Posts Tagged ‘collaborative research’

Grants for the Global Engagement of Doctoral Education

While scholarly research has always had an international dimension, the globalization of research and the expanding capability of communication technology are just two of the forces that are challenging many Ph.D. students to prepare for a career that involves research on an international level. Doctoral students and early-career researchers are more globally mobile than ever before, and collaborative research is increasingly taking place along international networks. The purpose of this initiative is to encourage and assist graduate programs that seek to make global engagement a core part of doctoral education.

While international engagement has long been central to some graduate programs, other programs are now recognizing the importance of preparing Ph.D. students for the international dimensions of a research career. Many early-career researchers are expected to have the knowledge and skills to collaborate effectively with international or multinational partners in different research settings. The investment that many countries are making in capacity for advanced research in a range of fields is changing the role of the researcher from US institutions. Doctoral students need to understand and be able to work effectively in the international context of their research fields. They also need to know how their field of research looks globally: to understand the approaches and methods used by leading researchers elsewhere in the world, and to know about the resources, sites, institutional settings and practices where such research is conducted.

The knowledge and capabilities to be prepared for the international dimensions of a research career vary by discipline and research field. No single formula defines the transferable skills doctoral students need to be globally competent in their fields. The needs of graduate programs may include establishing durable partnerships to support opportunities for graduate student research, or developing new forms of engagement that allow two-way flows of resources and the opportunities provided by new technologies for exchange and collaboration.
Program Description

The purpose of this initiative is to help graduate programs improve the quality and impact of activities that prepare doctoral students for the international dimensions of a research career, and to help make global engagement a core part of doctoral education. It invites programs to identify and address specific international competencies and knowledge that their graduate students should have, and to develop initiatives that will help students acquire these. It asks that programs seek to enlarge the international and intercultural competence of all students, and to diversify their sites of global engagement and collaboration.

The University has a number of important and well-developed collaborations in graduate education with countries in East Asia; this proposal seeks to encourage similar linkages elsewhere, including Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and Europe. It also encourages programs to consider how internal University resources can be leveraged to meet these goals, such as inviting U-M international faculty or visitors to give workshops for students about higher education and research in their home countries. This initiative also encourages programs to consider innovative models and novel strategies to reach longer-term goals such as the development of collaborative graduate education and research projects with overseas partners, the co-mentoring of students and the eventual development of dual certificates or degrees.

Collaborative proposals that benefit more than one doctoral program will be considered favorably.

This program complements existing Rackham grants that now support international research and travel of individual graduate students, including the Rackham International Research Awards, Rackham Conference Travel Grants, and Rackham Graduate Student Research Awards.

Examples of activities supported by this grant may include:

* Planning visits to build thematic collaborations with international partners in graduate education and research
* Short-term visits by groups of Michigan students to overseas research sites to build relationships and develop knowledge of resources and facilities
* Visits by international faculty and graduate students to Ann Arbor to facilitate relationships and partnerships that deepen the program’s strategic global engagement
* Use of technology and the development of other opportunities to support collaborative learning and research and the two-way flow of resources with international partners

Eligibility

Proposals may be submitted only by the faculty directors of Rackham Ph.D. programs.
Awards

Five to six three-year grants of $15-35,000 per year will be awarded.
Proposal Preparation

Application is a two-stage process. Submission of preliminary proposals is required. Proposals will be accepted only from the faculty member serving as graduate chair(s) or director(s), with the endorsement of the department or program chair, director, or Dean.

A one-page preliminary proposal, plus a prospective budget, should outline the project, provide a short discussion of the anticipated impact on the professional and academic preparation of students, and how it will catalyze or deepen the international engagement of the program in new ways. The preliminary proposal must be accompanied by a commitment to cost-sharing by the school or college of the program if it is selected. Programs selected from the preliminary round will be invited to submit a full proposal.

The full proposal should include a narrative of no more than 3-5 pages that discusses:

* The competencies and knowledge the program expects students to have in order to be successful in the state-of-the-art international dimension of a research career
* The current strengths and weaknesses of the program’s global engagement, and how the proposed activities will enhance both the international perspective of the graduate program and effectiveness of the preparation of students for international research careers
* The number of students who will benefit from the proposed activities
* Faculty commitment to the goals of the proposal and the administrative plan that will ensure effective management of the project
* How external or other internal resources will be leveraged
* Longer-term strategies and goals
* Plan for assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed initiatives

An additional full budget and letter of cost-sharing commitment is required.
Budgetary Information

Cost-sharing of at least $5,000 is required from the department, school or college of the program or some other source. The larger the funding request, the more cost-sharing is expected. Ineligible expenses for funding by this grant include faculty salary; costs associated with attending conferences; direct research-related expenses; purchase of equipment; U-M tuition or fees; other activities not directly in support of the goals of this program.
Review Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated on the basis of the rationale of the project and its alignment with the program’s strategic goals; the impact the project will have on the experience of the students and the quality of the program, especially the networks, partnerships and collaborations for doctoral students to advance their education and research; the extent to which the activities provide a potentially transformative model for the international engagement of the program; the feasibility of the proposed activities and goals; the level of commitment among faculty; the inclusivity of the proposal, including participation of underrepresented groups of students; and the commitment of the program to sustaining a global strategy.
Due Dates

Preliminary proposals are due February 1, 2011. Full proposals are due May 15, 2011. Final decisions will be made and funding made available by July 1, 2011.

Questions about the application process should be directed to Assistant Dean John Godfrey.
External Grants that Support International Preparation of Doctoral Students
National Science Foundation, Office of International Science and Engineering

* International Research Fellowship Program (IRFP)
* East Asia and Summer Institute (EAPSI)
* Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Project (DDEP) and International Research Experience for Students (IRES)
* International Research and Education: Planning Visits and Workshops
* Pan-American Advanced Studies Institutes Program (PASI)
* Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE)

Department of Education, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)

* Program for North American Mobility in Higher Education
* EU-US Atlantis Program
* United States-Russia Program
* US-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program
* FIPSE Comprehensive Program

NIH, SSRC and Other International Grant Programs

* NIH John E. Fogarty International Center for Advanced Study in the Health Sciences
* Social Science Research Council, ESRC/SSRC Collaborative Visiting Fellowships
* Robert S. McNamara Fellowships Program
* The Volkswagen Foundation
* DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst/German Academic Exchange Service), Programs for Bilateral Cooperation
* British Council, International Networking for Young Scientists
* Chateaubriand Fellowship Science Program, Embassy of France in the United States (Office of Science and Technology).

Recent Publications on the Globalization of Graduate Education and Research

Bhandari, R, Laughlin, S, 2009. Higher Education on the Move: New Developments in Global Mobility. New York: Institute of International Education.

Clotfelter, CT, 2010. American Universities in a Global Market. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Committee on International Collaborations in Social and Behavioral Sciences Research, US National Committee for the International Union of Psychological Science, 2008. International Collaborations in Behavioral and Social Sciences Research: Report of a Workshop. National Research Council.

Council of Graduate Schools, 2010. Joint Degrees, Dual Degrees and International Research Collaborations: A Report on the CGS Graduate International Collaborations Project. Washington, DC.

Council of Graduate Schools, 2010. Global Perspectives on Graduate International Collaborations: Proceedings of the 2009 Strategic Leaders Global Summit on Graduate Education. Washington, DC.

Downey, GL, Lucena, JC et al, 2006. “The Globally Competent Engineer: Working Effectively with People Who Define Problems Differently.” Journal of Engineering Education, April, 1-17.

Eggins, H, 2008. “Trends and Issues in Post Graduate Education: A Global Review.” The UNESCO Forum on Higher Education, Research and Knowledge, Dublin, Ireland.

Lohmann, JR, Rollins Jr, HA, Hoey, JJ, 2006. “Defining, developing and assessing global competence in engineers.” European Journal of Engineering Education, v. 31, n. 1, March, 119-131.

Marisi, N, Heggelund, M, 2008. Towards a Global Ph.D.? Forces and Forms in Doctoral Education Worldwide. Seattle: University of Washington Press.

National Science Board, 2008. International Science and Engineering Partnerships: A Priority for US Policy and Our Nation’s Innovation Enterprise. National Science Foundation.

National Science Board, 2010. “Globalization of Science and Engineering: A Companion to Science and Engineering Indicators 2010.” National Science Foundation.

UK HE International Unit, 2008. “International Research Collaboration: Opportunities for the UK Higher Education Sector.”

US/UK Study Group Report to Prime Minister Gordon Brown, 2009. “Higher Education and Collaboration in Global Context: Building a Global Civil Society.”

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