Mexico Faculty Grant Program

Proposal Submission Deadline: March 14, 2022
Submit a proposal

Overview

Through the generous support of University benefactors, Notre Dame International is providing funding to build, sustain, and encourage academic and research collaboration (research projects, faculty and graduate student exchange, conferences, seminars, etc.) with leading universities in Mexico, especially Tec de Monterrey, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), Panamericana, and Iberoamericana. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis and projects will be offered administrative and logistical support through the Notre Dame Mexico City Global Center.

This grant program supports the University’s broader strategy to engage Mexico and Latin America by building upon existing partnerships and creating new opportunities for research, scholarship, and graduate training.

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Eligibility/Grant Requirements

Full-time regular members of the Notre Dame faculty, library faculty, and special professional faculty are eligible to apply. Notre Dame staff members leading programs relevant to the goals of increasing collaboration with institutions in Mexico may also submit a proposal.

Funding

Individual grants will not normally exceed $10,000, although large team-based proposals may request up to $20,000. The Grants Review Committee will consider proposals for any amount up to these figures.

Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate other sources of funding or cost sharing which will complement the Mexico Faculty Grant Program funds. If there is cost-sharing, it should be ensured that expenses are mutually exclusive across funding sources.

Funding is available for a variety of collaborative opportunities but preference will be given to those that promote ongoing relationships between Notre Dame and institutions in Mexico and will have a measurable impact on the local academic community or in increasing Notre Dame’s engagement in the region. This call for proposals supports advancement of collaborative international research projects and may include travel, activities conducted remotely and in the virtual domain, or a combination of travel and remote activities.

PLEASE NOTE: If travel is involved, current University Travel Policy requires that all University sponsored international travel be approved by the appropriate Dean or Vice President.

The types of collaborations might include but are not limited to the following:

• Initiating or expanding international collaborative research projects
• Sponsoring virtual or in-person research conferences and workshops
• Supporting educational ventures (e.g., faculty and staff exchanges, joint workshops, etc.)
• Collaborative creative artistic projects or research in the Arts

Expenses

Full details of all anticipated costs/activities must be clearly itemized. Budget justification is required.

Eligible Expenses

Eligible expenses include but are not limited to:

• Travel: Travel expenses associated with the international collaboration and/or conducting the proposed research. This includes airfare, ground transportation, accommodation and per diem.*
• Personnel: ND graduate or undergraduate assistants. Student assistants must be involved in faculty research and writing in ways that contribute to the students’ intellectual formation.
• Participant Support: Program participation incentives; modest honoraria.
• Research Administration/Supplies: Includes costs associated with research administration (e.g., interviews, surveys, on-line collection of data), research materials, computer software (not hardware), books, manuscripts.

*PLEASE NOTE: NDI will reimburse according to the following per diem allowances:

• 1-10 days – Up to 100% of the US State Dept. per diem for international travel
• 11+ days- Up to 50% of the US State Dept. per diem for international travel

Ineligible Expenses

• Clerical or secretarial help
• The hiring of research assistants employed by and working at Mexican universities will not be funded through the Notre Dame grant program
• Publication costs
• Faculty salary
• Conference attendance costs

Application Guidelines

To request funding from the Mexico Faculty Grant Program, please submit a proposal to NDI’s submissions manager.

As the proposal will be reviewed by a faculty committee from multiple disciplinary backgrounds, please write in clear, non-technical language.

Each proposal must include the following items with 1-5 provided in one PDF document:

• Cover Page with project team information, including international partner(s)
• Abstract of the proposed project (one paragraph)
• Description of the proposed project (2 -page maximum, single spaced), including:
  • The objective of the project
  • Background, previous work and/or motivation as appropriate
  • Methodology (if relevant)
  • Outcomes e.g., research outcomes and how the project will promote collaboration between Notre Dame and institutions in Mexico
  • Anticipated time schedule
• Letter from Collaborator in Mexico indicating their willingness to be involved in the project
• Curriculum vitae: (2-page maximum, current) for each faculty member (both ND and international collaborator(s)) listed on the cover sheet as project director; if postdocs, graduate students and/or undergraduates are included in the project as collaborators, describe their qualifications
• Budget: The proposed budget is to be submitted and uploaded separately on the provided budget template.

In addition, each project director who proposes travel as part of their application is asked to submit a budget estimate of contingency costs that would arise should they, or any and all of the research travelers included in the proposal, be precluded from return travel due to a quarantine based on a positive COVID test when away from base.

Proposal Evaluation

The multi-disciplinary faculty committee will review proposals under the following criteria:

• The potential for developing or strengthening research relationships with academic institutions in Mexico
• Potential for publication
• Potential for further support from external sources
• Overall quality of the proposal
• Budgetary appropriateness

Follow-up Report

Successful applicants are required to:

• Register their international travel and abide by all University policies regarding international travel and research.
• Submit a final report no later than one month after the end date of the award. The report should include:
  • A summary of the activities funded by the award and significant results achieved, including evidence that the project contributed to the collaboration between Notre Dame and Mexico
  • Any publications or manuscripts resulting from the award
• Submit brief updates (and pictures, if applicable) of any development related to the grant funding that is newsworthy (e.g. conference, launch of new program), including any relevant feedback from collaborators in Mexico
• Reference the Notre Dame International Mexico Faculty Grant Program in any relevant publications

Contact

For more information about NDI’s faculty engagement and research programs, please contact:

Geraldine Meehan
Director of Faculty Engagement
Notre Dame International
Email: gmeehan@nd.edu
Phone:  574 631-7742

For more information about NDI’s relationship with universities in Mexico, please contact:

Michael Talbot
Director of Initiatives in Mexico
Mexico City Global Center
Email: Michael.S.Talbot.10@nd.edu