Department of Government

In 1998, the Luso-American Development Foundation has initiated a partnership with Georgetown University, including its Department of Government, the Department of Spanish & Portuguese, and the BMW Center for German & European Studies.  The first step of that partnership was the creation of the FLAD Visiting Professorship in the Department of Government, which has filled until today by several distinguished political scientists and scholars. The second step in the FLAD-Georgetown partnership came in 2004, when an agreement was signed for the “Project on New Directions in the Lusophone World” which has generated several conferences, scholarships, and fellowships for lusophone students and scholars. Under this project, a new Lusophone Proseminar will be taught in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese studies, scheduled for the Spring 2012 Semester.

FLAD, the Luso-American Development Foundation, is a private, financially independent Portuguese institution. Its main goal is to contribute towards Portugal's development by providing financial and strategic support for innovative projects by fostering cooperation between Portuguese and American civil society. It was created in 1985, the fruit of a decision made by the Portuguese government to create a private institution that would be constant, flexible and independent in promoting relations between Portugal and the United States. Its initial assets were formed by transfers of funds from the Portuguese government and resources resulting from the Cooperation and Defense Agreement between Portugal and the USA in 1983. Its initial endowments were € 85 million and since 1992 it has lived exclusively from the income on its assets. The Foundation is an active member of the main national and international foundations networks, namely the Portuguese Foundation Centre (CPF), the European Foundation Centre (EFC), the Council on Foundations and the Bellagio Forum for Sustainable Development.