U.S. Fulbright student Molly Schwarz talking to high school students in a classroom

Fulbright Speaker Program

Invite a U.S. Fulbright grantee to your school or institution to give a talk on a specific research topic or more general American theme!

The Fulbright Speaker Program is an easy opportunity for Finnish schools and other institutions to internationalize their learning environment for students and faculty members alike.

In addition to their Fulbright projects, the U.S. Fulbright grantees can give back to the Finnish community and contribute to the internationalization of Finnish education by providing intercultural interaction for students and in many cases also insight into the subject matter being studied. 

The Fulbright Speaker Program gives U.S: grantees a chance to learn about the world famous Finnish education system and schools, while meeting teachers who are genuinely excited to learn about the grantees and have them in their classroom.

Fulbright-Nokia Distinguished Chair Dario Salvucci and his son Milo visited an English class at Nurmo secondary school. “The visit was a very good experience for all of us. Dario and Milo had created a PowerPoint presentation about their lives in the U.S. and in Finland. Both the students and the teachers learned about living in the U.S. and had a chance to talk with native English speakers. We are very grateful for the visitors!” says Minna Ingerttilä, teacher of English and Swedish, Nurmo secondary school

Each year, the Fulbright Speaker Program facilitates a large number of speaking engagements throughout the year and directly reaches hundreds of young Finns in all parts of the country.

Each year, the Fulbright Finland Foundation brings over 40 U.S. professors, graduate students, teachers and professionals to Finland. Find out more about the current Fulbright Finland grantees by reading the CV catalogue.

"Take advantage of all the possibilities that are offered to Fulbrighters. I was able to speak to a local high school and it has been one of the best experiences so far. Your Fulbright experience is not limited to just teaching or doing your research." - U.S. Student Grantee 2014-2015
 
Fulbright-University of Tampere Scholar Peter Miller talking to a full lecture hall at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences

Are you a U.S. Fulbright grantee who has held a talk at a school or organization? Tell us about the visit here!

Funded Speaker Program Visit

To support all the interested Finnish schools and organizations in their internationalization efforts, Fulbright Finland Foundation provides special funding for the Fulbright Speaker Program. In order for the Fulbright Speaker Program request to be considered for funding, the following conditions must be met: 

  • Suitable Fulbright speakers are not available close to the host institution
  • Costs of the Fulbright Speaker program would be too high for the host institution
  • Impact of the visit would be significant in terms of: fewer opportunities for international exposure at the host organization, number of participants reached during the Speaker program, local or national visibility for the Speaker Program, type of the audience (e.g. educators with a large multiplier effect)
  • Host organization agrees to write a highlight/impact statement about the visit with photos included for reporting purposes.

The Fulbright Finland Foundation will purchase the train, flight or bus tickets for the grantee directly, after the host and the grantee have agreed on and provided the visit details to the Speaker Program coordinator.

If you would like to invite a grantee to your institution and are seeking funding, please fill this survey and the Foundation will be in touch with you: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/speaker-program

Questions?