Press Release
from Middle East Initiative, Belfer Center
Gift from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences extends collaboration of 15 years
Cambridge, MA — Harvard Kennedy School has received a gift of $6 million from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences to develop the next generation of leaders and scholars from Kuwait, the Gulf region, and the broader Middle East, and fund research on issues of vital importance in the region. The gift is a renewal of existing support provided to the Kuwait Program at the Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
“The Middle East is experiencing a profound transition, confronting political, demographic, and economic challenges and opportunities that will have a tremendous impact on the future of the region and the world,” said Douglas W. Elmendorf, dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. “We are grateful to have the continued support of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences in our mission of educating future leaders from the region to advance public policies that can have a positive and lasting impact.”
The gift will support, over a period of five years, customized executive education programs and fellowships for existing programs, fellowships for students from the region who are interested in master’s degrees in public policy or public administration, research grants for Harvard faculty, and a visiting researchers and scholars program. The funding also supports the research and leadership development programs at the Middle East Initiative.
Over the past 15 years, the Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School has awarded a substantial number of research grants, facilitated the training of executives from Kuwait in Harvard executive education programs, hosted senior policymakers and scholars on campus, and provided full-tuition support to several master’s degree students from Kuwait, the Gulf, and the Middle East.
“This new chapter of the Kuwait Program builds on the recognized achievements and experience of the past 15 years. I commend the dedication of the Kuwait Program team that has made our engagement with Harvard Kennedy School so fruitful and beneficial,” said Adnan Shihab-Eldin, director general of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences. “I look forward to maximizing capacity building opportunities in social science research and public policy in Kuwait over the next five years.”
Nicholas Burns, Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations, and faculty chair of the Middle East Initiative, said, “We are grateful for the Kuwait Foundation’s continued support for our Middle East programs at the Kennedy School. This generous gift will enable us to deepen our support for research at Harvard and for our students interested in the future of the region. These next five years will be a critical time to strengthen Harvard’s connection to the peoples of the Middle East.”