Global Partnerships – Staff Travel Grants Competition Call for Proposals February, 2014 Recognizing the integral role that University of Maryland staff play in the internationalization of the student experience—one of our top institutional priorities—the Office of International Affairs (OIA) announces the Global Partnerships-Staff Travel Grants Competition. Global Partnerships Staff Travel Grants will fund full-time staff members to visit UMD partner institutions around the globe to acquire new ideas and learn "Best Practices" that might be implemented in the grantee’s area of work. Grants up to $5,000 will support travel to one or more existing university global partners. Funds can be used to cover transportation, accommodations, food, and other travel-related expenses. There will be one call for proposals annually, with up to four grants awarded. Applicant eligibility All full-time UMD staff members are eligible to apply to this program. Partner institution eligibility For this Call, a “Partner Institution” is any foreign, accredited institution of higher education with which UMD has a valid international agreement (e.g., Memorandum of Understanding). To identify potential partners, or to check the status of particular partnerships, please browse the Global UMD database of international agreements. We especially encourage applicants to consider involving one of the member institutions of Universitas 21, a consortium of 27 leading research universities around the world, of which UMD is now a member. Duration of the grant Grant funds must be used within one year of the award. We recommend a two-week visit to the partner institution. Expected outcomes Share and implement knowledge, insights and ideas gained with colleagues within your own unit and, as appropriate, with the wider UMD community. Application procedure Please submit your complete application by email to Dr. Joseph Scholten in the Office of International Affairs by Tuesday, March 25, 2014. Your complete application must include: 1. Project application form (see Appendix 1) 2. Invitation/ letter of support from an appropriate authority at the host institution(s). Email messages are acceptable. 3. Letter of support from the applicant’s UMD department head or equivalent The department’s letter of support should include the name of the applicant, the title of the project, an acknowledgement of the amount requested, and any financial contribution to the project by the department, if applicable. The letter of support should also specify that the applicant has permission to make this international visit as part of her/his regular job duties. Email messages are acceptable. A committee of UMD professional staff with global expertise will evaluate applications based upon: - Potential internationalizing impact of proposal on the campus community - Potential for collaborative projects with partner institutions - Feasibility of proposed activities within proposed timeline - Potential for deepening UMD’s connections with partner institution(s) Conditions Grantees must accept the award within two weeks of the award announcement, and attend an orientation session, to be organized by OIA. Funds are to be used to cover transportation, accommodations, food, and other travel-related expenses. Grantees must complete the project within one year of receiving the grant. Any unused funds revert to OIA. Reporting Successful applicants will submit a final report within one month of the completion of travel. This report will include: - a summary of the visit - a reflection on practices at the host institution and their possible implications for UMD - identification of possible collaborative activities with the partner institution - follow-up actions and timetable Reports will be no more than four pages, and submitted electronically. All reports will be published on the OIA website. Timeline Call for Proposals Published Application deadline Awards announced Grant start date Grant end date Final report deadline 02/06/14 03/25/14 04/08/14 05/01/14 04/30/15 05/31/15 Additional information Please address all questions related to this Call to Dr. Joseph Scholten in the Office of International Affairs. Appendix 1: Project application form A. Applicant information A.1. Name A.2. Title A.3. Department or Unit A.4. E-mail A.5. Phone B. International host institution information B.1. Institution name B.2. Department or unit name B.3. Country B.4. City B.5. Host’s name and e-mail address B.6. Previous collaboration (Please provide the details of the department’s or applicant’s previous collaboration with this institution, if any.) Note: If your project involves more than one partner institution, please copy, paste and fill in the section B of this form for each of the institutions involved. C. Project information (Maximum three pages, Times New Roman font, 11 pt, single space. Please complete sections C.1. to C.10.) C.1. Project title C.2. Objectives C.3. Justification C.4. Description of project activities C.5. Timetable C.6. Expected outcomes C.7. Beneficiaries (direct and indirect, institutional and individual) C.8. Travel costs C.9. Plans for sharing information and lessons learned D. Application checklist D.1. Application date: ____________________ Please check as appropriate: D.2. 0 An invitation/letter of support from the host institution is included with this application. D.3. 0 A letter of support from the applicant’s UMD department head or equivalent is included with this application. D.4. 0 The applicant acknowledges the award terms, conditions and restrictions as stated in the application guidelines.