Fulbright grants are highly competitive and aim to support academic exchanges between Portugal and the United States, enabling students, academic staff and researchers to undertake advanced studies or research projects at higher education institutions in the United States.

Between the academic years 2020/2021 and 2025/2026, a total of 46 Fulbright grants were awarded to members of the scientific community within the University of Porto research ecosystem.

The grants awarded cover a wide range of scientific fields, with a particular focus on Life and Health Sciences (63%) and Exact and Natural Sciences (13%).

Of the total number of grants awarded, 80% correspond to 'Fulbright Grant for Research' awards, most of these supported by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) (61%) and the Luso-American Foundation for Development (FLAD) (15%). Also noteworthy is a percentage of 11% of the grants aimed at academic staff and researchers holding a PhD, under the 'Fulbright Grant for Scholars and Researchers with PhD' programme.

Over the period analysed, there has been a steady increase in the number of grants awarded, with particular emphasis on the most recent years. Following the award of three grants in 2020/2021, the number rose to seven in 2021/2022, reaching a peak of ten grants in 2022/2023. In subsequent years, the figures remained relatively stable, with eight grants awarded in 2023/2024 and nine grants in both 2024/2025 and 2025/2026. This trend highlights the progressive expansion of the programme and the consolidation of the University of Porto’s presence within the Fulbright programme.

Most of the grants awarded are of short duration, with four-month stays (43%) and six-month stays (37%) being the most common, reflecting the flexibility of the programme and its suitability to the needs of the academic community.