Seed funding supports interdisciplinary research, strengthens research infrastructure of Columbia Global Centers
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Media contact: Michael Falco, 212-854-9489, mf2727@columbia.edu
NEW YORK, January 12, 2012 — In an effort to enhance global research opportunities for Columbia University faculty and researchers, INCITE, Columbia Global Centers, and the Office of the President Lee C. Bollinger have launched a seed grant program to fund innovative and ambitious research at the Columbia Global Centers.
“This program is essential to deepening our engagement with global scholars, ideas and challenges,” said President Bollinger. “This is an important step in building vibrant global research programs that leverage Columbia’s diverse intellectual capacities with our growing network of Global Centers, while also engaging our Centers’ local and regional partners.”
The Global Centers Research Grant Program facilitates Columbia’s emergence as a global university and promotes international collaborations. Seed grant funds are designed to strengthen the research infrastructure at the Global Centers, ensure the sustainability of an active program of research, and foster deeper connections with Columbia-based researchers and research institutions.
The seed grant program is open to Columbia University faculty and international research partners working on projects that can be facilitated by the Global Centers. INCITE anticipates awarding 8 to 10 grants during the next two years for approximately $30,000 each. The grants strongly encourage interdisciplinary research proposals, partnerships with Columbia-based social science researchers, and collaborations among the Global Centers.
“Since its launch, Columbia’s network of Global Centers has aimed to bring together some of the world's finest scholars to address some of the world’s most pressing problems,” said Kenneth Prewitt, vice president of Columbia Global Centers and Carnegie Professor of Public Affairs. “These grants will bring more intellectual firepower to our burgeoning Centers and foster greater collaboration between the Centers to improve our understanding of critical issues that unite the Centers.”
The submission deadline for seed funding is March 15, 2012. Global Centers Research Grants enable faculty to produce compelling, well-crafted external funding proposals by laying the groundwork for long-term research projects. A committee of affiliated faculty and members of the Columbia administration will assess the merits of proposals, such as whether the project contributes to the Global Center’s research capacity.
The first two Columbia Global Centers — in Beijing, China, and in Amman, Jordan —were launched in March 2009. Centers in Mumbai, India, and in Paris, France, opened in March 2010. In the fall centers in Santiago, Chile, and Istanbul, Turkey, were announced. A center in Nairobi, Kenya, will open in early 2012.
About Columbia University
A leading academic and research university, Columbia University continually seeks to advance the frontiers of knowledge and to foster a campus community deeply engaged in understanding and addressing the complex global issues of our time. Columbia’s extensive public service initiatives, cultural collaborations and community partnerships help define the University’s underlying values and mission to educate students to be both leading scholars and informed, engaged citizens. Founded in 1754 as King’s College, Columbia University in the City of New York is the fifth oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.
About Columbia Global Centers
Columbia Global Centers provide flexible regional hubs for a wide range of activities and resources intended to enhance the quality of research and learning at the University. They establish interactive partnerships across geographic boundaries and academic disciplines by bringing together scholars, students, public officials, private enterprise and innovators from many fields.
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