The following eligibility criteria apply:

• Citizenship and residency in the Czech or Slovak Republics;
• At least five years of professional experience;
• University education with a minimum BA or BS degree;
• Fluency in English;
• Czech or Slovak employer support.

Subject to these general criteria, the demonstration of your qualifications is largely in your own hands. As a young leader, you need to have the drive, the professional and the communication skills to convince your peers at home and in the United States, and the selection committee that you are the best suited candidate to take part in this program.

CAUTION: The goal of this program is to develop young leaders in their home countries. Anyone who would use the program to seek employment in the United States will be required to reimburse the Fund the full program cost plus a 50% surcharge as penalty.

The following materials are required in order for an application to be processed:

• Completed application - Application Form Part 1 and Application Form Part 2;
• Curriculum vitae;
• Proposal specifying your tailor-made program - Proposal Outline;
• Photocopies of all diplomas;
• Transcripts from all universities attended;
• Two original letters of recommendation from persons familiar with your academic and professional background - English, Czech and Slovak forms;
• Certificate of English proficiency (TOEFL or TELP) or a statement written by the applicants themselves, describing their English proficiency.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

ALL MATERIALS MUST BE IN ENGLISH. DIPLOMAS AND TRANSCRIPS MUST BE CERTIFIED COPIES OF ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS ACCOMPANIED BY ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS.

APPLICATION PACKAGE MUST BE RECEIVED BY MARCH 30, 2012 AND MUST BE COMPLETE IN ORDER TO BE CONSIDERED. Applicants must submit their completed applications in the country of their employment by registered mail directly to us at the Fund and a copy in an electronic version by e-mail to mherman@afcsls.org.

The electronic copies of your proposal specifying your program will be distributed for evaluation by the selection committee.

The Fund covers the full cost of the program, which includes tuition, administrative fees, round trip economy class airfare ticket, accommodation, local transportation, medical insurance, and monthly maintenance.

The grant is disbursed in two lump-sum tranches. The first tranche, two thirds of the grant, is disbursed contingent upon submission of an insurance certificate and issuance of US entry visa. The second tranche, the remaining one third, is disbursed upon submission of a final report following the completion of the project.(Final Report Outline)

Individual program costs are likely to vary widely depending on the specific location, arrangements with your partners and the length of stay in the United States. In general, the Fund follows the policy of the Fulbright Program.

CAUTION: The Fund does not provide financial support for spouses and family members. If you want to bring your relatives you have to support them on your own.

The following critical dates apply:

• Fall 2011 - deadline for 2012 applications posted
• March 30, 2012 - deadline for submitting applications
• Early April 2012 - completion of screening program applications
• Late April 2012 - interviews with selected candidates
• Early May 2012 - notification of selected candidates
• May/June 2012 - issuing of grant documents, visas, insurance and other materials
• July 2012 - commencement of the program
• Fall 2012 - deadline for 2013 round of applications posted

Ivana Chapcaková, is our only 2011 participant. Her program combines courses in Global Health Leadership at New York University and internships with Africare, an NGO, and Naturopathic Medicine for Global Health, a nonprofit health care organization promoting Naturopathic Medicine as a feasible and cost effective healthcare alternative. Her overall objective is to gain knowledge and practical experience to enable her to integrate a nonprofit enterprise into the health system in Slovakia. Read her program proposal.

Adriana Baňárová, MD, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, to study diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms of patients with internal diseases, and to transfer new ideas into Slovak emergency medical facilities partnering with Mercy Hospital, Iowa City. Read her program proposal and learn about her accomplishments.

Veronica Chobotová, PhD, Institute for Forecasting, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, to study agent-based modeling and the principles of social simulation, and apply them to cooperation and innovation diffusion in sustainable use of natural resources, working with Arizona State University, Center for Institutional Diversity. Read her program proposal and learn about her accomplishments.

Martina Fojtiková, Revírní Bratrská Pokladna (Health Insurance) Slezská Ostrava, to identify approaches and measures of preventive health care, disease management and health promotion aimed at policy holders applicable to the Czech healthcare system, working with the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and Kaiser Permanente a major US health insurance provider. Read her program proposal and learn about her accomplishments.

Zuzana Kaparová, MA, Personal Assistant to the Minister of Environment, Prague, to learn the working of the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, to exchange experiences with competent authorities, and to develop her leadership skills for future career in environmental protection. Read her program proposal and learn about her accomplishments.

Ondřej Sochor, MD, School of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, to work with the team of Cardiovision 2020 and the Division of Cardiovascular Diseases and Internal Medicine Mayo, Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Through this project develop links with Cardioangiology Department at St. Ann University Hospital, Brno. The objective is to learn from his American partners at Cardiovision 2020 and Mayo Clinic on how to improve prevention of cardio diseases. Read his program proposal and learn about his accomplishments.

Zdenek Vrbka, MA, Faculty of Informatics, Masaryk University, Brno, to study experiences with fostering cooperation between academia and industry; to improve his teaching skills in software quality and testing and teaching skills in general, working with Loyola University, Graduate School of Business and the Department of Computer Science, Chicago. Read his program proposal and learn about his accomplishments.

Martin Pešl, MD, is our only 2009 participant. He worked with the University of Minnesota/Mayo Clinic to obtain insight into the management and coordination of a stem cell research facility, and learn advanced transferable techniques in the research and applied clinical practice. His objective was to establish links between the University Stem Cell Institute and the International Centre of Clinical Research - Cardiology of St. Anne's University Hospital of Masaryk University, Brno. Read his program proposal and learn about his accomplishments.

Jiří Hnilica, PhD, associate professor at Prague University of Economics, participated in executive training sessions at Harvard University on participant-centered learning with emphasis on case study teaching, course development, and participant-centered learning methods combined with a three months internship at the University of Denver. Read his program proposal and learn about his accomplishments.

Július Hodosy, MD, PhD, Faculty Hospital, Comenius University in Bratislava, studied guidelines and techniques for emergency medicine partnering with Mercy Hospital, Iowa City. The objective was to improve emergency medicine services at the Faculty Hospital. Read his program proposal and learn about his accomplishments.

Richard Salzman, MD, PhD, St. Anne's University Hospital in Brno, established a link between the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a center of excellence in head and neck cancer and Clinic of Otorinolaryngology, and Head and Neck Surgery of St. Anne's Faculty Hospital at Masaryk University. Read his program proposal and learn about his accomplishments.

Naděžda Špidurová Matějková, Masaryk University in Brno, learned and acquired experience about professional legal education and development of new study programs, combining executive training at Northwestern and University of Illinois combined with internship at John Marshall School of Law, University of Chicago. Read her program proposal and learn about her accomplishments.

All four participants completed their programs by December 2008. They are expected to stay involved with our Fund, share their program experiences with their peers and the general public, advise others interested in the program, and otherwise promote future activities of the Fund.