Announcing RFPs for the President’s Global Innovation Fund and for the Global Scholars Program

Dear fellow members of the Columbia community,

We often speak and write about the University as a global institution, an orientation, both intellectual and practical, with multiple challenges and opportunities. In that context, we are pleased to renew calls for proposals from the President’s Global Innovation Fund and the Global Scholars Program, each closely aligned with the Columbia Global Centers.

The nine current centers in Brazil, Chile, China, France, India, Jordan, Kenya, Tunisia, and Turkey facilitate collaborative engagement with international partners to advance knowledge about fundamental issues. Each of the two initiatives described below contributes to their work.

The first is the President’s Global Innovation Fund (PGIF). Offering support for faculty to leverage the resources and expertise of one or more of the Global Centers, it fosters interdisciplinary teaching, research, and service. Details can be found in the PGIF Request for Proposals.

The second, the Global Scholars Program (GSP), presents undergraduates with the chance to deploy frameworks in the social sciences, the humanities, and the natural sciences to investigate topics of transnational importance. Faculty provide a two-part curriculum for students in the program: an on-campus course followed by hands-on experience abroad at a Global Center during the summer, winter, or spring breaks. Further information is available in the GSP Request for Proposals.

Faculty interested in the Global Scholars Program are invited to an upcoming information session on December 4, 2019, from noon to 1:00 p.m. in 617 Kent Hall, the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies.

Proposals for each program will be reviewed by faculty drawn from a range of disciplines and schools. The application deadline for the President’s Global Innovation Fund is February 7, 2020; for the Global Scholars Program it is January 31, 2020. Please review the distinct eligibility and application requirements for each at the above, for they vary. 

We eagerly look forward to the proposal submissions at the moment when the Global Centers are completing their first decade. 

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger, President
Ira Katznelson, Interim Provost
Safwan M. Masri, Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global Development
James J. Valentini, Vice President for Undergraduate Education