International Incentive Grants

Proposals will be accepted from: 

• All levels and ranks of full-time faculty 
• Staff who have direct contact with students, contribute to research, or whose positions directly support students’ educational process 

Not eligible to apply:

• PhD students
• Adjunct instructors
• Any other part-time instructional or research staff 

Projects not eligible for funding:

• Projects that have received this award in the past
• Trips already taken or currently underway 
• Attending or presenting at an international conference 
• Developing a new student exchange program 
• Developing a new faculty-led study abroad program 
• Shadowing an existing faculty-led study abroad program 

Applications must be submitted by the current cycle deadline of 5:00pm EDT on Friday, October 16, 2026. 

The application packet must include a completed application form, with the following materials uploaded in a single pdf file: 

1. A two-page (maximum), single-spaced proposal addressing each of the evaluative criteria listed here.
2. A one-page itemized budget and explanation of each budget item.
3. Copy of a short CV (two pages maximum).
4. Letter of support (can be submitted via email) from applicant’s supervisor or Unit Head indicating how the proposed collaboration will contribute positively to the department or unit and addressing cost-sharing commitment.
5. A letter of support from their partner university host.

Evaluative criteria:

1. Applicant’s Qualification – It is required that the proposal clearly and effectively demonstrates the applicant’s qualifications to develop the proposed project. 
2. Impact of Proposal – What will be the outcome/deliverable of the trip? Is this a proposal which will provide immediate and long-term benefits to UC? Will it serve to strengthen and advance UC’s partnerships? Will it increase international opportunities for UC faculty/Staff/Students? Is there a strong probability of project implementation and sustainability if this proposal is funded? Is there evidence of positive departmental support for the proposed program?
3. Quality of Proposal – Does the proposal articulate a well-thought-out plan for developing and/or strengthening the collaborative project? Does the proposal contain creative ideas with a credible, appropriate, and attainable approach? Is the budget cost effective? 
4. Cost-Sharing – Is there a demonstrated commitment for cost sharing in the proposal? 

• Travel is expected to be completed during the 2027 calendar year.
• Funding will be transferred to the recipient’s department. All travel requests will be completed by the grant recipient following university procedures/requirements. It is the grant recipient’s responsibility to ensure that all relevant information is obtained and that the travel request is finalized and submitted for approval.
• All travel expense reports will be developed and submitted by the grant recipient, following university procedures/requirements.

• Kate Bonansinga, School of Art, DAAP, with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa: Collaborative project on public art in the global north and south.
• Jacob Cogan College of Law, with Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Colombia: Conduct field research on responses in Latin America to international trade policies implemented by the US since 2017.
• Priyanka Gudsoorkar, College of Medicine, with Christ University, India: Strengthen oral and general health through asset-based community engagement at CSA with Christ University.
• Katie Hicks and Tina Stanton-Chapman, School of Education, CECH, with the University of Johannesburg, South Africa: Joint project on the Funda Academy Community Playground.
• Alejandro Lozano Robledo,  A&S, Blue Ash, CAHS, and CCM, with Universidad del Desarrollo, Chile: Pilot collaboration, including workshops and lectures in digital innovation, to establish an interdisciplinary academic exchange and research pipeline between UC and UDD.
• Nitin Nitin, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, CEAS, with Nirma University, India: Develop and validate an intelligent, self-adaptive algorithm for EV battery health monitoring; analyze its performance and deploy it real-time in a battery management system.
• Tanja Nusser, German Studies, A&S, with Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany: Joint research on oral histories in post-migrant societies in American-German and Turkish-German contexts.
• Jing Shi, Mechanical & Materials Engineering, CEAS, with National Taipei University of Technology, Taiwan: Develop research and graduate education collaborations related to a 2025 NSF-IRES grant project between the  Industrial and Systems Engineering Program at UC and NTUT's Industrial Engineering Management Department.
• Patrick Ray, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, CEAS, and Amy Townsend-Small, Environment and Sustainability, A&S, with the University of Cape Coast, Ghana: Research project on potable water and renewable energy, part of a larger UNESCO project that supports the National Adaptation Plan for Ghana.

• Erynn Casanova, Sociology, A&S, with Università degli Studi di Trento, Italy: Develop a summer research workshop proposal and a joint module for graduate research methods courses.
• Brooke Crowley, Anthropology, A&S, with Université de Bordeaux, France: Advance UC–Bordeaux collaboration through a visit featuring talks, meetings, group events and the initiation of new joint research projects.
• Thomas Polger, Philosophy, A&S, with Université de Bordeaux, France: Joint publication of the second and third articles in a 5-6 paper or chapter series explaining neural computation and neural circuits.

• Mehdi Norouzi, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, CEAS, with National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan: Third annual workshop in sequence modeling at NCHU.
• Gwen Roemer, Lindner College of Business, with Ming Chi University of Technology, Taiwan: Offer a career course by UC cooperative education faculty in Taiwan; collaborate with MCUT to develop an ongoing variable-credit course for UC's Experiential Explorations Program students.
• Maobing Tu, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, CEAS, with Université du Québec à Montréal, Canada: Advance UC–UQAM study of biobased materials for PFAS and trace metal removal, opening new research in environmental chemistry and sustainability.
• Ju-Yi Yen, Mathematical Sciences, A&S, with National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan: Expand partnership with the NCHU Department of Applied Mathematics by launching joint research, collaborative courses, scholarships, and a dual-degree master’s program.