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Research Abroad Program (RAP)

Application Form [Adobe PDF] [Word RTF]

The University Center for International Studies (UCIS) and the University Honors College (UHC) request proposals for the Research Abroad Program (RAP) at the University of Pittsburgh. RAP is intended to foster participation by undergraduate students in faculty-led research projects abroad. RAP projects will typically take place during the summer, and will be followed by joint publications and other collaborative scholarly results. Each RAP grant includes a research stipend and maintenance allowance for the lead faculty, and stipends for participating students. The deadline for 2007 RAP grant applications is November 30, 2007.

Eligibility

Full-time and part time tenure-stream, tenured and non tenure-stream faculty (including lecturers and contract faculty) at the University of Pittsburgh from all Schools and Departments, Centers, Institutes and Campuses are eligible to submit a proposal. All faculty field research projects abroad are eligible that entail four to eight weeks of summer work abroad for the undergraduate(s). Assistant and Associate Professors are especially encouraged to apply. Adjunct and visiting faculty are not eligible.

Students are not eligible to apply directly and must be selected and nominated by the applying faculty member. Normally, only Honors College-qualified students (B+ average) can be nominated. However, exceptions may be made if the applying faculty can successfully state the exceptional circumstances justifying the student's nomination.

Graduating seniors should not be nominated unless the applying faculty member can provide strong specific justification and the student will be involved in post-return activities on the University of Pittsburgh campus.

Amount of Grant

For faculty, the award includes a faculty research stipend in the amount of $3,000 and a maintenance allowance. Based on comparatively lower maintenance cost for stays longer than a few days, the maintenance allowance will be 60 percent of the U.S. State Department per diem (combined meals & lodging) for the city in which the field research takes place (please consult the State Department web site at http://aoprals.state.gov/content.asp?content_id=184&menu_id=78 for up-to-date daily rates). For field sites not listed by the State Department, daily rates should be negotiated with program staff.

Examples (for illustration only, no actual rates):

4 weeks in Buenos Aires: 28 days * $325 * 0.6 = $5,460

5 weeks in Nanjing: 35 days * $185 * 0.6 = $3,885

6 weeks in Brussels42 days * $196 *0.6 = $4,939

Projects should be from four to eight weeks in duration and take place during the summer. On average, projects should involve three students. However, both higher and lower numbers of students will be considered. Each student receives a $3,000 stipend to cover air travel and maintenance in the field.

Faculty Grant Disbursement

RAP recipients must choose one of three different payment options for the research stipend portion of the grant:

1. Additional RAP Travel Reimbursement

The research stipend may be used to reimburse the recipient’s travel expenses related to RAP, such as airfare, ground transportation, and the difference between the RAP daily rate and the published State Department daily rate (i.e., 40 percent of the published daily rate).

Advantage: No taxes or fringe benefits are deducted. Travel advance may be issued against research stipend ten business days before departure.

Disadvantage: In some cases, travel expenses and 40 percent of daily rate may total less than the full amount of the research stipend. This results in the recipient having to repay excess funds if a travel advance has been issued. All travel expenses (other than meals and lodging) have to be documented for reimbursement. This option may not be feasible if the recipient combines a RAP project with other funded activities during the same time period.

2. Research Account

The research stipend may be paid into a research account, to be used for research expenses at the discretion of the faculty recipient. The account may be set up in UCIS or in the recipient’s department. The recipient may withdraw funds from the research account upon return from the RAP project until June 30 of the following year.

Advantage: No taxes or fringe benefits are deducted, recipients are able to draw on the full amount of the research stipend.

Disadvantage: Disbursements can only be made for documented research-related expenses (books, travel, equipment, subscriptions, etc.). However, research does not necessarily have to be RAP-related.

3. Supplemental Income

The research stipend may be added to the recipient’s paycheck.

Advantage: No reimbursement forms are necessary, no expenses have to be documented.

Disadvantage: Taxes and fringe benefits will be deducted from the full amount, leading to a significantly reduced disbursement amount.

Student Grant Disbursements

Participating students are eligible for $3,000 stipend. The stipend will be disbursed in two portions:

    1. $2,000 will be paid out as a travel advance ten business days before departure.

    2. $1,000 will be paid out as a Travel & Business Expense reimbursement upon return, contingent upon clearing the previous travel advance (No. 1) and with approval of the faculty leader.

Grantee Obligations

All research involving interventions or interactions with individuals or the collection of identifiable private information concerning living individuals requires prospective Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval. Grantees are responsible for obtaining IRB approval when required, and must provide documentation of IRB approval before a grant can be awarded. For further information, check the IRB web site at www.irb.pitt.edu.

Successful applicants will be required to:

  • assist in all promotional efforts relative to the program;
  • participate in pre-departure orientation meetings;
  • attend faculty workshop on health and liability issues (mandatory);
  • be informed of and represent the University of Pittsburgh in all significant matters of consequence on site; report back to the Study Abroad Office as soon as possible;
  • be engaged in all emergency/crisis situations involving Pitt students;
  • submit a written report upon return, following guidelines provided.

Student Credit

In some cases, the Research Abroad experience may be for credit. Because of the uniqueness of each project, the decision to award credit should be made by the applying faculty in consultation with the individual student participants. However, RAP program staff (see below) should be consulted before a final decision is made.

Proposal Guidelines

The proposal should not exceed five pages, single-spaced, font size at least 11 points. The proposal should include the following:

  • Description of the research project, including relationship to the faculty's long-term research agenda, previous and ongoing grants, and the need for field research.
  • Justification for the specific proposed foreign site.
  • Information on participating students, including description of prior teaching/research relationship and transcripts. Only Honors College-qualified students (B+ average) are eligible.
  • Description of planned pre-departure activities, such as research project orientation for students, training if applicable, and participation in briefings by the Study Abroad Office.
  • Detailed description of proposed research activity by students and its relationship to the faculty's research. Include plans for supervision on site.
  • Description of post-return activities, such as debriefings for UCIS, UHC and Study Abroad Office staff and for future cohorts of RAP participants, guidance for student publications based on the research experience if applicable, and appropriate crediting of student contributions in faculty publications drawing on the supported field research.
  • Faculty c.v.

Final Report Guidelines

  • Narrative length should be 2-3 pages, single-spaced
  • Describe pre-departure activities (research methods training, etc.)
  • Describe research activities in the field
  • Challenges encountered, modifications to initial plans
  • Observations on faculty-student interaction
  • Observations on logistical issues
  • Summary of research results
  • Plans for publications/presentations
  • Suggestions for improvements/RAP
  • Attach any materials that could be useful (research summaries, photographs, student testimony, etc.)

Deadline

In order to be considered for funding, complete applications (application form, proposal, supporting materials) must be received by the end of business on November 30, 2007. Applications should be sent to Eileen Weiner, University Center for International Studies, 4403 Posvar Hall. For questions, please contact Eileen Weiner at eweiner@pitt.edu.

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University Center for International Studies
4400 Posvar Hall, University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260
Phone: (412) 648-7390; Fax: (412) 624-4672
E-mail: ucis@pitt.edu
http://www.ucis.pitt.edu

This page last updated: 10/18/2007