Summary

The Presidential Fund for Innovation in International Studies (PFIIS) will award grants for interdisciplinary research on a competitive basis, creating a venture fund for start-up and early stage projects. The primary goal of these grants is to create opportunities for faculty to collaborate on interdisciplinary research and teaching on issues of global significance. Priority will be given to teams of faculty representing multiple fields and to scholars who do not typically work together. The grants also will target projects that are unlikely to qualify for support from other sources, such as government agencies. These grants are designed to promote projects that validate new research directions, which may later become candidates for outside funding. In addition to the three primary research themes of the International Initiative - security, governance, and human well-being - the grants also may support promising research in other areas, as well as faculty-led seminars and workshops organized along interdisciplinary lines. The competition is open to all faculty members in all disciplines, including scholars in the humanities and those based in the professional schools, as well as School of Medicine faculty permitted to be principal investigators.

Two types of grants are available: project grants and planning grants. Both will be awarded on a competitive basis. Project awards may be for any amount, but will typically be in the range of $25-100,000 per year for a maximum of three years. Project awards are not renewable. Planning grants may be allocated to support research and teaching of a more preliminary nature, and will be for no more than one-year in length (non-renewable) and for approximately $10-15,000.

PFIIS program is administered by the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies under the auspices of the Office of the President and the International Initiative. Proposals for PFIIS grants are reviewed and awarded by the Executive Committee of the International Initiative. The amount of theaward is determined on an individual basis.

Proposals will be solicited and accepted during autumn quarter, with a submission deadline at the end of the quarter. The selection committee will communicate decisions to award recipients before the end of winter quarter.

Click here to see the current deadline and application process.