The Philippines and the United States joined forces to launch a new fellowship program on May 13 designed to bolster innovation in the Philippines’ higher education system.

The Higher Education Innovation Leaders Fellowship Program is funded through the US Agency for International Development’s (USAID) five-year $30 million UPSKILL initiative. 

The program aims to equip senior academic officials with the skills and knowledge necessary to develop high-impact and innovative programs within their institutions.

“This fellowship program represents our investment in developing leaders who will inspire change and strengthen the country’s higher education sector through innovation and collaboration,” said USAID Philippines Mission Director Ryan Washburn during the launch.

Sixteen Philippine academic leaders will be chosen to participate in the eight-month program. 

Fellows will engage in learning sessions focused on global trends in higher education, strategies for driving organizational reforms, and crafting solutions to elevate the impact of higher education programs. 

A key highlight of the program is a week-long immersion experience at Arizona State University, a recognized leader in U.S. higher education innovation.

The fellowship program is one aspect of a broader collaboration between USAID and the Philippine Commission on Higher Education (CHED) formalized through a signed memorandum of understanding.

“These fellows will be bringing contributions and cultivating advocacies of transformation through the fellowship program,” said CHED Chairman Dr. J. Prospero De Vera III. 

“I look forward to seeing them working collectively towards a goal of a strengthened higher education system leading to inclusive growth in the Philippines.”

Through the UPSKILL program, USAID will also provide technical assistance to CHED in crafting the Philippines’ Higher Education Sectoral Development Plan and implementing the Philippine Qualifications Framework. 

Additionally, USAID will support the development of CHED’s One-Touch Management Information System, designed to streamline access to essential services and data visualizations for CHED and its stakeholders.

This initiative builds on USAID’s longstanding commitment to strengthening the Philippines’ education system. Since 2012, USAID has invested more than $60 million to improve Philippine higher education.