Rutgers Global Grants

Rutgers Global Grants are intended to initiate research or engagement that fosters international partnerships as well as new international educational initiatives. These modest seed grants are offered yearly to full-time Rutgers faculty from all campuses, including tenured, tenure-track, and clinical faculty. All applicants are encouraged to consider accessibility and inclusion during proposal development. 

Proposals must use funds as seed money to develop a new project or idea with the goals of obtaining external funding and having a long-term impact.  Proposals that include some form of matching and/or in-kind contribution are welcome, but matching is not required. Proposals that include collaboration with external partners is encouraged. For a full list of Rutgers’ institutional partners, visit our database.  

Award Categories can be found below along with the Submission Process and Terms and Conditions.

Please note that you cannot apply for a Global Grant and a Research Council Grant on the same topic. In addition, there is a limit of one grant application per cycle. You may not apply for more than one grant category.

Submission for the 2024 Global Grants has closed.

Eligibility 

All tenured, tenure‐track, clinical, or NTT faculty with Rutgers appointments—and who do not have current Rutgers Global Grants—are eligible to apply. (NTT faculty, including NTT clinical faculty, will need to provide a letter from their Dean, Chair, or Director stating support for the proposal. It is expected that the applicant holds a position which will be renewed for the duration of the grant period.) Priority will be given for applicants who have not received a Global Grant award in the past three years. Also note that if you have received any travel funds from Rutgers Global in the past year or intend to request travel funds in 2023 or 2024, unrelated to a Global Grant, you will not be eligible for Global Grant consideration. 

Inquiries 

Questions may be directed to Afia Asamoah, Program Coordinator, Rutgers Global, at grants@global.rutgers.edu

Award Descriptions and Submission Process

Award Descriptions

International Collaborative Research Grants +

The International Collaborative Research Grants support international research, projects, and programs initiated by faculty with scholars around the world. The aim is to promote collaborative and inter-institutional research and scholarship with existing or new international partners. Successful proposals will outline a collaborative research project that makes a significant contribution to advancing a particular field of study. Proposals should focus on topics that have international and/or global implications, understanding of which is advanced by the proposed collaboration with partners. Proposals must be a collaboration between Rutgers faculty and faculty/programs from a foreign institution. Funds will be available for a one- or two-year time period, as requested by the applicant(s) in the proposal. 

This grant does not support short-term lecturing or attendance at international conferences or symposia.  

Maximum request per award: $10,000 
Duration: up to 2 years 

Global Health Seed Grants +

In collaboration with Rutgers Global Health Institute, the Global Health Seed Grants are awarded to faculty conducting collaborative, interdisciplinary activities that address health inequities in New Jersey and around the world. With these grants, the Institute aims to help faculty pursue new ideas and seed expanded research and funding. Awards will be given in either of the following two categories: 

1. Education, Training, and Capacity Building 
2. Research 

These projects must involve partnerships that directly impact the community experiencing health inequity. Awarded projects can take place over a one- or two-year time period. Global Health Seed Grant funding may not be used for ongoing costs such as salaries and overhead. 

Maximum request per award: $10,000 
Award duration: up to 2 years 

Questions related to this grant should be directed to info@globalhealth.rutgers.edu and include “Global Health Seed Grant” in the subject line. 

Global Environmental Change Grants +

The Global Environmental Change Grants are offered in partnership with the Rutgers Climate and Energy Initiative. Faculty from all Rutgers campuses are invited to propose bold new ideas or innovative extensions of existing research that integrates across two or more components of the Earth system (geosphere, biosphere, cryosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere), explore the challenges and solutions to governance in the Anthropocene, or leverage the tools of data science and technology (remote, automated, or molecular) to document trends in global environmental change.  

These projects can include collaborative, interdisciplinary research, institutional development, and/or other capacity-building projects. Funds will be available for a one- or two-year time period, as requested by the applicant(s) in the proposal. This grant does not support short-term lecturing or attendance at international conferences or symposia 

Maximum request per award: $15,000 
Duration: up to 2 years 

Faculty-Led Study Abroad +

Faculty-led Study Abroad programs are intended to support the development of new faculty-led, short-term study abroad programs that will:   

  • Provide a significant cultural immersion through a travel experience.  
  • Offer one or more units of academic credit. Proposals should demonstrate a clear commitment to curricular alignment and relevance to students’ graduation plans.  
  • Model best practices for inclusion of diverse and multidisciplinary perspectives, and for engaged scholarship.   
  • Create capacity for at least 12 students.  

Proposals should describe global learning--opportunities which are academically rigorous, degree-relevant, culturally transformative, and empower students for impact in local and global communities. Priority will be given for those proposals that address increased access and/or international service learning. Proposals should plan for program implementation in either Winter 2025, Spring 2025 or Summer 2025.  

Maximum request per award (for program planning and development): $5,000  
Award duration: up to 2 years  

*Note that cost share funds are strongly encouraged from departmental or other funding sources. 

Questions about Faculty-Led Study Abroad Grants should be directed to Lauren Meregalli-Ferrer, Director, Center for Global Education, lmeregalliferrer@global.rutgers.edu.  

Submission Process & Conditions

Submission Process +

Grant proposals should be submitted via the online application portal link.  

Completed applications for all grant proposals must be submitted on or before 5:00 p.m. on December 9, 2023. Proposals may be individual—submitted by a faculty member—or institutional—submitted by programs, institutes, centers, departments, or schools. However, each proposal may only have a single Principal Investigator.  

An example list of the questions in the online proposal submission portal can be found in the templates listed below. The online application process will have a place for you to upload the following required documents: 

  • A completed and fully signed coversheet. NTT faculty will need to provide a letter from their Dean, Chair, or Director stating support for the proposal, and that it is expected that the applicant is in a position which will be renewed for the duration of the grant period. Please attach this letter to your coversheet. 

  • A project description (3 pages maximum) that includes the following sections:  

  1. Statement of Need or Research Question: This will depend on your grant category. See the details in the grant category description for any additional details. 
  2. Project Objectives 
  3. Project Design: To include design/methodology, timeline, list of activities, success measures and plan for evaluation.  
  4. Innovation: Acknowledge what is distinct or unique about your project and its potential findings or impact.   
  5. Potential for Beneficial Partnership 
  6. Sustainability Plans: Include capacity for future funding.  
  • Detailed budget. Use either the budget template (see link below) provided by the Office of Research or the budget template preferred by your unit when submitting your proposed budget. Budget guidelines can be found below. 

  • A detailed budget narrative. Use the template below. 

  • A signed letter of support from the project director(s) at partnering institution(s) outlining the importance of the collaboration and intended impact on the partnering institution. If you are not collaborating with someone at another institution, this is not required. 

  • A 2-page CV from the Principal Investigator at Rutgers and the project director from each partner institution. 

Documents and templates needed for submission:

Please be aware that the awarded amount may be less than requested. Applications requesting more than the maximum allowable amount, excluding cost share, will not be reviewed. A faculty member may submit only one application for a global grant.  

Evaluation +

Please check the Grant Category Description for specific proposal evaluation requirements. 

In general, for International Collaborative Research Grants, Global Environmental Research Grants and Global Health Seed Grants, priority will be given to proposals that:

  • Have high research value;  
  • Strengthen an institutional partnership between Rutgers and a current partner institution or offer the potential to develop a productive and sustainable relationship with a new institution;  
  • Are interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary in nature;  
  • Will use the funds as seed money to develop a project or initiative with potential to have a long-term impact on one or more university units and/or to lead to external funding. 

For Faculty-Led Study Abroad grants, priority will be given to grants that:

  • Provide a significant cultural immersion through a travel experience.  
  • Offer one or more units of academic credit. Proposals should demonstrate a clear commitment to curricular alignment and relevance to students’ graduation plans.  
  • Model best practices for inclusion of diverse and multidisciplinary perspectives, and for engaged scholarship.   
  • Create capacity for at least 12 students.  

Terms and Conditions +

All proposals, with the exception of Faculty-Led Study Abroad proposals, must be submitted through RAPSS. This can be done before or after award notification. Funds will be released in two stages: 

* 75 percent at the start of the grant cycle  
* 25 percent after the midpoint report is received 

Faculty-Led Study Abroad funds will be released upon awarding of the grant. 

A final report will be due within 30 days after the end of the grant cycle. 

The applicant agrees to comply with the Institutional Review Board (IRB), IACUC, and conflict of interest (COI) requirements as a condition of receiving awards. If the research project involves human or animal subjects, the recipient must provide proof that they have complied with IRB/IACUC requirements. The recipient must also have entered the appropriate information into the COI website. Funds must be spent in accordance with the proposed budget and follow all University policies on the use of funds. Requests to modify one’s budget or plan should be emailed to grants@global.rutgers.edu along with a justification. 

Note that all travel must be booked using the Rutgers online booking tool found here