International Affairs

President's Innovation Fund for International Experiences

2009-10 Awards

Grants from the President's Innovation Fund for International Experiences are available to faculty members at any Harvard school to support the development of creative and significant academic experiences abroad for Harvard College students. Funded through the generosity of David Rockefeller as part of his major commitment to support international experiences for students at the College, these grants seek to foster the participation of all Harvard graduate and professional schools, departments, centers, and other academic units in expanding international opportunities for Harvard undergraduates. This may mean involving undergraduates in an ongoing overseas project sponsored by a Harvard University graduate or professional school, department, center, or other academic unit; developing experience-based courses for students overseas or prior to and/or following their international experience; or other innovative opportunities.

Program Requirements:

The duration of the students’ residence abroad must be at least eight weeks (unless the proposed program is an on-campus supplement to an international experience).
The program must have a faculty leader or P.I. who meets one of the following criteria:

Those activities that are integrated into the undergraduate curriculum will be looked at especially favorably.

Applicants are welcome to consult Harvard's international and area studies centers and institutes for guidance on region/country-specific issues. These centers/institutes may be able to provide in-country contacts and, if resources permit, assistance with program implementation. Although each proposal requires a faculty lead or P.I., activities may be administered through a center, department, or other unit.

For proposed projects in all other countries and regions, the Harvard College Office of International Programs is available to provide consultation on program design. Contact Cathy Winnie, Director (617-384-7521, hutchis@fas.harvard.edu) or the main OIP office (617-496-2722, oip@fas.harvard.edu).

See the bottom of this page for a description of programs that were funded during the 2008-09 awards cycle.

Available Funding

In 2009-10, the President’s Innovation Fund will seed a handful of proposals by Harvard faculty members that reflect the spirit of the gift. Ordinarily, grants in the range of $15,000 to $40,000 will be available, though in exceptional circumstances, and if funds permit, grants up to $50,000 may be awarded. Allowable expenses include support for teaching assistants or local staff members who would serve as on-site "resident advisers" or supervisors for Harvard College students participating in a Harvard overseas activity; the development of course materials for a course with an international experience component; and other investments required to establish a sustainable activity outside the United States. The cost of student participation in the program, including fees, travel, and accommodation, will not be funded by this award. (Note that there are significant programs that fund student travel abroad, including the David Rockefeller International Experience Grants, and a variety of grants administered by the Office of International Programs, the Office of Career Services, and individual centers and departments. Students can find information about these opportunities at www.funding.fas.harvard.edu.) Additionally, grants will typically not cover salaries of any faculty member involved.

These grants should be considered seed money rather than continuing support. Ordinarily, the funds should be expended within a year of the award; if not, please contact the Provost's office for an extension.

Application Process

Applications for programs that will take place in the 2010 or 2011 calendar years will be accepted until November 2, 2009. Applications should include:

A description of the activity (not more than two pages)
A detailed budget (including categories of expense and specific planned expenditures, e.g., travel, food, honoraria, facilities rentals, etc.)
A plan for administrative management of the activity
Letters of commitment to the project (one from the designated faculty leader assuming fiscal, administrative, and intellectual responsibility for the program and one from each participating faculty member specifying the level of involvement to which he or she is prepared to commit)
A proposed plan for securing program funding after the Innovation Fund’s seed money has been used

If the proposed program will take place during the fall or spring semester, applicants are required to submit an authorization letter from the department chair approving the faculty member's absence during the relevant semester.

Applications should be submitted to Michael Hussey, Office of the Provost, either via email (michael_hussey@harvard.edu) or in hard copy to:

President's Innovation Fund for International Experiences
Attn: Michael Hussey
870 Holyoke Center
1350 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138

Reporting and Renewal of Awards

A summary report will be expected from each award recipient by the application date of the following year. (For 2008-09 award recipients, the deadline is November 2, 2009). The report should detail the following:

      * What activities the group has engaged in
      * Who has participated
      * The substance of the issues explored
      * How the program created an immersive international experience for students
      * The impact this funding made on the program
      * How the program will continue in subsequent years, including funding sources

Awards will have the possibility of being renewed for one year upon a demonstration of substantial progress. Award recipients should submit an application by November 2, 2009, that addresses the considerations above and demonstrates the need for additional funding.

Committee Membership

Jorge Domínguez - Vice Provost for International Affairs; Antonio Madero Professor of Mexican and Latin American Politics and Economics

Evelynn Hammonds - Dean of Harvard College; Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science; Professor of African and African American Studies

John Lichten - Senior Advisor for International Health Programs; Member of the Faculty in the School of Public Health

Tamara Rogers - Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development

Contact Information

For further information, please contact Michael Hussey, Office of the Provost, either via phone at (617) 496-1481, or e-mail at michael_hussey@harvard.edu.

International and Area Studies Centers and Institutes

2008-09 Award Recipients

1) Harvard Nutrition and Global Health Program at the Harvard Initiative for Global Health
Locations: Brazil, India, Tanzania
Faculty Lead: Wafaie Fawzi, Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health
Faculty Associates: Christopher Duggan, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Professor of Nutrition, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health

In partnership with the National Institutes of Health, the Harvard Initiative for Global Health has established the Harvard Nutrition and Global Health Program (formerly known as, Fostering Opportunities for Nutrition and Global Health Program) to support the development of multidisciplinary curricula on nutrition and infectious disease, nutrition and chronic disease, and nutrition and perinatal/child health. In Spring 2010, faculty will offer a course titled “Nutrition and Global Health” in the Program in General Education. This course will provide undergraduates with a strong foundation in nutrition and global health issues and provide them with an opportunity to apply these classroom-based academic frameworks to research sites in the field.

Using established research collaborations with partner institutions in Sao Paulo (Brazil), Bangalore (India), and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), students will be placed in mentored internships while gaining unique international experience. The Harvard Initiative for Global Health will provide administrative support and funds will cover in-country mentors, research materials, and faculty/staff travel for program development. Upon completion of the Spring 2010 course, students will begin participating in internships in the summer of 2010.

2) Harvard Summer School Program in Shanghai, China
Location: Shanghai, China
Faculty Lead: Rob Lue, Professor of the Practice of Molecular and Cellular Biology; FAS
Faculty Associates: Xiao-Li Meng, Professor of Statistics, FAS; Alain Viel, Senior Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Research in Molecular and Cellular Biology, FAS; Ann Georgi, Life Sciences Research Adviser, FAS

This will be the second Harvard Summer School program in China (the first is located in Beijing). In collaboration with Fudan University, students will integrate life sciences and social sciences coursework with immersion in the culture of Shanghai. By participating in courses along side students from Fudan, Harvard students will gain a truly cross-cultural experience. Pending successful completion of the inaugural program in the summer of 2009, there are plans to invite Fudan students and faculty to Cambridge for additional research and course development. Administrative support will be provided by the Harvard Summer School. Funding will help cover the ongoing development of new courses, immersive experiences, and course-related internships, as well as a Resident Director to oversee program logistics and student activities in Shanghai.

3) International Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (I-SURF) Program at the Harvard Initiative for Global Health
Locations: Botswana, Bangladesh, Senegal, South Africa, and Uganda
Faculty Lead: David Cutler, Professor of Applied Economics, FAS and Harvard Kennedy School
Faculty Associates: David Bangsberg, Lecturer on Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Stephen Calderwood, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Myron Essex, Professor of Health Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health; Edward Ryan, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health; Bruce Walker, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health; Dyann Wirth, Professor of Infectious Diseases, Harvard School of Public Health

The Cambridge-based Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program was established in 2007 to provide students with opportunities to engage in mentored scientific and academic research projects geared toward global health. The success of the program spurred a 94% student participation increase in the summer of 2008 and a range of global health challenges have been studied.

The I-SURF Program will build on this success and expand to pre-existing Harvard-affiliated research sites in Africa and Southeast Asia. Studying global health issues such as HIV and malaria, students will spend 10 weeks this summer contributing to cutting edge research in disparate cultural settings. Administrative support will be provided by the Harvard Initiative for Global Health. Funds will be used to cover the cost of in-country mentors, research materials, and laboratory supplies. Under the mentorship of Drs Calderwood and Ryan, two Harvard College undergraduates will travel to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) in Summer 2009.

4) Spanish and Service Learning Program
Locations: Santiago, Chile; Lima, Peru
Faculty Lead: Merilee Grindle, Professor of International Development, Harvard Kennedy School
Faculty Associates: Judith Palfrey, Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health; Steve Levitsky, Professor of Government, FAS

Targeting students with only a basic knowledge of Spanish, this program will combine intensive language study and hands-on internships or community service. The model serves two traditionally under-represented groups for international experience at Harvard: students who are not fluent in a foreign language and students whose academic careers are focused on the sciences or pre-medicine. Leveraging Harvard’s established relationships with universities, local NGOs, and public and private organizations, both sites will provide students with unique opportunities in two of the most culturally stimulating cities in the region. Administrative support will be provided by the Chile Regional Office of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies. Funding will cover necessary Harvard faculty/staff travel to program locations, course material development, and outreach to local organizations. The program will commence in the summer of 2009.