About this event
The Essentials
- What: The READ Albanian Diaspora Forum USA 2026 — a two-day working forum for the Albanian academic and professional diaspora.
- When: December 2–3, 2026.
- Where: Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts. The organizers set the exact building and room, so check the AADF page for the venue and daily schedule.
- Who runs it: The Albanian-American Development Foundation (AADF), through its READ program, with the Harvard Albanian Students Association.
- Taking part: Participation is by proposal (see below). Registration and cost are not published on the call page — confirm with AADF at info@aadf.org.
What the Forum Is
READ stands for Research Expertise from the Academic Diaspora — a seven-year initiative AADF launched in 2021 with the Institute of International Education to connect universities in Albania with Albanian researchers and academics abroad. AADF itself is a non-profit founded in 2009 with U.S. government support, working on education, entrepreneurship, and cultural heritage tied to Albania. The USA forum brings that network to Harvard for two days: diaspora researchers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across the United States and the Americas, working together on practical ideas Albania can use.
The Four Focus Areas
The sessions are organized around four priorities: higher education, AI and technology, entrepreneurship, and agriculture. Contributors are grouped by theme and work toward proposals concrete enough to become real projects, not just talking points.
Who Can Take Part, and How
The forum is aimed at Albanian diaspora researchers, professionals, entrepreneurs, and innovators based in the United States and across the Americas. Taking part runs through a proposal: you submit an idea to AADF, and selected contributors join collaborative working sessions at the forum to develop it into a project, with support from AADF, READ, and partner experts. The submission form and current deadline are on the AADF call page.
Why It Matters for the Albanian-American Count
The U.S. Census records about 230,000 Albanian Americans; the community itself is closer to a million. A gathering like this — Albanian professionals and academics organizing at Harvard — is exactly the part of that community official numbers rarely capture. The National Albanian Registry is a 501(c)(3) building a community-led count beside the Census, not instead of it, and events like this show the depth the count exists to make visible. Heritage counts broadly: first-generation or third, Albanian-speaking or not, with roots anywhere across the Albanian world, including Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and the Çam and Arbëresh communities.
Practical Notes
- Questions: info@aadf.org, or the AADF forum page linked as this event's source.
- The exact Harvard venue, daily schedule, and proposal deadline are set by the organizers and can change — confirm them on the AADF page before you make travel plans.
