The Austrian-American Educational Commission/ Fulbright Austria (AAEC) is one of the 50 bi-national commissions under the Fulbright Program, which exists in order to promote “mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the peoples of other countries.” The program was established in 1946 as part of a bill dealing with the liquidation of surplus US assets left in Europe after World War II. Over 60 years later, the Fulbright Program has over 310,000 alumni and carries out its mission in 155 countries.