The Research Expertise from the Academic Diaspora (READ) Fellowship Program was founded in 2021 by the Albanian-American Development Foundation to provide a formalized and structured opportunity through which the Albanian academic diaspora can contribute to the development of higher education institutions in Albania and the overall development of scientific research in the country. Launching its first call for applications in January 2022, READ will bring 100 researchers of Albanian heritage living in OECD countries over a 7-year period to work with higher education institutions in Albania on collaborative research projects and capacity-building activities such as Ph.D. supervision, curriculum co-development and co-teaching for periods of 1 to 6 months. READ is administered in cooperation with IIE.