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Research Funding

General Information

The College supports undergraduate research though various research grants over the course of the academic year. Students seeking research support should consult the information for the various funding opportunities on the CURF webpage.

The International Relations Program has the ability to support exceptional senior thesis research proposals through the generous support of our alumni.  The bulk of the research funds are intended for current seniors in the IR Program working on an honors thesis project, who intend to do thesis related fieldwork or other research in the latter half of the fall semester to the first half of the spring semester. Some limited funding may be available for second semester juniors in the IR Program who intend to pursue research for their honors senior thesis during the summer.

Deadlines

  • For current seniors working on an honors senior this project, the deadline for application is November 10, 2025 @ 11:59pm.  (Successful applicants will be notified in early December.)
  • For current juniors who have registered for an honors thesis seminar for the fall of their senior year, who wish to conduct thesis research over the summer, the deadline for application is April 10, 2026 @ 11:59pm.  (Successful applicants wil be notified in early May.)

Applications materials should be submitted to the Senior Thesis Advisors or Research Methods (INTR3500) instructors electronically by 11:59pm on the relevant application deadline.  Applications will be evaluated by the faculty of the IR Program.  Applications submitted late or missing required materials will not be considered.

Guidelines

The IR Program Research Support Grants are open to all full-time, regularly enrolled juniors (for summer grants) and seniors (for term-time grants) who are declared majors in the IR Program, and are in good academic standing in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.  International students may apply, but they should consult Penn Global's Office of International Student and Scholar Services to verify their eligibility to receive funds to conduct research in the U.S.  The grants are intended to help offset the costs of research projects proposed by students in the IR Program as part of their senior year honors thesis.  The maximum amount of the grant is $1,500, and will be administered as a block grant.

  • Only juniors (for summer grants) and seniors (for term-time grants) in the International Relations Major are eligible to apply.
  • The project must be original research to be conducted as part of their senior honors thesis.
  • While the senior honors thesis seminars will have been ongoing at the time of application, the grants may only be used to cover expenses incurred by research conducted after the grant has been awarded.  Funding may not be used for expenses that have been already incurred prior to the granting of the award.  (For example, seniors may not use the grant to cover research expenses incurred for research conducted over the prior summer.)
  • These funds will be issued in the form of a block grant to the student.  Students receiving awards of $600 or more will be subject to taxes.
  • The research design and the specific research activity must be reviewed and approved by your senior thesis advisor (or in the case of Juniors applying for the summer funding, your INTR 3500 instructor).

Application

Prepare the following items as part of your application, and email them to tnishino@sas.upenn.edu by the deadline:

  1. Short Abstract (max 250 words).  Explain the research question being explored, and the substantive or intellectual importance of your project.
  2. Summary of Research Design (max 1000 words).
  • Methodology: Describe the design and procedures to be employed in the proposed research, and the rationale for the chosen approach.
  • Research activity: If conducting fieldwork involving interviews describe the subjects and the rationale for choosing those subjects.  If conducting surveys, provide a draft of the proposed survey along with the method of collecting responses.  If conducting data analysis, describe the sources of the data.
  • Expectation of success:  Describe the steps you have taken (for example, securing promises of cooperation from interview subjects) to ensure that the proposed project will have a resonable expectation of success.
  1. Budget: Provide a detailed itemized budget, as well as the total cost of the research (even if it exceeds $1,500).  List each budget item in order of priority, and justify it in terms of the work proposed.  Depending on the availability of funds, the amount awarded may be less than $1,500.
  • Funding provided should be used to help defray direct research costs.
  • Funding cannot be a substitute for financial aid for the student.  Funding cannot be used for programming or course costs.  Funding cannot be used to pay a student stipend
  • Conference travel to present the result of the research is not acceptable.  There is a separate conference travel fund for such purposes.  However, if participation at a conference is part of the research design, then the funding may be used to support such travel.
  • Funding may not be used to cover expenses incurred prior to the awarding of the grant.
  • Examples of types of expenses the funds may be applied include travel expenses related to field research, visiting libraries and archives, the commission of surveys, and the purchase of non-open-source datasets.
  • Software (STATA, etc.) and equipment (computers, cameras, digital recorders, etc.) will not be funded.
  • If funding is being sought from other sources, please state the source and potential amount of funding.
  1. Faculty endorsement.  Please have your senior thesis advisor review the materials.  The advisor will be asked to provide an endorsement of your research plans.

Expectations and Procedures

  • Students who are awarded funding should review the information on CURF's Ethics and Compliance page.
  • If a student's research involves human subjects, the student must file for a Institutional Review Board review prior to the commecement of the research.  Students should consult their thesis advisors for guidance on submitting materials for IRB review.
  • Students conducting research outside of the US are required to register their trip with Penn's MyTrips International Travel Registry.
  • Funds will be disbursed in the form of an block grant directly to the student.  Students awarded $600 or more will be subject to taxes.
  • Undergraduates receiving this funding will be expected to provide a research summary which may be included in the IR Program's donor stewardship reports.