Faculty-Led Student Trip Grant

This program provides funding for faculty-led student trips and seminars in Europe. Three or four grants of up to $30,000 will be made each year, with one set aside for graduate student groups pending interest.

Faculty-led student trips are typically site-specific opportunities for immersive European studies. Trips are typically short-term (5-7 days) and may (but need not) connect to a course for credit. They might take place during the academic year breaks (fall, winter, or spring breaks, or sometime during the summer). At this time, we are only accepting proposals for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years.

Please note that Notre Dame International (NDI) provides health and safety resources for faculty and students. Undergraduate students traveling abroad are required to register their travel via the NDI Travel Registry.

Priorities

This is meant as an opportunity for faculty to share their passion and expertise with students on site in Europe or in venues relevant to European Studies (archives, museums, etc.). Therefore proposals should focus on sites where on-site interaction is vital, e.g.: European film, art, or opera festivals; historical sites; academic and professional conferences; libraries, archeological sites, archives, artistic and architectural installations, etc.

Study trips will ideally link to other educational goals by stimulating undergraduate research projects, senior theses, distinction papers, and independent work, or simply by supporting students toward the completion of their major or minor.

The ideal proposal will also elicit local expertise and talent in a manner that allows for a reciprocal relationship with Notre Dame, e.g. return lectures, panels, or presentations on campus in South Bend.

Proposals that involve interdisciplinary, cross-unit cooperation may be eligible for higher amounts. Study trips that support the integrative course requirement of the University’s new curriculum will be given special consideration.

Eligibility

Notre Dame's regular rank faculty, including tenured and tenure-track faculty, research faculty, teaching faculty, professors of the practice, clinical faculty, library faculty, and advising faculty, are eligible to apply.

Budget

There is a required 80/20 split with participating units, meaning that the Nanovic Institute will provide 80% of total costs, with the remaining 20% to be covered by the participating unit(s). The latter portion may, for example, be paid by the relevant dean’s office or another Institute; alternately, faculty research funds or other resources may be used. The student “commitment fee” is $300 and should be built into the proposal.

Proposal Format

Each proposal should include the following items:

• Abstract of the proposed project (one paragraph).
• Description of the proposed project (two-page maximum).
• Student selection criteria (what criteria will you use to ensure a fair selection of student participants?)
• Budget and Budget Justification (one-page maximum). Budget must include airfare, visa fees (if applicable), housing, food, other on the ground expenses, transport, activity/entrance fees, international health insurance approx. $12.50 per week/per student.
• Current & Pending Budget Information (list other sources of funding and the status of other applications for this project)
• Short CV (two-page maximum, current) for each faculty member.  
• Endorsement by the faculty member’s Chair or Dean (brief note of endorsement).

Submission

For consideration, applicants must submit the requested information and upload the appropriate proposal documents online via the Nanovic Institute’s Faculty Request Portal.

Acceptance Conditions

Acknowledge, as appropriate, the Nanovic Institute for European Studies in any publications, event materials, or other outputs that arise from the trip.
 
Conform to payment and travel guidelines. Payment and expenditure guidelines are outlined in the Budget section. Should any financial questions arise, please contact Melanie Webb, operations assistant director, at mwebb2@nd.edu. For international travel, the participants are instructed to use Anthony Travel for flight reservations and to fill out the ND travel registration for safety.
 
Submit an end-of-project report. All awardees are required to complete a short final report using an Institute-provided template. Failure to submit a report will result in the ineligibility of the faculty to request grant funding in future years.

Contact

Questions should be directed to Rev. James Lies, C.S.C., Senior Advisor for Faculty Fellow Affairs and Partnerships.