Through a partnership between the Center for Global Studies and the Social Science Research Institute, Global Social Science Research Impact Grants support tenured and tenure-track social science faculty at University Park with a grant of up to $5,000 to advance global social science research. Awards can be used for international travel as well as to offset other project costs.
Recognizing that global research requires additional funds because of the need to travel to international destinations or conduct research in international locations, these awards offer faculty the opportunity to develop research projects with the potential for significant impact.
These awards can be combined with existing institutional support (semester releases, sabbaticals, fellowships) to further facilitate the added costs of international research agendas. Grants are awarded for the academic year and must be expended by the end of the fiscal year. Funds will be allocated as reimbursable expenses subject to all appropriate Penn State unit protocols and procedures.
Awardees are expected to present on their work at a CGS or SSRI event and to submit post-award reports.
Examples of expenses include but are not limited to:
- International travel
- Focus groups
- Survey Implementation
- Translation
- Supplies
Funds can not be used to pay for graduate students or to attend conferences.
Eligibility:
Tenured or tenure-line faculty at University Park with a track record of social science research.
Application Requirements:
- Cover page with applicant’s name, professorial rank and academic title, contact information (including campus address and e-mail), project title, and funding amount requested.
- Description of project, including scholarly significance, need for travel (if requested), description of activities, outcome (publication, exhibition, etc.) and timetable for project’s completion (not to exceed four pages, double-spaced, 12-point font). Applicants who plan to be on a semester-long sabbatical during the same academic year as the proposed project or who have other course release support must also indicate this plan.
- Budget: Detailed budget of proposed expenses.
- Curriculum vitae (not to exceed four pages). Please include internal and external grants received in the past five years as well as any non-administrative release time from teaching in the past two academic years.
Application packets are to be emailed to cgs.psu@gmail.com by September 16, 2024.
Supporting materials: A short letter of evaluation from the applicant’s department head or program director (approx. 200 words). This should indicate the degree of support from the perspective of the department, that the project is appropriate for the applicant’s research trajectory.
For applicants with joint appointments: Only a letter from the majority head/director as stated above is required. A brief email acknowledging support of the applicant from heads/directors of other budgeted units should be included.
All letters should be sent to cgs.psu@gmail.com with a subject line that indicates Global Social Science Research Impact Grants and the applicant’s name by September 16, 2024.
Application review criteria:
- The significance of the proposed project, including its value in promoting the global social sciences
- The quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project
- The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of work
- The likelihood that the applicant will complete the project
- The contribution of the project to the scholar’s field, the likelihood that it will make significant impact, and the feasibility of the scholar’s plans to disseminate the work
Timeline:
Application due: September 16, 2024.
Expected Notification date: October 7, 2024. CGS will send a notification email regardless of the award outcome.
Travel completion and funds fully expended by June 16, 2025.
Please e-mail the completed dossier to: cgs.psu@gmail.com
Any questions should be directed to Kaitlin Lovejoy