Application > Application FAQ
1. Are projects eligible only in certain disciplines?
PUF seeks to fund projects in all disciplines, as well as interdisciplinary projects. The evaluation criteria apply equally to all projects.
2. Who can be a Principal Investigator (PI)?
Each partnership must be led by a PI in each of the two lead institutions. PIs are the point persons for the project. Therefore, they will retain the majority of the responsibility to meet the scientific and administrative requirements of the PUF sponsorship. Only persons holding a Ph.D.are eligible to be named PI.
PIs resume must be join to the application.
3. Does the application form have to be signed by an authorized representative?
The application does not have to be signed by an authorized representative. However a “letter of intent” or “letter of endorsement” from the President, Chancellor, Head of the International Relations Office, Provost or any comparable representative must be submitted by each institution, together with the application form, if possible electronically, or otherwise as part of the paper version by mail.
4. How will an applicant know whether PUF has received his/her proposal?
An email receipt will be automatically sent to the project coordinator upon uploading successfully.
5. Can an award be made to an individual?
Grants are not allocated to individuals.
6. How much detail should the application include about the plans to train students?
While one of the goals of the PUF program is to fund graduate education projects, it is important to explain how students will be involved in the partnership. It is also important, when relevant, to detail how a dual/joint degree will be developed.
7. Can I apply for PUF funding to conduct a conference, symposium or workshop?
The aim of PUF is not to fund a conference, symposium or workshop if the latter is not part of a broader collaborative partnership.
8. What is the definition of “person-months”?
The term “person-months” refers to the effort (amount of time) that PI(s), students, faculty and other senior personnel will devote to a specific project. The effort is based on the organization’s regular academic-year. For example, for a faculty if the regular schedule is 10 months and 20% effort will be devoted to the project, a total of 2 months should be listed in the academic year block (10 months x 20% = 2 months).
For students in mobility, if there are 3 students spending each 6 months each in the partner university, a total of 18 person-months should be listed in the application form (3*6months=18months).
9. How many pages should the application be?
There is no limitation on the number of pages for PUF proposals. Due to the variety of projects (research program, educational program), the length of the proposal depends on the nature of the partnership.
10. Must the applicants indicate all additional partners?
Yes, it is important to indicate if you have additional partners even if there are not higher education institutions (i.e. enterprises). Please detail their participation in the project.
11. How many persons have to be involved in mobility per year? Must the number be the same for both institutions?
The PUF Grant Review Committee will encourage partnerships that involve growing mobility from students and/or faculty, according to the cases.
The PUF Grant Review Committee will discourage partnerships in which numbers of students and faculty exchanged at the master’s level are below three students each way.
At the doctoral level, a single student in exchange each way will not be accepted by the Grant.
The number of persons involved in mobility does not have to be the same in each institution but it cannot be a one-way mobility.
12. Are there any rules concerning intellectual property?
PUF does not manage intellectual property between institutions. Institutions must agree on this issue in a separate agreement.
13. How will my application be reviewed?
PUF applications are usually evaluated for scientific and technical merit by external scientific review experts in France and in the US. The evaluations are then sent to the Grant Review Committee.
14. Who sits on the Grant Review Committee?
The Grant Review Committee is composed of four academics and/or internationally recognized professionals specialized in international education from the United States, and four academics and professionals of the same background from France. All members of the committee are selected by PUF Grant Review Committee. The meetings of the Grant Review Committee are attended by PUF Executive Director, FACE Executive Director as well as by the French Cultural and Scientific Counselors in the United States.
15. What happens following the Grant Review Committee selection?
Once grant beneficiaries are announced, each institution is required to sign a contract with PUF delineating all obligations between the parties as well as the apportioning of the funds according to each institution’s request.
No funding can be sent to the partners until they have each returned the contracts and the information requested in writing signed by their administrative officers.
The sums are paid out in USD or Euros, but the budget is evaluated exclusively in USD.
16. When can the partners expect to receive the grant?
As soon as the results of the PUF Grant Review Committee are published and that the contracts are signed by all parties, the funding is made available by wire transfer.
17. How is the yearly renewal of the grant processed?
During the course of the partnership, the project coordinators keep the PUF team informed of the development of the partnership and of any major unforeseen evolution. As much as possible, the PUF team will also visit the partnering universities for on-site discussions and evaluation. Early July 2012, project coordinators will have to produce a Progress Report. On that basis, the Executive Director will submit a report to the PUF Grant Committee, which will decide on the renewal and the level of the funding for the following year.
18. Can applicants resubmit a proposal if the original one did not get funded the previous year?
Yes, a proposal can be resubmitted the following year if it did not get funded the previous years. Applicants must revise your application according to the criticisms of the Grant Review Committee and use their comments to improve your grant application. It is also wise to ask someone experienced in grantsmanship and not involved in your proposed research to review your application, summary statement, and revision plans.
19. Is it possible to resubmit a proposal if this project has already been funded by PUF?
PUF supports emerging transatlantic partnerships with the potential to continue beyond the initial 3 year grant with other sources of funding. PUF will not fund the same project twice. The same institutions can submit a new proposal and get funded only if the project is entirely new.
20. More questions?
Please contact PUF team at puf.scac@ambafrance-us.org