Fulbright U.S. Specialist Program

Research

Fulbright U.S. Specialist Program

Organizations receive US experts for short-term capacity building projects.

Who is this program for?

The program is aimed at higher education institutions (HEIs), HEI consortia, public entities, research centers, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), cultural institutions, and other organizations committed to education, research, and development in Colombia.

Through this program, organizations can receive visits from U.S. specialists who contribute to institutional strengthening, training, knowledge transfer, and cultural exchange, thereby promoting academic and professional growth in various areas of knowledge through short-term projects.

Call for applications open from November 18, 2025, to February 15, 2026.

Description of the exchange

The program offers Colombian organizations the opportunity to receive specialized advice from a U.S. expert for a period of fourteen (14) to twenty-one (21) days. This program promotes new forms of collaboration between Colombian and U.S. institutions.

En el marco del proyecto presentado por la institución, el/la especialista podrá realizar las siguientes actividades:

Curriculum development and/or evaluation
Development and/or evaluation of new programs and initiatives
Specialized consulting
Training programs for teachers, researchers, students, or institution officials
Specialized classes, seminars, workshops, and conferences at the postgraduate level.

Requirements

Institutions interested in participating must meet the following requirements:

Registration form: Complete the institutional registration on the Fulbright Colombia platform.
Online application: Complete the application form on the Fulbright Colombia platform.
Letter of commitment: Submit an official document wherein the institution commits to covering the costs of accommodation, food, and local transportation for the specialist, in accordance with the minimum amounts established in the call for applications.

Benefits

1. Provided by Fulbright Colombia

Specialist fees
International airfare between the United States and Colombia
Basic Accident and Illness Program with Minimum Coverage (ASPE).
Comprehensive monitoring and support during the stay in Colombia.

2. Counterpart contribution from the host institution in Colombia

Accommodation during the specialist’s stay.
Meals, in accordance with the minimum amounts established in the call for proposals.
Local transportation necessary for the development of project activities.

Application process

Each institution interested in participating must follow these steps:

1. Document review

Please read the Terms of Reference
and annexes.
Call for applications opens: November 18, 2025.

2. Registration on the application platform

Create an account on the Fulbright Colombia application platform
Verify and activate your account via the email you received.
If you already have an account, you can use it to apply for the call for proposals.

3. Completion of Registration Form for Institutions

Complete the Registration Form for Institutions available on the platform.
You will receive a confirmation email after submitting the form.

4. Submission of the application to the Fulbright U.S. Specialist Program

Complete the Fulbright U.S. Specialist Program application on the platform.
The application can be completed progressively before the closing date.
Call closing date: February 15, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

5. Schedule for the call for applications

Call for applications: November 18, 2025 – February 15, 2026 (11:59 p.m.).
Technical review: February 2026.
Academic Evaluation: March 2026.
Publication of list of selected candidates: April 30, 2026.

6. Preparing for your stay

The selected institutions will coordinate with Fulbright Colombia on the logistical details for receiving the specialist.
Minimum start date for the stay: September 1, 2026.

Update: Please refer to the new version of the Terms of Reference published on January 22, 2026, regarding the maximum number of days allowed for the specialist’s stay.

Results of the 2026–2027 Call for Applications

The Fulbright Commission in Colombia is pleased to announce the institutions selected for the 2026–2027 Fulbright U.S. Specialist Program.

Proposals were evaluated through a competitive process that considered criteria such as relevance, institutional impact, feasibility, and the potential to strengthen academic cooperation between Colombia and the United States.
We congratulate the selected institutions and thank all the organizations that participated in this call for proposals for their commitment to the internationalization of higher education, research, and knowledge exchange.

Below is the list of projects and institutions selected for the 2026-2027 cohort.

No.	Institution	Project Title	Co-funding
1	Pontificia Universidad Javeriana	AI and Data Governance for Higher Education in Colombia	ICETEX
2	Universidad Nacional de Colombia, sede Manizales	Generative AI Capacity for Teaching and Research	ICETEX
3	Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia – UPTC	Bridging the Expertise Gap in Perovskite Science	ICETEX
4	Pontificia Universidad Javeriana	Accelerating the Internationalization of Javeriana Spin-offs	Comisión Fulbright Colombia
5	Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín	Renewable Energy and AI Models for Electrical Systems	ICETEX
6	Universidad Ean	Building Capacity for Secure, Scalable AI Systems	ICETEX
7	Corporación Clúster Náutico y Marítimo de San Andrés, Isla	Ocean-as-Territory Governance Route – San Andrés Island	ICETEX
8	Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga	UNAB PhD Engineering: Global Impact Operating System	ICETEX
9	Pontificia Universidad Javeriana	From Research to Impact: A University Science Park	Comisión Fulbright Colombia
10	Universidad Icesi	Legal Frontiers: Migration, Human Rights, and Legal Clinics	ICETEX
11	Empresa de Renovación y Desarrollo Urbano de Bogotá	ZIBo: From Initiative to Institutional Governance	ICETEX
12	Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga	Creativity for Regional Development – Social Transformation	Comisión Fulbright Colombia
13	Escuela Superior de Guerra “General Rafael Reyes Prieto”	SNATSS: Social Network Analysis Training for Security Studies	ICETEX
14	Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Seccional Bucaramanga	Implementation of High-Impact Entrepreneurship Incubation	ICETEX
15	Universidad Católica de Colombia	ELPIS II: Data Analysis & AI for Decision-Making	Fundación Amigos de Fulbright
16	Universidad INCCA de Colombia	Strengthening Curricula and Hybrid Pedagogical Practices	Comisión Fulbright Colombia
17	Pontificia Universidad Javeriana	Capacity for Research Impact and Civic Engagement	Fundación Amigos de Fulbright
18	Corporación Universitaria Remington	Strengthening Institutional & Curriculum for E-commerce	Fundación Amigos de Fulbright
19	Universidad Católica de Pereira	Technology Transfer and Spin-off Creation for the UCP-FUC	ICETEX
20	Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca – Unicomfacauca	Strengthening of the Cauca Economic Observatory	ICETEX
21	Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Medellín	Estuaries in a Changing Climate: Challenges and Opportunities	ICETEX
22	Corporación Universidad de la Costa CUC	Strengthening Internationalization of the Curriculum at CUC	Fundación Amigos de Fulbright
23	Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana	Summer-Lab: Caribbean Landscape Observatory	Comisión Fulbright Colombia
24	Escuela Tecnológica Instituto Técnico Central	Transformation for the Integration of Technologies at ETITC	ICETEX
25	Corporación Universitaria Comfacauca – Unicomfacauca	Future Design Lab 4 Entrepreneurs in Higher Education Cauca	Fundación Amigos de Fulbright

Research