Penn Middle East
Knowledge Exchange Fund

Eligibility Requirements, Priority Consideration, and Funding Term

eligibility requirements

Penn community members eligible to apply for funding include:

• Penn faculty and senior administrators
• Penn graduate students
• Penn Ph.D. candidates
• Penn postdoctoral researchers

Please note that all applicants must be full-time Penn affiliates through the duration of their proposed residency and travel.

Additionally, graduate students, Ph.D. candidates, and postdocs must provide a Letter of Support from their department or center director confirming they have been informed of the applicant’s residency plans as well as confirming the applicant’s affiliation at Penn will run through the duration of the proposed residency and travel.

priority consideration

Priority consideration will be given to proposals that examine issues in global business, economics, and international trade.

Funding term

Each grant supports travel to and from the American University in Cairo (AUC) for a 3-4 week residency, typically held during the summer (though other proposed residency timeframes are welcome depending on the preferences of the Penn applicant and their AUC partners.)

Applicants may optionally plan and budget for research and/or engagement activities elsewhere in the greater Middle East region, beyond their planned AUC residency.

Supported Activities, Awardee Expectations, and Allowable Costs

supported activities

Awardees must complete a 3-4 week residency at the American University of Cairo, Egypt (AUC). Supported residency activities include research and fieldwork, course development and site visits, meetings with international peers and partners, or conferences or networking opportunities.

Funding may optionally also be expended elsewhere in the region.

awardee expectations

Awardees must plan to execute at minimum the following 3 outputs:

• One (1) American University in Cairo (AUC) residency of a minimum 3-4 weeks
• One (1) Penn-based event engaging or related to outputs/outcomes of the AUC residency
• One (1) written product, podcast, or other multimedia output engaging or related to the AUC residency that will be made available to the broader Penn community

allowable costs

Grants may cover travel-related costs for the awardee, including but not limited to flights and transportation, lodging, meals, and incidentals.

Residency-related travel costs individuals other than the awardee must be supported by matching funds. Expenses related to other activities associated with the residency, including compensation for part-time student research assistants or international research associates, partner honoraria or other compensation, etc. must be supported by matching funds.

Before You Apply

identify and confirm your partner(s) at auc

Eligible applicants should work with their planned partners at the American University in Cairo (AUC) to develop plans for their short-term residency prior to applying. Please note that a formal Letter of Support from a representative of your partner entity at AUC that confirms AUC’s plans to engage the residency is a required component for your application.

identify and confirm matching funds source(s)

Applicants are encouraged to source matching funds for their overall proposed residency, especially towards any planned expenses for the AUC residency or other activities in the Middle East region that fall outside of our Allowable Costs guidance.

Contact Penn Global

Eligible applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Penn Global at global@upenn.edu with any questions they have about the program prior to applying.

Consult Academic School or Department

Applicants are also encouraged to inform School, center, and department leadership of their plans for AUC residency and any other scholarly activity in the Middle East prior to application.

Application Instructions

Narrative and budget proposal

To be considered, applications must include:

• Basic applicant and residency information
• Description of proposed residency project and planned outputs, including AUC residency and (optionally) any other engagement plans in the broader Middle East region
• Residency itinerary, including core activities and where/when they will occur
• Description of anticipated longer-term impact of the proposed residency
• Budget narrative aligning proposed line-item expenses with residency outputs and itinerary
• Budget proposal, submitted using our required budget template (available for download within the application form)

Letters of Support

The application must also include Letters of Support emphasizing the broader value add of the proposed residency to Penn, AUC, and any other primary partners, including contributions to research, teaching, and multilateral engagement. The application should include three Letters of Support, one from each of the following:

• Representative of the applicant’s confirmed partner entity at the American University in Cairo
• The department chair, center director, or equivalent administrator of the applicant’s affiliated Penn center or department
• Planned business administrator partner who will assist in management of project expenditures in the event the proposal is selected for funding

Submission

Applications must be completed and submitted by the applicant themselves.

Review

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.