the Western Hemisphere continues to be plagued by the largest income gap in the world, initiatives such as Pathways to Prosperity, the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas, and the Inter-American Social Protection Network respond to the regional imperative of expanding broad-based economic opportunity to all citizens. In addition, Fulbright NEXUS builds on the accomplishments of other collaboration-based Fulbright models, including the worldwide Fulbright New Century Scholars program, and Fulbright student enrichment programs in the area of ‘Lab to Market’ innovation and social entrepreneurship.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. For more information, please visit .
