Global Student Research Fund

The Global Student Research Fund supports the global learning, research and professional development of Duke students. Eligible students may apply for funding under one of four categories: Research Projects, Conference Presentations, Pre-Dissertation Travel or Summer Language Study.

Research Projects: The student develops and conducts an independent 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 Language Study: The student participates in an intensive summer language study program that is equivalent to one semester of college-level instruction.

Priority will be given to proposals which:

Clearly articulate the intended outcomes of the project or presentation
Are submitted by students who have previously had limited opportunities and/or funds to travel for academic purposes

Funding is for graduate students only.

Award Details

The maximum amount of funding for which students may apply varies between funding categories.

Students may apply for a maximum award amount of $1,500 to support Undergraduate Research Projects, Conference Presentations and Summer Language Study.

Graduate and Professional students may apply for a maximum award amount of $3,000 to support Research Projects and Pre-Dissertation Travel.

A limited number of awards will be available during the academic year.

Support for awardees will 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.

Awardees are responsible for booking their own travel and accommodations, and using their granted funding for the approved purposes stated in their application (such as flight cost, hotel cost, or project expenses). OGA is unable to reimburse expenses accrued before the award is granted.

Deadline

Applications for funding will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

Eligibility

Research Projects: Full time undergraduate juniors and seniors and graduate students at Duke are eligible to apply.

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 Language Study: 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 over the summer will receive priority consideration.

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

And

A letter of support from a faculty mentor who will advise on the project, submitted directly by the faculty member to Charles Givens at charles.givens@duke.edu

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 and a letter of support from a faculty mentor, submitted directly by the faculty member to Charles Givens at charles.givens@duke.edu

For the Pre-Dissertation Travel Category:

A description of the dissertation project and justification of pre-dissertation travel
A 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

And

A letter of support from their faculty research advisor, submitted directly by the faculty member to Charles Givens at charles.givens@duke.edu

For the Summer Language Study Category:

A one-to-two-page description of the language study 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

And

A letter of support from a faculty mentor, submitted directly by the faculty member to Charles Givens at charles.givens@duke.edu

Criteria for review

The following criteria will be used in evaluating each proposal:

Degree to which the proposed project engages with global issues
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?

Students will receive awards in the form of reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses. Students must provide OGA with a copy of each receipt in order to receive reimbursement. In order to limit initial out-of-pocket expenses, flight and hotel reservations may be booked on the student’s behalf through the Office of Global Affairs. All out-of-pocket expenses will be reimbursed after the conclusion of the trip.

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 OGA 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 COVID-19 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 OGA 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.

Global Student Research Fund