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The Yegor Gaidar Summer Leadership Program

The Yegor Gaidar Summer Leadership Program is a joint project of the Yegor Gaidar Foundation and USRF. The program will enable young Russian leaders (3 and 4-year students) from the regions to acquire the knowledge, skills, and practical experience necessary for building a dynamic market economy. The priority areas are economics and entrepreneurship.

Initially, Perm and Saratov regions of Russia were selected for the pilot project implementation. In future the program will be expanded to include more participants and involve new regions of Russia.

A three-week program to introduce ten undergraduate students to entrepreneurship and start-up company development will be comprised of educational, practical application, networking and cultural activities. During the program each student will develop an individual business project related to high-technology and innovations. The program also includes:

• Visits to high technology start-ups and early stage companies
• Visits to the Purdue Research Park and Purdue Technology Center. 
• Lectures from experienced entrepreneurs.

The target audience of the program is active and ambitious students with deep knowledge of their major. The opportunity to take an internship in the USA will be given to students

• displaying leadership potential,
• aspiring to realize their professional ambitions after returning to Russia,
• willing to apply knowledge and skills obtained during the internship in the US.

The participants will be chosen by an expert committee of American and Russian specialists in economic policy and entrepreneurship on the basis of a two-round competition.
The advantages of the internship

• Acquiring new knowledge and broadening one's personal and professional scope.
• An opportunity to compare the methods of teaching and learning in Russia and the USA.
• Improving proficiency in English, studying professional terminology.
• An opportunity to learn the principles of work of foreign companies, to try oneself in working in the international business context, in a different business environment.
• Gaining experience in a certain field of work, an opportunity to learn the latest technologies and methods from leading specialists in different spheres.
• The advantages of future employment in Russia – internships abroad are viewed as a useful experience of scientific ideas, research and technology exchange.

Financial internship provisions

• Round-trip travel from fellow's home city to host institution in the USA
• Tuition fees at the US university
• Room and board (housing and meals)
• US visa support
• Accident and sickness coverage (medical insurance)

This year competition is closed. The first-round results will be announced at the end of January, 2012. Notification letters will be sent to the applicants via email.
The Application forms for the next year will be posted on the web-site, when the new competition is announced (expected date – October 2012). Please follow the updates on our web-site.

If you have any questions about participation in the program, please contact us: