The year 2023 was a challenging one for many communities around the world, with widespread disruption to multiple national academies.
The outbreak of civil war in Sudan fueled a surge in applications, with Sudanese scholars representing half of all IIE-SRF applications received in 2023. Afghanistan and Ukraine remained top sources of applications, with this past year marking two years since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan and one year since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. When violence broke out in Israel and Palestine later in the year, IIE-SRF began to receive inquiries from affected scholars and awarded emergency fellowships to program alumni from Gaza who had returned home and faced renewed threats. In addition, the ongoing higher education emergencies in Cameroon, Iran, Venezuela, Yemen, and elsewhere continued to underline the increasing need for support of threatened scholars around the world.
The above crises led to IIE-SRF receiving a record number of applications in 2023 – for the 7th year in a row. To help meet this growing need, we awarded a total of 127 fellowships in 2023, another annual record. Throughout the year, IIE-SRF supported nearly 250 scholars from 24 countries undertaking their fellowship activities.
IIE-SRF’s ability to assist this unprecedented number of scholars is made possible by the dedication of our partners, including our funders and the global network of individuals and institutions that make up the IIE-SRF Alliance. This year, we reached the milestone of 500 host institution partners in 56 countries, including our first host partner in Indonesia.
This work is not only humanitarian. It also benefits the host institutions, the national academies involved, and the global scientific community. IIE-SRF scholars bring great value to their home and host communities, which continues long after their fellowship appointments end. According to recent updates to an IIE-SRF impact study, alumni are undertaking groundbreaking research, sharing their knowledge with new generations, and improving their communities by expanding academic freedom and advancing social justice.
IIE-SRF remains committed to stepping up to meet the challenges that face higher education communities around the world by offering hope, empowerment, and practical opportunities to threatened and displaced scholars. Read more here.
