Innovation and Creative Thought through Fulbright

Message from Executive Director Belinda Theriault

Dear grantees, alumni and friends,

It has been a busy 2026 so far. In addition to our regular programming, we wanted to do something special to commemorate the 250^th anniversary of the United States and the 80^th anniversary of the global Fulbright Program, something that would highlight the significant global cultural contribution of the United States. We could think of no better way to do this than through a celebration of gospel music, a uniquely American genre that has influenced musicians all over the world, offering a message of hope, perseverance and faith that good will prevail. Our America250 Gospel Celebration at Vídalínskirkja Church was led by Fulbright Specialist David Anderson, who worked with conductor Ingvar Alfreðsson and the Vídalínskirkja Gospel Choir, as well as with Phillip Doyle, Associate Professor at the Iceland University of the Arts, and some of his students. They performed to a full house and the atmosphere was amazing. David noted at the outset that the African American church is all about participation and before we knew it, he had not only the American guests, but all the Icelanders on their feet, participating – and that is no small feat! The event highlighted the importance of people-to-people diplomacy. I dare say that this was an innovative and creative Fulbright project and shows that Fulbright can be utilized in many different ways to build partnerships and highlight the deep friendship between the people of the United States and Iceland.

There has been no rest this summer, as we have worked on some exciting development projects. We are, e.g.,  developing further our excellent cooperation with the University of Miami, through the Cobb Family Fellowship, to allow grants not only to support Icelandic students to study at UM, but also potentially for UM students to conduct research in Iceland. We are planning the Fulbright Iceland 70^th anniversary celebrations in 2027, so stay tuned to our social media, website and emails!

Perhaps our most exciting news is that we are currently working on a geothermal deep drilling Fulbright project. We see much potential here to expand U.S.-Iceland cooperation to the benefit of both countries, as IDDP-3 gets underway in Iceland. This project is a clear example of how Fulbright can bring value and benefit to large-scale research projects with major technological and commercial implications. So, I dare say that Fulbright Iceland is going strong as we continuously strive to bring innovation and creative thought to our work.