Research Expertise from the Academic Diaspora (READ) Program
Albanian-American Development Foundation, in coordination with the Institute of International Education, has established the Research Expertise from the Academic Diaspora Fellowship Program (READ). READ Fellowship Program is a 7-year project that will connect Higher Education Institutions in Albania with the Albanian scientific diaspora and their respective academic institutions.
The READ Fellowship Program is part of AADF’s investment in the education sector, a portfolio which now includes over 30 different projects, and has allocated a budget of $2.75 million to develop a stronger bond between local researchers and the Albanian diaspora.
Albania is one of the leading countries in the world in terms of international migration, with more than 1.4 million Albanians living abroad and more than 2,500 Ph.D. holders of Albanian origin. This program offers a unique opportunity to address the untapped potential of the Albanian intellectual diasporas in ways that would enhance capacities and bring about structural changes in the Albanian higher education system. The Diaspora Fellowship Program will set up a catalytic model for Fellows and Albanian HEI alike to benefit from creative collaborations. On the one hand, READ will allow diaspora scholars to make a meaningful contribution to Albania. On the other hand, the program will strengthen the capacities of Albanian HEIs by making full use of the valuable skills and experiences of the diaspora.
READ Fellowship Program has three key objectives:
sustainability, institutional capacity building and community engagement.
READ Program will award up to 100 fellowship grants to members of the Albanian academic diaspora and up to 100 research grants to Albanian resident scholars in these four focus areas:
1. Co-authored research papers published in peer-reviewed journals;
2. Joint supervisions of PhDs;
3. New curricula developed and updated;
4. Co-teaching hours