🇺🇸 The 2022 YTILI Fellowship Application is now open! Apply by March 15, 2022.
The Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative Fellowship Program
Don’t miss out on this opportunity of a lifetime to enhance your business and leadership skills, expand your professional network, promote transatlantic partnership, and grow your venture!
The Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI) is the U.S. Department of State’s flagship program for emerging entrepreneurs from Europe.
Since its launch in 2016, approximately 300 alumni from across Europe have bolstered their business skills and transatlantic partnerships through the YTILI Fellowship Program. YTILI uses entrepreneurship as a tool for economic empowerment to promote mutual understanding, enhance business and leadership skills, and build lasting partnerships between business leaders from Europe and the United States. YTILI will empower a new cohort of young European business and social entrepreneurs to grow their ventures, foster global partnerships, and positively impact the economic development of their communities.
The YTILI Fellows Program is a two-way exchange program designed to strengthen the transatlantic relationship, develop sustainable partnerships between U.S. and European entrepreneurs and innovators, promote regional integration and cooperation in Europe, and encourage European businesses, governments and civil society to develop their innovation ecosystems. The program includes a customized virtual YTILI entrepreneurial curriculum; a fellowship with a business or organization in one of nine U.S. cities; opening and closing conferences; and alumni engagement opportunities. The 2022 YTILI Fellowship Program will begin with the virtual curriculum in July 2022 with the U.S. fellowship scheduled for October 10 – November 3, 2022.
YTILI Fellows should be passionate about his or her business or social ventures and driving innovative and positive change in their home communities. We encourage you to apply if you would like to gain professional experience, develop transatlantic relationships, and scale your business or social venture at home.
The 2022 YTILI Fellowship Application is now open! Applications will be accepted through March 15, 2022.
Please note that if safe travel is not possible at the time of the YTILI Fellowship, this program will be conducted virtually.
The YTILI Fellowship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by
Application Webinars
YTILI Alumni Panel
February 23rd, 2022
4PM -5PM CET (9AM-10AM CST) (10AM – 11AM EST)
The YTILI Alumni Panel webinar will feature 3 YTILI alumni – learn firsthand about their YTILI journeys– what motivated them to apply, their YTILI experience, and their post-YTILI reflections. A short Q&A session will follow the panel.
#AskMeAnything YTILI 2022
March 9th, 2022
4PM -5PM CET (9AM-10AM CST) (10AM – 11AM EST)
The #AskMeAnything information session is for you to ask any remaining questions about the 2022 Program application and selection timeline, as well as general questions or concerns about the YTILI Fellowship.
Eligibility
Candidates will be considered without respect to race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexuality, national origin, disability or any other protected characteristic as established by U.S. law. Applicants with disabilities are eligible and encouraged to apply for the YTILI Fellowship Program. The YTILI Fellowship Program is open to young entrepreneurs who meet the following criteria:
- Are between the ages of 25 and 35 by March 15, 2022 when the application closes.
- Are a citizen and resident of one of the following countries: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom.
- Be a citizen and resident of the eligible country for which the applicant is applying (Note: Citizens of eligible countries residing in a different eligible country due to specific geo-political reasons may apply and will be considered by the Department of State on a case-by-case basis).
- Business or social entrepreneur, 25 to 35 years old, with a demonstrated track record of at least two years of experience successfully managing an entrepreneurial venture in their home countries. “Business entrepreneur” is defined as a person who has successfully started his or her own for-profit business and has successfully maintained the business for at least two years. “Social entrepreneur” is defined as an individual who implements an innovative solution to a pressing social challenge employing a job-creating and/or revenue-generating business model. Such social enterprises can be for-profit or non-profit.
- Demonstrated commitment to develop, enhance, or lead an existing venture. During the application process, successful candidates must provide a well-articulated action plan they will work to refine and for which they will seek support during their fellowships.
- Demonstrated viability of their current ventures through indicators such as: investment to date, current or planned number of employees, profits, social impact analysis, and an overall track record of achievement in the field.
- Self-directed and able to work effectively in a cross-cultural setting. Committed to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Are eligible and able to receive a U.S. J-1 Visa.
- Demonstrated proficiency in both written and oral English.
- Are committed to returning to his or her home country after completion of the program.
- Are not a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident of the United States or have applied for U.S. permanent residency in the past three years.
- Are not a U.S. government employee.
- Preference will be given to candidates who have not previously participated in U.S. Government programs or spent significant amounts of time in the United States.
Please note:
YTILI Fellows are not allowed to bring dependents (including spouses and children) during the U.S. Fellowship, U.S. Conferences, and the Innovation Summit.
The U.S. Department of State and WorldChicago reserve the right to verify the information included in the application. If there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the application will immediately be declared invalid and the applicant ineligible. If you do not meet the technical eligibility requirements for this program, we invite you to visit www.exchanges.state.gov or your home countries U.S. Embassy website for information on other U.S. Department of State exchange opportunities.
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State strives to ensure that its efforts reflect the diversity of U.S. society and societies abroad. The Bureau seeks and encourages the involvement of people from traditionally underrepresented audiences in all its grants, programs and other activities and in its workforce and workplace. Opportunities are open to people regardless of their race, color, sex, religion, geographic location, socio-economic status, disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity. The Bureau is committed to fairness, equity, and inclusion.
Application Instructions
The purpose of the application is to better understand applicants’ qualifications for the YTILI Fellowship Program. The application has four main sections outlined below. More detailed application instructions can be found on the application during the open application period.
1. General Information
The purpose of this section is to collect general information to confirm certain eligibility criteria.
2. Short Answer Questions
The purpose of this section is to highlight the applicant’s experience and leadership potential for the YTILI Fellowship Program.
3. Statement of Purpose
The purpose of this section is to evaluate the applicant’s personal and professional goals and the potential impact on their home communities and the YTILI network.
4. CV Attachment & Reference Letter
The purpose of this section is to emphasize the applicant’s qualifications and experience.
Selection Process
Throughout the process, applicants will be evaluated based on their leadership abilities, community impact and engagement qualities, clarity of program goals and objectives, program and cultural preparedness, innovative mindset, entrepreneurial background, and potential for community impact after the program. There are four stages of the YTILI Fellowship Program selection process. The stages are as follows:
1. Technical Eligibility
All applicants will be initially reviewed based on technical eligibility.
2. Application Review
If ruled technically eligible, applicants will then move onto the Application Review stage. The U.S. Department of State, WorldChicago, and a panel of experts will evaluate the completed applications.
3. Interview
Semi-finalists will be invited to participate in a virtual interview with U.S. embassies representatives, the U.S. Department of State, and WorldChicago.
4. Selection
The U.S. Department of State and WorldChicago will then select approximately 60 participants and a list of alternates. Finalists and alternates will be notified.
* Please note that if safe travel is not possible at the time of the YTILI Fellowship, this program will be conducted virtually.
Selection Process and Activity Timeline
| Activity | Dates |
| YTILI application release | February 1, 2022 |
| YTILI application deadline | March 15, 2022, by 11:59 pm EST |
| Semi-finalists are selected and interviews scheduled | April/May 2022 |
| Finalists and alternates selected | June 2022 |
| 2022 YTILI Fellows announced | June 2022 |
| Virtual entrepreneurship curriculum, led by DePaul University in Chicago, IL begins | July 2022; August 2022; September 2022 |
| 2022 YTILI Opening Conference in Chicago, IL | October 5 – 7, 2022 |
| U.S. Fellowship experience | October 10 – November 3, 2022 |
| YTILI Closing Conference in Washington, D.C. | November 7 – 9, 2022 |
| Virtual entrepreneurship curriculum, led by GEA College in Slovenia, begins | December 2022
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| Reciprocal Exchanges in various European countries | March 2023 |
