Global Student Fund

Apply to the global student fund here.

Deadline: Rolling consideration. Please apply as soon as you know you have a need for funding. Processing time varies based on the nature of the funding request.

The Global Student Fund supports globally-oriented learning, research and professional development for Duke students. Eligible students may apply for funding under one of five categories: Research Projects, Conference Presentations, Pre-Dissertation Travel, Summer Study/Project,or Other.

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 an academic conference and presents on a global topic or issue to advance their research agenda. The student must present at the conference, not merely attend, in order to be eligible to receive funding. This fund does not support in-person attendance at conferences that allow for virtual or hybrid presentations.
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.
Other: The student proposes an international or globally focused project that does not clearly align with the categories above but meaningfully advances their academic, intellectual, or professional development.

Priority will be given to proposals which:

Clearly articulate the intended outcomes of the project or presentation
While students who have previously received funding remain eligible to apply, priority may be given to applicants who have not yet received support through this program.

Award Details

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and awarded quarterly until the funds are exhausted.

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.

Awardees are responsible for using granted funds only for the approved purposes outlined in their application (such as airfare, lodging, or project-related expenses). Funds may not be used for research equipment purchases, retroactive reimbursement for previously completed travel, or expenses incurred outside the approved travel dates.

In order to minimize the burden of out-of-pocket expenses, conference fee, flight and hotel reservations should be booked on the student’s behalf by administrative staff.

Funding support for awardees may be delivered in the form of a non-compensatory payment. For more information about non-compensatory payments, please refer to the Duke Finance Services website here: https://finance.duke.edu/payroll/noncomp.

To expedite the receipt of funds, please ensure that direct deposit has been established through DukeHub.

Eligibility

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 studenthas 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.

Note on 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.

Application Requirements

Using the form below, applicants must submit the following:

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 mentor who will advise on the project must be uploaded with the application.

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 mentor must be uploaded with the application.

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 their foreign language ability or a letter from a faculty member attesting to their language proficiency
Description of any additional funds received
Encouraged: Documentation of correspondence with contacts in the host country
A letter of support from their faculty research advisor must be uploaded with the application.

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 mentor must be uploaded with the application.

For Other Requests:

A one-to-two page proposal describing the project
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 mentor must be uploaded with the application.

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.

What is required of grantees?

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

Recipients of awards and grants consent to provide progress updates and 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

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 at https://campusirb.duke.edu.

Duke’s Travel Policy: All recipients of funding who engage in international travel are required to comply with Duke’s Global Travel Policy and register their travel via the Duke Travel Registry.

Restricted Regions List: Duke Students are prohibited from traveling to the locations on Duke’s Restricted Regions List (RRL) unless and until they are granted a waiver of the restriction. Recipients of funding who intend to travel to locations on the RRL must be granted a waiver of the restriction before committing any Duke resources to the travel. See the Duke Global Travel Policy for further information.