Faculty Funding Opportunities

Faculty funding opportunities are available to support affiliated faculty conducting research, teaching, or providing service opportunities related to the study of Europe, broadly defined. The purpose of these grants is to develop and strengthen faculty expertise on various aspects of historical or contemporary Europe, its states, and its peoples. We are particularly interested in supporting initiatives that fall within our Critical Area Studies for Europe (CASE) approach, which challenges scholars to reconsider the traditional area studies model. Europe’s place in the Cold War and post-Cold War global orders dominated area studies approaches to Europeanization in the 20th century; CASE considers the EU befitting its 21st century role in the world.

Please note:

  • To be considered for funding, Pitt faculty must complete or update their UCIS Faculty Survey and upload a CV from within the last year. This must be done prior to applying for any faculty grants. Individuals interested in becoming an affiliated faculty should contact Erica Edwards, Associate Director of ESC.
  • Faculty with visiting appointments are only eligible for Small Grants.
  • All grantees are subject to the requirements and procedures in place at the time of travel. Any faculty grant awarded that involves travel will be contingent upon public safety recommendations by the Department of State and subject to the University's Standards and Guidelines. Please email Erica Edwards, Associate Director of ESC, if you have any questions.

Please follow the links below to learn more about specific grants, deadlines, eligibility, and application procedures.

 

Grants for Faculty Research on Europe

Applications due February 24, 2025, 11:59 pm EST. Click here to apply.
Purpose:
Faculty Grants for Research on Europe provide support for affiliated faculty doing original research related to aspects of historical or contemporary Europe (for example, politics, culture, society, or history). These grants are not intended to support conference travel. If the primary purpose of your trip is to attend a conference, please apply for a Small Grant

Eligibility:
Awards are available to ESC affiliated faculty only. Prior to applying, affiliated faculty must complete or update their UCIS Faculty Survey and upload a CV from within the last 12 months. If you are interested in becoming an ESC affiliated faculty, please contact Erica Edwards (eee36@pitt.edu). Faculty with visiting appointments or affiliated faculty who do not teach at Pitt are not eligible. Previous awardees who have not submitted reports and/or expenditure documentation from past grants are not eligible.

Funding:
  • Awards range from $500 to $2,500.
  • Applicants must show efforts to secure matching funds from their department, school, or other external sources.
Funding Priorities:

Overall, awards are made on a competitive basis based on the quality of proposals. However, preference will be given to the following groups:

  • New faculty (first two years at Pitt)
  • Junior faculty (pre-tenure, with special emphasis on faculty with junior research leaves)
  • Faculty from the Humanities or disciplines in which external funding is less abundant
  • Senior faculty starting new projects/changing research foci
  • Senior faculty requiring start-up funds for research projects that have a high probability of being funded externally in the future
Application Procedure:
  • Complete and submit an application on Submittable.
  • Update faculty survey and upload a current C.V.
  • Upload a detailed budget listing all estimated expenses
  • Upload a written proposal of no more than five double-spaced pages. In the text of the proposal, please include a section addressing precisely how the funds will be used.
  • Upload a copy of the IRB approval documentation (if applicable).
Pre and Post Award Guidelines:

Please consult the Pre and Post Award Guidelines before applying for information on how funds may be used and the grant and reporting obligations. For questions on eligibility or for further information, please contact Erica Edwards, Associate Director.

Grants for Teaching and Research in Germany

Applications due February 24, 2025, 11:59 pm EST. Click here to apply.
Purpose:
Historical and contemporary developments involving education, society, domestic politics, and the international relations of Germany are a special focus of the ESC. With the support of the University Center for International Studies (UCIS), ESC administers a grant program to help faculty carry out individual or collaborative research or teaching in or about Germany.

Eligibility:
Awards are available to ESC affiliated faculty only. Prior to applying, affiliated faculty must complete or update their UCIS Faculty Survey and upload a CV from within the last 12 months. If you are interested in becoming an ESC affiliated faculty, please contact Erica Edwards (eee36@pitt.edu). Faculty with visiting appointments or affiliated faculty who do not teach at Pitt are not eligible. Previous awardees who have not submitted reports and/or expenditure documentation from past grants are not eligible.

Funding:
  • Awards range from $2,000 to $6,000.
  • Applicants must show efforts to secure matching funds from their department, school, or other external sources.
Funding Priorities:

Overall, awards are made on a competitive basis based on the quality of proposals. However, preference will be given to the following:

  • Projects fostering research and/or teaching collaboration between faculty at Pitt and faculty or researchers at German institutions
  • Projects advancing longer-term partnerships or institutional relationships between Pitt and institutions in Germany
  • Projects involving faculty and graduate students at collaborating institutions
  • Projects likely to lead to applications for external grant funding and/or publication
  • Projects that are new or substantively different from previously funded projects
  • Projects proposed by faculty whose focus is not currently Germany but who are interested in adding this dimension to their research or teaching
Application Procedure:
  • Complete and submit an application on Submittable.
  • Update faculty survey and upload a current C.V.
  • Upload a detailed budget listing all estimated expenses
  • Upload a written proposal of no more than five double-spaced pages. In the text of the proposal, please include a section addressing precisely how the funds will be used.
  • Upload a copy of the IRB approval documentation (if applicable).
Pre and Post Award Guidelines:

Please consult the Pre and Post Award Guidelines before applying for information on how funds may be used and the grant and reporting obligations. For questions on eligibility or for further information, please contact Erica Edwards, Associate Director.

Small Grants

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Click here to apply.
Purpose:
Small Grants provide support to affiliated faculty for research-related expenses, conference travel, and translations of publications. Awards are also available for events and presentations that align with the Center’s mission and research priorities. We consider requests for modest funding for events held on any of Pitt's campuses. This funding can also be applied to support visitors participating in these events.
These awards are meant to supplement departmental or other funding. If an award is granted, the ESC requests that the Center be acknowledged as a co-sponsor of any lecture or activity that receives funding. The ESC will also help publicize such co-sponsored events to students, faculty, and community members.

Eligibility:
Awards are available to ESC affiliated faculty only. Prior to applying, affiliated faculty must complete or update their UCIS Faculty Survey and upload a CV from within the last 12 months. If you are interested in becoming an ESC affiliated faculty, please contact Erica Edwards (eee36@pitt.edu). Faculty with visiting appointments or affiliated faculty who do not teach at Pitt are not eligible. Previous awardees who have not submitted reports and/or expenditure documentation from past grants are not eligible.

Funding:
  • Awards range from $500 to $750.
  • Applicants must show efforts to secure matching funds from their department, school, or other external sources.
  • Awards are available on a rolling basis, with one half of the funds available for successful applications submitted during the first half of the University’s fiscal year (July – December) and the other half available for applications submitted during the second half of the fiscal year (January – June). Applicants submitting proposals after all the funds earmarked for a given 6-month period have been spent will be offered the opportunity to resubmit during the next 6-month period
Funding Priorities:

Overall, awards are made on a competitive basis based on the quality of proposals. However, preference will be given to the following groups:

  • New faculty (first two years at Pitt)
  • Junior faculty (pre-tenure, with special emphasis on faculty with junior research leaves)
  • Faculty from the Humanities or disciplines in which external funding is less abundant
  • Senior faculty starting new projects/changing research foci
  • Senior faculty requiring start-up funds for research projects that have a high probability of being funded externally in the future
Application Procedure:
  • Complete and submit an application on Submittable.
  • Update faculty survey and upload a current C.V.
  • Upload a detailed budget listing all estimated expenses
  • Upload a written proposal of no more than five double-spaced pages. In the text of the proposal, please include a section addressing precisely how the funds will be used.
  • Upload a copy of the IRB approval documentation (if applicable).
Pre and Post Award Guidelines:

Please consult the Pre and Post Award Guidelines before applying for information on how funds may be used and the grant and reporting obligations. For questions on eligibility or for further information, please contact Erica Edwards, Associate Director.

Grants for Course Development

Applications due February 24, 2025, 11:59 pm EST. Click here to apply.
Purpose:
Course Development Grants are available to support faculty in enhancing existing courses or creating new ones that include content on Europe, broadly defined. We are particularly interested in supporting teaching initiatives that fall within our Critical Area Studies for Europe (CASE) approach, which challenges scholars to reconsider the traditional area studies model. Grants are available to support work related to:
  • Creating a new course with substantial (more than 25%) coverage of Europe.
  • Significantly enhancing an existing course to introduce or expand Europe-related content.
  • Adding a component of pre-professional advising, preparation, or experience to an existing course with significant European content.
  • Adding or enhancing the assessment tools utilized to determine the impact of a course related to European studies.
Eligibility:
Awards are available to ESC affiliated faculty only. Prior to applying, affiliated faculty must complete or update their UCIS Faculty Survey and upload a CV from within the last 12 months. If you are interested in becoming an ESC affiliated faculty, please contact Erica Edwards (eee36@pitt.edu). Faculty with visiting appointments or affiliated faculty who do not teach at Pitt are not eligible. Previous awardees who have not submitted reports and/or expenditure documentation from past grants are not eligible.

Funding:
  • Awards range from $1,500 to $3,000.
Funding Priorities:

Overall, awards are made on a competitive basis based on the quality of proposals. However, preference will be given to the following groups:

  • New faculty (first two years at Pitt)
  • Junior faculty (pre-tenure, with special emphasis on faculty with junior research leaves)
Application Procedure:
  • Complete and submit an application on Submittable.
  • Update faculty survey and upload a current C.V.
  • Upload a description of the course.
  • Upload of statement of support from your Department Chair.
  • Upload a detailed budget listing all estimated expenses.

While all proposals will be reviewed, the Center is particularly interested in courses that serve one or more of the following programmatic foci:

  • European Union, European integration, Europeanization, or the European project
  • Transatlantic Studies, including historical, political, economic and cultural aspects.
  • Mediterranean Studies
  • Lusosphere Studies (with a strong focus on Iberia)
  • Scandinavian Studies
  • Science and Public Policy
  • Critical European Culture Studies
  • Re-imagining area and European Studies at Pitt

In addition to the funding, the Center can offer specific support for course development based on student feedback and Center priorities. Once approved, all new or enhanced courses will be added to our list of courses counting toward our undergraduate certificates, advertised and posted via our electronic and social media outlets, and passed on to departmental and school advisors. Faculty would be responsible for ensuring the incorporation of new courses into their respective department’s approved course list.

Pre and Post Award Guidelines:

Please consult the Pre and Post Award Guidelines before applying for information on how funds may be used and the grant and reporting obligations. For questions on eligibility or for further information, please contact Steven Lund, Assistant Director, or Erica Edwards, Associate Director.