IIS Research Funding

The Institute of International Studies (IIS) at the University of California, Berkeley, is announcing the establishment of several new grant programs to spur collaborations on international themes among faculty, graduate and undergraduate students on the Berkeley campus. The grant programs seek to encourage the Berkeley community to think afresh of the problems facing the world today.

The Berkeley campus has great depth and talent in numerous disciplines and departments on many international themes. The main purpose of the grant program is to provide a forum for conversations that otherwise would not happen or would quickly be subsumed within disciplinary boundaries. Some of these programs will begin in Spring 2010 whereas others will start in Fall 2010.

Grant Program Description, updated 11/16/09 (Adobe PDF)
Open House for Grant Questions
Wednesday, December 2 at 12 p.m. and Wednesday, December 9 at 4 p.m., 223 Moses Hall
Faculty Grant Application Form (Adobe PDF)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Support for UC Berkeley Faculty

Interdisciplinary Faculty Colloquia

The Institute of International Studies (IIS) is initiating Interdisciplinary Faculty Colloquia Grants to stimulate international, cross-campus research at Berkeley beginning in Fall 2010. Proposals that bring together faculty from different departments and disciplines will be given priority consideration.

Supported activities:
The main purpose of the grant is to generate conversations at Berkeley that are led by faculty who find a particular theme intellectually compelling. Applicants should therefore consider an approach that would bring as wide a Berkeley community into the conversation as possible, and group members must come from at least two different departments. The maximum number of faculty members per group is four (4), and groups should appoint a coordinator. IIS will support a required bimonthly meeting of the group to which three outside speakers may be invited each semester. Speaker travel will be funded by IIS.

Eligibility: Senate faculty and lecturers are eligible; lecturers may apply as a group as well. Visiting professors may participate in the colloquia, but may not receive individual research funding.

Requirements of Grantees:
Grantees are expected to attend all bimonthly meetings of the group. Grantees must submit a finalized schedule of outside speakers to IIS at the beginning of the semester. Any events (outside speaker lectures, conferences, etc.) should be free and open to the public. The grants to any one group will not run for more than two years. An evaluation of the colloquia will be carried out at the end of the first year to assess whether the second year should be supported. Proposals should mention if the culmination of the series could result in the publication of a book, an edited volume, or a special issue of a journal, which may also be supported by IIS.

Award Amount:
Each faculty member in a group will receive $2500 in individual research funds. All faculty members associated with a group will also be able to allocate $2500 for one graduate student. These graduate students will be called IIS Graduate Fellows and assist with the efforts of the group. A select group of undergraduates will be associated with each group. The undergraduates will receive course credit and small stipends. Outside speaker travel will be funded by IIS, within appropriate University policy guidelines. The maximum amount available for each series will be $30,000.

Deadline: December 18, 2009 (awards will be announced by January 15)

Application Process: The IIS Faculty Grant Committee will review all applications.
Proposals should include: 1) Application form, with the research theme and Group Coordinator specified; 2) a project narrative which describes the nature of the interdisciplinary project and its scholarly importance (2 pages max); 3) a project budget, including a brief narrative (200 words max) and a detailed breakdown of costs; and 4) faculty CVs.

Submission instructions: Proposals should be submitted by email to the IIS Program Coordinator (iis@berkeley.edu, Ph: 510.642.2474) with the subject line: Last Name_GRPFAC_2010. Proposals may also be submitted by regular mail: 227 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley, 94720-2308.

Junior Faculty Fellowship Program

The Junior Faculty Fellowship Program is designed to support junior faculty engaged in international research and teaching. Faculty members from all disciplines and departments are encouraged to apply. The grant and associated activities will start Spring 2010.

Supported activities:
The Institute seeks to bring together junior faculty across disciplines working on similar issues. Funds awarded may be used for research support at the discretion of the junior faculty members, and should be used within University guidelines.

Eligibility: Junior faculty members under consideration for tenure in 2010-2011 are not eligible to apply.

Requirements of Fellows:
The Fellows form a seminar group that meets bimonthly over lunch to discuss work in progress. The fellowship award carries with it the understanding that the recipient will a) present work in progress at the meeting and b) attend the regular meetings of the fellowship group and participate actively. Each participant is also expected to identify a senior faculty member on campus who could be a discussant of the participant’s research. One or two fellows will be designated as the Fellowship Coordinators, and may receive a slightly larger grant to defer the time investment of managing the group’s activities; applicants should mention their interest in the position in their proposal.

Award amount: Maximum $5,000.

Deadline: December 18, 2009 (awards will be announced by January 15)

Application Process: The IIS Faculty Grant Committee will review all applications.
Proposals should include: 1) Application form (indicate interest in Coordinator position); 2) a project narrative which describes the nature of the project and its scholarly importance (2 pages max); 3) a project budget, including a brief narrative (200 words max) and a detailed breakdown of costs; 4) the applicant’s current CV; and 5) a supporting letter from the Department Chair of the applicant.

Submission instructions:
Proposals should be submitted by email to Jessica Owen, IIS Program Coordinator
(iis@berkeley.edu, Ph: 510.642.2474) with the subject line: Last Name_JRFLW_2010. Proposals may also be submitted by regular mail: 227 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley, 94720-2308.

Lecturer Professional Development Workshop

The Institute of International Studies (IIS) is offering funding to support professional development workshops for UC Berkeley lecturers.

Supported activities:
The main purpose of the grant is to support the professional development of lecturers at Cal.  Lecturers may apply, in groups of at least 3, to host a professional development workshop focused on a specific research theme of international studies.

Eligibility: Lecturers in international studies may apply.  Visiting scholars and professors are not eligible.

Requirements of Grantees:
Grantees must submit a finalized agenda for the workshop, including any outside speakers, to IIS. Proposals should mention if the culmination of the workshop could result in the publication of a book, an edited volume, or a special issue of a journal.  This could also be supported by IIS.

Award Amount:  Maximum $5,000.

Deadline: December 18, 2009 (awards will be announced by January 15)

Application Process: The IIS Faculty Grant Committee will review all applications.
Proposals should include: 1) Application form, with the research theme and Workshop Coordinator specified; 2) a project narrative which describes the professional development need the workshop fulfills (2 pages max); 3) a project budget, including a brief narrative (200 words max) and a detailed breakdown of costs; and 4) group member CVs.

Submission instructions: Proposals should be submitted by email to the IIS Program Coordinator (iis@berkeley.edu, Ph: 510.642.2474) with the subject line: Last Name_LECT_2010.  Proposals may also be submitted by regular mail: 227 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley, 94720-2308.

Manuscript Mini-Conference Grants

Faculty members who have completed book manuscripts which are ready for review for publication can apply for funding for a "mini-conference” around the book manuscript.  The purpose of this conference is to provide feedback to an author midway through the revision process.   Preference will be given to junior faculty and mid-career faculty.  Senior faculty who feel that they have completed a significant manuscript and would like to host a larger conference on the book prior to publication can also apply for support from the Institute. These mini-conferences will be supported starting Spring 2010.

Supported Activities:
Conferences will be typically one day in length. Applicants may invite 2-3 outside discussants in their field to provide written feedback on the manuscript and facilitate discussion on specific chapters by additional, Berkeley faculty. Ideally applicants would also invite one graduate student from Berkeley to comment on the manuscript.  Senior faculty members who have completed significant manuscripts with broad interdisciplinary appeal can apply for support for a larger conference around their book.

Eligibility: Senate faculty and lecturers are eligible.  Visiting scholars and professors are not eligible.

Award Amount: $3000-5000; funds must be spent at the conclusion of the conference for which they were awarded.

Deadlines:
Applications will be accepted December 18 (for Spring Semester 2010 conferences) and August 1 (for Fall Semester 2010 conferences).  Funding decisions will be announced by January 15, 2010 and August 15, 2010.

Application Process: The IIS Faculty Grant Committee will review all applications.
In addition to the application form, faculty should provide a brief synopsis of the manuscript, where it is in the revision process, names of possible discussants and their specific qualifications; a detailed budget, and proposed dates for the conference. Preference will be given to junior faculty and mid-career faculty although senior faculty can apply as well. 

Submission instructions:
Proposals should be submitted by email to Jessica Owen, IIS Program Coordinator
(iis@berkeley.edu, Ph: 510.642.2474) with the subject line: Last Name_BOOK_2010.  Proposals may also be submitted by regular mail: 227 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley, 94720-2308.

The deadline for submitting faculty grant proposals is December 18, 2009. Awards will be announced in January 2010. You can request more information via e-mail: iis at berkeley.edu; or by phone at 510.642.2474.

Support for UC Berkeley Graduate Students

The Institute awards and administers graduate student research support through interdisciplinary working groups and dissertation fellowships.

Graduate Student Conversations Group

IIS will provide funding support for bimonthly meetings of a group of at least ten graduate students from different disciplines to come together to discuss commonalities in their work; proposals will be considered at the discretion of the IIS Director.

Supported activities:
The Institute seeks to bring together graduate students across disciplines working on similar issues. Groups may invite one outside speaker to their meetings per semester, whose travel will be funded by IIS.  IIS will, in addition, provide $250 in research support for those graduate students who take the lead in setting up and administering this working group.

Eligibility: UC Berkeley graduate students.

Requirements of Group Members:
The graduate students form a seminar group that meets bimonthly to discuss interdisciplinary intersections in their work. The grant will not run for more than one year, and an assessment will be conducted at the end of the first semester to evaluate support for the second semester.  

Award amount: $250 for group coordinators; travel expenses for one outside speaker, not to exceed $1000.

Deadline: January 19, 2010 (awards will be announced by February 1)

Application Process: The IIS Grant Committee will review all applications.
Proposals should include the following: 1) Group members' names, departments/disciplines, and CVs; 2) proposed research theme and a brief description of proposed activities (e.g. name of outside speaker, texts to read, etc.); 3) designated group coordinator; and 4) a letter of recommendation for the group coordinator from the faculty advisor

Submission instructions:
Proposals should be submitted by email to Jessica Owen, IIS Program Coordinator
(iis@berkeley.edu, Ph: 510.642.2474) with the subject line: Last Name_GRAD_2010.  Proposals may also be submitted by regular mail: 227 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley, 94720-2308.

IIS Dissertation Fellowships

The deadline for 2009-2010 fellowships has passed. The application process for 2010-2011 will be announced in late fall 2009. Fellowship recipients must be advanced to candidacy or the equivalent by the fall of their fellowship term.

For descriptions of previous winning research topics, see the fellowship research from previous years.

Students who wish to learn more about obtaining dissertation funding should also see the Dissertation Proposal Workshop website.

John L. Simpson Memorial Research Fellowship in International and Comparative Studies. This research fellowship is awarded annually to several UC Berkeley graduate students conducting research in comparative studies (analyzing similarities and differences among societies and states with respect to social, cultural, political, economic structures and policies), or international studies (analyzing relations among states, economies, and societies including patterns of these relationships in global and transnational systems).

Allan Sharlin Memorial Award. This award is made annually to a UC Berkeley registered graduate student who shows promise of advancing scholarship in the field of historical sociology, historical demography, or social history.

Reinhard Bendix Memorial Research Fellowship. This fellowship is given annually to a UC Berkeley registered graduate student who shows promise of advancing scholarship in the field of political and social theory or in historic studies of society and politics.

Support for Undergraduates

IIS will provide funding and administrative support for a one-day conference on international studies titled, “Preparing for a Changing World” where undergraduates interested in graduate school will have the chance to interact with faculty and graduate students. 

Supported activities:
Panels, in which undergraduates present a paper, will be moderated by faculty.  The conference will be held annually in the spring.  A select number of applicants whose papers are not accepted for a panel will be invited to participate in a poster session to be displayed during the conference.

Eligibility: UC Berkeley undergraduate students.

Award amount: Awards of $250 will be presented for the best presentations at the conference.

Deadline: January 19, 2010 (panelists will be announced by February 1)

Application Process: The IIS Grant Committee will review all applications.
To apply, students must have a 3.5 GPA; applications should submit a draft of their paper, 10-15 pages, with a brief abstract (200 words), and a copy or PDF of their BearFacts transcript.  A letter of recommendation from either a GSI or faculty member should be emailed directly to iis@berkeley.edu by the recommender, from their Berkeley.edu address.

Submission instructions:
Proposals should be submitted by email to Jessica Owen, IIS Program Coordinator
(iis@berkeley.edu, Ph: 510.642.2474) with the subject line: Last Name_UNDERGRAD_2010.  Proposals may also be submitted by regular mail: 227 Moses Hall, UC Berkeley, 94720-2308.