Fulbright Germany’s Central Theme for 2027: CONNECTING GENERATIONS

For 75 years, Fulbright Germany has been shaped by people who have built bridges, taken on responsibility, and strengthened transatlantic exchange through personal encounters and long-lasting relationships. Our anniversary year 2027 will therefore be guided by the theme Connecting Generations. It honors the generations of Fulbrighters who have laid the founda-tion for today’s One Fulbright Community while inviting those who will write the next chap-ter of this network. We shape the future of Fulbright by building on the experiences, com-mitment, and relationships of those who have shaped Fulbright before us.

Fulbright @ 75 – Connecting Generations

Since 1952, Fulbright Germany has supported academic and cultural exchange between Ger-many and the United States. Over more than seven decades, tens of thousands of students, researchers, educators, and alumni have built bridges across the Atlantic through their expe-riences, gained new perspectives, and forged lasting connections. Our anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on these stories while also looking ahead.

For 75 years, Fulbright has understood exchange as more than an academic experience: it is also a form of people-to-people diplomacy. The personal encounters and long-term relation-ships that emerge from these experiences continue to provide an important foundation for transatlantic relations.

For us, Connecting Generations means much more than bringing together different genera-tions of Fulbrighters. The theme represents the passing on of knowledge, experiences, and relationships that build trust across generations and enable international cooperation. We connect alumni, grantees, partner organizations, and supporters of the program, foster mu-tual learning, and create relationships that strengthen trust, understanding, and collabora-tion. In this way, we are building a transatlantic network that draws on the experiences of past generations while remaining open to new ideas and perspectives.

Our annual theme will accompany us throughout 2027 in all our programs, events, and en-counters with grantees, partner organizations, and alumni. Yet the journey begins as early as 2026. Together, we will celebrate America250, 80 years of global Fulbright, 40 years of Ful-bright Alumni e.V., and 30 years of the VFF. Together, these anniversaries tell the story of a community that has taken on responsibility across generations and helped shape transatlan-tic exchange.

Through our Fulbright Thanksgivings in Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, Leipzig, and Frei-burg, we are already inviting our community in 2026 to shape this transition together and turn our attention toward the next major chapter. The anniversaries of 2026 will thus lead into the highlight of our anniversary year in 2027: 75 years of Fulbright Germany.

Together, we will not only celebrate our history but also shape the future of our transatlantic network — supported by a strong One Fulbright Community and a shared commitment to carrying the Fulbright Experience forward for generations to come.