Seed Grant Guidelines

OBJECTIVE

The Internationalization Seed Grant program funds NCSU faculty members to initiate research and other scholarly professional activities that address international topics and enhance internationalization of the university. Awards should serve as "seed money" leading to support from other granting agencies.

Each award is limited to no more than $4,000. The number of awards is contingent upon funding.

GUIDELINES:

1.  Preference will be given to junior faculty and faculty without previous international experience. For FY 2007-08, preference will be given to those faculty that submit proposals that take place within or with partners in one of NC State's three campus partners: The Prague Institute, Chile (Universidad de Concepción), or China (Zhejiang University). This emphasis helps to further strengthen relationships between NC State and our campus partners.

2.  Potential for continued international collaboration must be documented, that is, the applicant must provide evidence of cooperation by international partners.

3.  Applicant's salary (regular academic or summer) is not allowed, but international scholarly expenditures in addition to travel may be funded (i.e., data collection, library materials, research support, etc.). NCSU faculty can request the funds for travel and/or hosting international faculty, for support of scholarly activity in the realms of research or teaching (e.g., curriculum development).

4.  Matching funds are strongly encouraged but not required, and should be listed in proposal budgets.

5.  Successful applicants are required to submit a final report, describing international activities and results, including benefits to NC State. These reports should be submitted electronically, preferable as PDF files, suitable for publication on the OIA webpage. Photos or other graphics are encouraged. The reports should be submitted within 15 months of the grant (e.g., October 2008 for grants issued in July 2007). Successful applicants are also encouraged to report to the campus community on their international activities, e.g. through departmental seminars. The OIA may conduct a symposium on international research, with participation by seed grant awardees expected.

6.  Applicants are also expected to submit proposals to outside funding agencies for continuation of the proposed work. Funding proposals submitted should be listed in the final report, and the OIA should be kept apprised of success in raising additional funds.

7.  The project timeline may extend to two years, but Seed Grant funds must be used during fiscal year 2007-2008.

8.  Proposals will be reviewed by the University Committee on International Programs (CIP). The CIP members cannot provide feedback on individual grant proposals, due to the large number of proposals that it must review. Announcement of the awards will be made by the chair of the CIP, through the OIA.

SCHEDULE:

Announcement: February 8, 2007

Application Deadline: March 19, 2007

Announcement of Awards: April 20, 2007

Funds Available: July 1, 2007 to June 30, 2008*

*While funds will not become available until after July 1, 2007, projects may be initiated upon announcement of awards. All grant funds must be spent before the end of the 2007 - 2008 fiscal year; funds may not be rolled over into the following year.

DOCUMENTS NEEDED:

1. Cover page with signatures (attached). Note that internal processing forms are not required, because the funding source is internal state money.
2. Proposal (limited to two pages).
3. C.V. of the Principal Investigator including last five years' pertinent refereed publications (limited to two pages).
4. Documentation of cooperation, or intent to cooperate, by international collaborators. This could be an email, letter, or memo of support from international collaborators, or other documentation, such as a recent grant proposal involving those collaborators or a memorandum of understanding.

Click here to download the application and instructions.