Global Student Fund

Apply to the Global Student Fund here.

The Global Student Fund supports globally-oriented learning, research and professional development for Duke students. The fund intends to serve as a supplement to other departmental funding a student has received. Eligible students may apply for funding under one of five categories: Research Projects, Conference Presentations, Pre-Dissertation Travel, or Summer Study/Project.

Research Projects: The student develops and conducts a research project that engages with international and/or global issues under the guidance of a faculty mentor. Projects may be conducted on Duke’s campus, virtually or abroad. Research for thesis and capstone projects is supported by this fund. (International opportunities that are not strictly research but relate closely to a student’s academic and/or professional goals may be considered under this funding category as well.)
Conference Presentations: The student travels domestically or internationally to present at an academic conference on a global topic or issue in order to advance their research agenda. The student must present at the conference, not merely attend, to be eligible for funding. This fund does not support travel from an international location to the United States for the purpose of presenting at a conference. In addition, this fund does not support in-person attendance at conferences that offer virtual or hybrid presentation options.
Pre-Dissertation Travel (Ph.D. students only): The student travels to conduct preliminary
dissertation fieldwork activities, including visiting potential research sites and archives, meeting with local contacts, and establishing institutional affiliations.
Summer Study/Project: The student participates in an intensive summer study/project that is equivalent to one semester of college-level instruction.

Award Details

Application reviews will occur the last week of September, December, March and June. Award decisions are communicated the first week of October, January, April and July for payment by the end of the month of award. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as a funding need arises.

Priority will be given to proposals which clearly articulate the intended outcomes of the project or presentation, and to applicants who have not previously received Global Student Funds.

Students may apply for a maximum award amount of $2,000. In special circumstances, funding of up to $3,000 may be considered for graduate/professional student research and related fieldwork/travel.

Funds shall be issued in the form of a non-compensatory payment and must be used in the fiscal year they are awarded. For more information about non-compensatory payments, please refer to the Duke Finance Services website here.

Awardees are responsible for using granted funds only for the approved purposes outlined in their application, such as airfare, lodging, or other project-related expenses. Funds may not be used for equipment purchases or for reimbursement of previously incurred costs. Award funds are intended to support upcoming project activities and expenses and may not be applied retroactively to expenses that have already been paid, charged, or otherwise incurred before the award has been approved and distributed.

Eligibility

To be eligible for funding in any category, applicants must be currently enrolled Duke students who will maintain student status through the period of proposed funding disbursement. Students who will graduate prior to disbursement are not eligible for funding.

Research Projects: Full-time undergraduate juniors and seniors and graduate students at Duke are eligible to apply. Compelling proposals from full-time sophomores may be considered, subject to availability of funds.

Conference Presentations: Full-time undergraduate juniors and seniors and graduate students at Duke are eligible to apply. This fund supports conference travel for students only in cases where the student has already been accepted as a conference presenter and intends to present on a topic related to global issues in order to advance their research agenda. This fund only supports attendance at conferences that require the student to be physically present. If the conference offers the opportunity to present virtually, the student should pursue this option before requesting funds.

Pre-Dissertation Travel: Applicants who are enrolled in a PhD program, have completed at least two years of graduate coursework, and are in the pre-dissertation stage of their program are eligible to apply. The Global Student Research Fund supports students who may not otherwise have the resources to travel for academic purposes and/or conduct a global research project. It is assumed that support requested from the Global Student Research Fund cannot be obtained through departmental, college or external sources. Applicants must report any additional funding requested or awarded from other sources for the research project or conference travel. Funds may be used to cover travel and project-related expenses only.

Summer Study/Project: Full-time undergraduate juniors and seniors and graduate students at Duke who are ineligible for Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) funding from Duke’s Area Studies Centers may apply to this funding category. Applications to study languages not taught at Duke during the summer will receive priority consideration.

Criteria for Review

The fund is open to projects from all disciplines and research areas that engage strongly with global issues and advance Duke’s missions of research and education. The following criteria will be used in evaluating each proposal:

Degree to which the student has appropriate research skills and expertise to carry out the project or presentation
Strength and specificity of expected outcomes for the project
Appropriateness of budget for the proposed project
Potential benefit of the project or presentation to the student’s academic and/or career development
Level of faculty support
For Pre-Dissertation Travel: plans to apply for external funding to conduct dissertation research during the following year
For Conference Presentations: Degree to which the proposed presentation will advance the student’s research agenda.

Application Submission Requirements

For the Research Projects Category:

A one-to-two page proposal describing their project, including a project timeline and relevant date(s) of travel (if applicable)
Resume/CV
An itemized budget describing how the funds will be used
Description of any additional funds received for this project
A letter of support from a faculty advisor

For the Conference Presentation Category:

A one-to-two page description of their conference presentation and its relevance to global issues, including dates of travel to and from the conference
Resume/CV
A proposal acceptance letter or other form of evidence that the conference proposal has been accepted
An itemized budget describing how the funds will be used
Description of any additional travel funds received
A letter of support from a faculty advisor

For the Pre-Dissertation Travel Category:

A description of the dissertation project and justification of pre-dissertation travel
Resume/CV
A travel plan or itinerary outlining the activities that will be undertaken, including planned date(s) of arrival and departure
An itemized budget describing how the funds will be used
If the project requires proficiency in a foreign language, an evaluation of applicant’s foreign language ability or a letter from a faculty member attesting to applicant’s language proficiency
Description of any additional funds received
Encouraged: Documentation of correspondence with contacts in the host country
A letter of support from applicant’s faculty research advisor

For the Summer Study/Project Category:

A one-to-two-page description of the summer study/project program and its relevance to the student’s research and/or academic goals
Resume/CV
An itemized budget describing how the funds will be used
Description of any additional funds received for this study
A letter of support from a faculty advisor

Budget Requirements

Applicants must submit a detailed budget and budget narrative that explains how all requested amounts were calculated. For each expense, provide the cost basis and assumptions used (e.g., airfare estimates, lodging rate × number of nights, meals per day, local transportation, registration fees, or other project-related costs).

Applicants must also disclose any other funding received or requested for the project, including the amount and the expenses those funds are intended to cover.

Budgets that do not provide sufficient detail or justification may require additional clarification before review.

Post-Award Requirements

Awardees are required to submit a brief impact report describing their experience no later than 30 days after the end of the award period.

Awardees must consent to have news of their work shared via external communications, such as the Duke Global website, newsletter or other press releases and publications, and to present their work at appropriate forums on campus.

Additional Notes

Conference Presentations: Graduate students can find additional funding opportunities for conference presentations from the Duke University Graduate School here.

Human Subjects Research: For graduate and professional school students whose proposed research involves human subjects, it is necessary to obtain approval from the Institutional Review Board. Please consult with the Office of Research Support about policies concerning research with human subjects at Duke University. Information can be found on the Office of Research Support’s website here.

Duke’s Travel Policy: All recipients of funding who engage in international travel must comply with Duke’s Global Travel Policy and register their travel via the Duke Travel Registry. Recipients of funding who intend to travel to locations on Duke’s Restricted Regions List (RRL) must be granted a waiver before committing any Duke resources to the travel.