Seminars and Research Grants

Overview

The Puentes Consortium provides a space for the binational community of scholars who carry out multidisciplinary research on issues of importance to the relationship between Mexico and the U.S. The unique nature of this consortium resides both in the high-level, regular dialogue that takes place between the university presidents and leaders in government, business, and other institutions concerned with U.S.-Mexico relations, and in the sustained, active research carried out by binational teams of scholars. Together, these interactions will enhance the connectivity between the two nations’ institutions of higher education and lay the foundation for long-term, effective dialogue and policy-making.

Purpose

The Puentes Consortium’s Research Grants and Seminars Scholarship aims to foster binational research initiatives on pressing U.S.-Mexico issues for which experts can share their expertise and findings through organizing seminars and joint publications. The intent of this award is to motivate interinstitutional collaboration on specific research topics and to support seminars with experts from different universities and entities. The main goal is to foster the collaboration of scholars in the U.S. and Mexico that could develop into new lines of research and the joint publications of books and scientific papers on topics relevant to the binational relationship.

Use of the Award

Scholars may use this award for research proposal development and organization purposes. The use of this award should result in the organization of an inter institutional event (e.g, workshop, seminar, small conference, round table series, etc.), where at least two members of the Puentes Consortium are co-organizers. The funding can be used to pay for venue rental, participants’ travel expenses, translations services, and so forth.

Scholars may also use this award to create a new research initiative or research project. Proposal submitted in previous years include binational collaborative book publications  on topics related to the U.S.-Mexico relationship, binational policy issues, among others. However, these funds may not be used to pay salaries of students and/or research assistants or to buy computers or electronic gadgets.

Award Amount

The Research Grants and Seminars Scholarship will fund expenses up to $20,000 USD. Funding is limited to one or two proposals per year that are awarded on a competitive basis depending on the availability of funds.

Eligibility

1. This funding is available to researchers, academics, and Ph.D. students from all member institutions of the Puentes Consortium.
2. Proposals must include at least three researchers from the Puentes Consortium Universities. Further institutions (private or public) may be invited to participate even when these are not members of the Consortium.
3. This call is open to all feilds of research. 

Application Process

• Applications for the Research Grants and Seminars Scholarship are open in the fall each year.
• Applications should be written in English or Spanish.
• Applications will be evaluated by an evaluation committee.
• Applicants will be notified of the results approximately one month after application.
• Applicants should submit the four supplementary documents listed below. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
• The Puentes Consortium Operating Committee may request additional information or conduct further vetting of the application proposal.

Application Materials

1. Cover page (1 page): Please include:
   • Name, university affiliation, and contact information of the principal investigator (full postal address, phone number, and email)
   • Research project title or seminar title
   • Abstract of proposal (1 paragraph)
2. Project description
   • Describes the purpose of the research initiative or seminar, including a description of the potential outcomes (e.g., official report, white paper, book, etc.) (max. 1 page).
3. List of partner institutions
   • Provide an alphabetical list of all participants and collaborators, including their affiliations and position.
4. Budget Proposal
   • Please include calendar and overall costs over a 12 month period.

Evaluation Criteria

A clear and succinct proposal description is encouraged for all applications. Proposals will further be assessed against the following criteria:

• Projects must be aligned with the consortium’s objective of addressing issues that affect the binational relationship between Mexico and the U.S., ideally with an inclination towards public policy.
• Transdisciplinary research proposals are highly encouraged.
• International and interinstitutional research teams will be given priority, as well as applications aiming for transdisciplinary research topics.
• Knowledge transfer initiatives in all fields of science, will also be considered.

COVID-19 Updates

With the ever-changing events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, applicants must be aware that the Puentes Consortium reserves the right to cancel, postpone and/or modify any activity, event or funding action due to any related outbreaks or restrictions derived from the risk of spreading the virus.
All applicants that receive a Puentes grant and decide to travel to any of our member universities must comply at all times with the COVID -19 protocols proper to their host institution.

Do know, that in most cases visiting scholars will require to be fully vaccinated and wear masks to participate actively in university life and hence to visit academic departments and public areas within our campuses. However, please contact the program administrator if there is any personal concern or restriction regarding vaccination and masking requirements.

Important Dates

• Opening of call for proposals: October 1st, 2022
• Application deadline: December 16, 2022
• Communication of results: February, 2023

For questions about the Puentes Research Grants and Seminars Scholarship, please contact Ivonne Cruz at telephone number +1 (713) 348-3582 or by email at ivonne.cruz@rice.edu.