Business Leaders and Professional Fellows Programs

The U.S. Department of State funds a variety of Business Leaders and Professional Fellows Programs. In partnership with American Councils for International Education, we host the Professional Fellows Program for Europe and Eurasia (PFP Europe/Eurasia), Ukrainian Business Leaders: Promoting Innovation and Entrepreneurship (UBL PIE), Uzbekistan Business Leaders (UBL), Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Professional Fellows Program (YSEALI PFP), and Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI).

These initiatives aim to foster mutual understanding, improve leadership and professional abilities, and create enduring, sustainable connections between mid-level emerging leaders from other countries and the United States. The early and mid-career professionals who participate in these programs gain practical experience through four-week placements at local businesses and organizations in the greater Austin area. These experiences allow for two-way exchange in which both the international Fellow and the local host expand their cultural and professional knowledge and understanding.

Some Business Leader and Professional Fellowship Programs have an opportunity for reciprocal exchange in which the local host can apply for funding to enact a program in the Fellow’s home country. This further supports the programs’ goal of fostering and deepening relationships between the U.S. and the many countries with which these programs engage.