1. FEATURES OF THE PUF GRANT PROGRAM

1.1. OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE
Grants provided by the Partner University Fund support research and graduate education partnerships between French and American Universities with emphasis placed on novel, innovative and, when relevant, interdisciplinary approaches that involve exchanges across national and disciplinary boundaries.

Applicants are expected to develop new or deeper partnerships through the collaboration. The PUF Grant Review Committee will value, when applicable, evidence of institutional commitment to the development of joint or dual degrees even when the partnership starts with simple shared teaching and research exchanges.

PUF seeks to fund research and graduate education projects in all disciplines without exception. It also encourages interdisciplinary projects when relevant.

Each host institution should be perceived as deeply committed to making the stay of guest students and faculty as pleasant and accommodating as possible. Any local funding found to achieve this will be greatly appreciated by the PUF Grant Review Committee. The creation of additional collaborations with surrounding research labs and institutions outside the initial host campus will also be greatly appreciated, as well as the creation of consortia of partner institutions.

1.2. ELIGIBILITY
Only French and American non for profit institutions of higher education and/or research may submit applications to the PUF Fund. Those institutions need to be accredited by the relevant authorities (typically, ministries in France, regional authorities in the United States). Non profit research institutes not formally linked to universities, such as the National laboratories in the United States, INRA or INSERM in France, may also apply to PUF. Other organizations, sponsors or companies can be part of the overall partnership, as well as third countries universities. Only the lead French and American institutions are allowed to receive grants from PUF. No grants are allocated to individuals.

American institutions must demonstrate either their 501(c)(3) status granted by the IRS, or other relevant document indicating their non profit status for instance in the case of State Universities. French organizations must provide proof of equivalent status for eligibility. Such proofs of eligibility should preferably be provided electronically, by uploading the necessary documents together with the application form, from the upload section of PUF website.

Projects must be submitted jointly by the partnering institutions. 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 on behalf of each institution, together with the application form, if possible electronically, otherwise by normal mail. The actual uploading of the completed application form and other relevant documents on PUF website must be done by the coordinator of either of the two lead institutions.

1.3. DURATION OF PUF FINANCIAL SUPPORT AND ANNUAL MONITORING
The Fund allocates annual grants, but as 3-year projects are encouraged, grantees may receive consecutive annual grants subject to annual review. A concise vision statement on the planned evolution of the partnership over the 3 years is included in the application form to allow for monitoring and evaluation.

Partners must provide by April 15th of every year a progress report explaining the developments of the partnership in the preceding year in relation to the planned evolution suggested in the initial application.

Based on these reports as well as ongoing discussion with the grantees and possible site visits, the executive director of PUF submits to the Grant Review Committee a formal request to authorize the renewal of the grant for the following year and possibly adjust the level of funding, within the limits indicated in the initial application. This renewal offers the opportunity to qualitatively adapt the PUF support to unforeseen evolutions or of the partnership since the set up of the grant.

1.4. PUF AND THE CHATEAUBRIAND FELLOWSHIPS
Partners whose project includes Ph.D and post-doctoral students' mobility from the United States to France are encouraged to support the application of their respective student(s) to the Ph.D mobility Chateaubriand program
http://www.france-science.org/The-Chateaubriand-Fellowship in the humanities and the hard sciences, and to indicate so in their PUF proposal.

Chateaubriand fellowships can therefore be considered as an additional source of funding for PUF partnerships, beyond the annual limit of 80.000 US $ per partnership.

2. LEAD INSTITUTIONS TEAMS

2.1. PRINCIPAL APPLICANTS/ COORDINATORS
Each partnership will count with a program coordinator in each of the two lead universities/institutions. He will be responsible for planning and coordinating the partnership, and naturally for sending the application in the first place (as indicated earlier, applications need to be uploaded by one of the two coordinators).

Once a partnership is awarded a grant by PUF Grant Review Committee, the two coordinators will act as the liaison with PUF regarding the administrative and financial follow-up of the grants.

2.2. NUMBER OF PERSONS INVOLVED IN A PUF PARTNERSHIP
Although not prescriptive as far as the number of persons expected to be involved in PUF partnerships, the PUF Grant Review Committee will encourage partnerships that involve over time a growing number of students and/or faculty, according to the cases. Involvement may present itself in different ways: physical mobility of students and faculty, distance learning initiatives, etc.

In the same logic, “concerted action” programs, in which each team member performs a self-contained project under a general theme without extensive interaction with the other team members are not considered to constitute a partnership.

3. OVERALL BUDGET

3.1. USE OF FUNDS
PUF funds up to 30% of the project cost of a partnership program, in average over the course of three consecutive years, pending yearly review of progress. Partner institutions are therefore required to bring "in kind" and "in cash" contributions in a proportion not inferior to 70% of the cost of the partnership. The relative shares of in kind and cash contributions are not specified by PUF.

By project cost it is understood that the funds provided by PUF are not intended to either replace or supplement funds available for current domestic programs; they are to be used specifically to support new international collaborative programs.

The institutions must provide the normal facilities and equipment necessary for the implementation of the partnership. However, if additional equipment is essential in order to implement the research (consumables in a lab for instance or an additional computer) or teaching partnership (videoconferencing equipment for instance), this can be provided under the grant. Section 3.3 gives more precise information about allowable and unallowable uses of PUF funds.

Laureate institutions are naturally expected to maintain a complete tracking of all expenditure from the PUF award. Such financial follow-up is expected as part of the annual progress report made by the partners. On a case by case basis, the Grant Review Committee can allow partnerships to keep part of the totality of unused funds for the following year, based on the revised action plan presented by the project coordinators.

3.2. AMOUNT OF AWARD
The current mode of funding is as follows, but may be subject to revision over time by PUF' steering committee: PUF funds up to $80.000 per project and per year, on a maximal period of three years. Grants are divided between the partner universities based on the budget approved by the PUF Grant Selection Committee.

PUF operates in US dollars. While payments may be requested in euros, the amount in that currency will be determined by the exchange rate against the US dollar at the time of each transfer (and thus may vary for each annual payment).

3.3. METHOD OF PAYMENT
In the event of an award being made, the distribution of funds will be decided with each partnership coordinators and contracts will be drafted and signed to this effect between the partners and the FACE Foundation, that is legally in charge of the financial management of PUF. The funds will be transferred by PUF either to one single partner who will then transfer the amount due to the other, or to both partners based on the amount they agreed about before.

In the case of funds dedicated to mobility schemes between the United States and France, the possibility described in section 5 to have the Egide Agency directly manage payment of allowances and provide insurance coverage to the beneficiaries, will allow for a simpler financial management on behalf of the universities as PUF will directly send Egide the amount earmarked for that specific purpose instead of first sending it to the universities.

4. ALLOWABLE AND UNALLOWABLE EXPENSES
In accordance with the principle of marginal cost, PUF grants can be used to make the following expenses.

4.1. EQUIPMENT
Purchase of equipment is allowed when essential for the new collaboration which is proposed. The implementation of distance learning initiatives may for instance entail buying the necessary equipment. Purchase of equipment to supplement current domestic programs is not allowed.

4.2. SERVICES
Consulting services and computer services, including rental fees, are allowed.

4.3. SALARIES
PUF cannot fund coordinators nor principal investigators for their work in setting up partnerships. PUF cannot fund the work of permanent administrative staff (such as secretaries or program assistants) involved in PUF partnerships. PUF cannot fund faculty permanent teaching obligations even when partner institution's students benefit from it.

Salaries can be paid from the PUF grant in the case of research and teaching assistants specially hired for the purpose of the partnership, either in a research or technical capacity (post-doctoral scientists, graduate students, technicians) or in a teaching capacity (language assistants, tutors helping students involved in distance learning activities, etc).

Expenses listed earlier can however, when specifically dedicated to the project, be considered as in kind contributions from the partner universities as part of the 70% co financing that they need to bring to the project.

4.4. COMMUNICATION, PUBLISHING AND COORDINATION EXPENSES
Expenses made for the purpose of setting up or coordinating the partnership (joint meetings of team members, fees for participation in conferences) are allowed as well as expenses aimed at promoting the different facets of the partnership (flyers, etc.).

Publishing expenses, for instance in the case of joint research (editing, translating, publishing) or training (teaching material) are allowed.

4.5. TRAVEL, LIVING AND HOUSING EXPENSES
Mobility being a key tool in nurturing partnerships, PUF allows expenses associated to the travel and living expenses of faculty, students and post doctoral fellows in so far as they keep within the limits of the general principles exposed in introduction.

In line with the local context, and in accordance with local laws and regulations, institutions may mobilize funds in different ways while always respecting the central principle of shouldering only the costs associated to the specific project. (See also section 5 for France bound mobility).

4.6. UNALLOWABLE EXPENSES
No general overhead or administrative costs may be charged by participating institutions on the PUF Grant. Overhead costs shouldered by a partner may however be considered as part of the 70% co financing brought by the partners.

5. MOBILITY FROM UNITED STATES TO FRANCE:
WELCOMING PUF VISITORS THROUGH EGIDE

Ensuring that students and faculty benefit from the right insurance coverage, whatever their age and status, making sure that their housing and study/research allowances are paid promptly and easily, alleviating the administrative burden of mobility management for partnership coordinators are certainly keys to the success of a collaboration.

PUF partnerships, insofar as they involve the mobility of French government supported students and faculty to France (boursiers du Gouvernement français or BGF), can benefit from the services of the State accredited Agency EGIDE
http://www.egide.asso.fr/index.uk.html, dedicated to making those aspects of students and faculty mobility easy and efficient.

Instead of having each institutions find the best locally adapted way to ensure the prompt payment of allowances or the right insurance coverage for every category of visitors, PUF offers, on a voluntary basis, a “one stop” approach through EGIDE.

In choosing this option, project coordinators should be aware of two major benefits from this:

5.1. HEALTH INSURANCE
Visitors to France on programs managed by EGIDE are covered by health insurance packages tailored to their specific situations. Health insurance coverage is a crucial prerequisite for any program involving visits to France by foreign students, interns or researchers. Indeed, proof of coverage is one of the conditions required for entry into France.

The scheme offered by EGIDE is recognized by French government authorities for the issue of visas and residence permits. It is available to all holders of EGIDE-managed scholarships who do not meet the two conditions (age under 28, and enrollment at higher education center approved by French social security office) governing eligibility for student coverage under the French national social security system.

The Égide health insurance scheme also includes other forms of protection for foreign visitors in France. http://www.egide.asso.fr/uk/services/metiers/protecsociale.jhtml

All PUF visitors receiving allowances from EGIDE will automatically benefit from the insurance coverage offered by EGIDE. The cost be students, post-doctoral students of researchers within the framework of PUF projects.

5.2. STUDY/RESEARCH AND HOUSING ALLOWANCES
Under the conditions specified in Section 4.3, French host institutions have the possibility to employ graduate students, post-doctoral students of researchers within the framework of PUF projects. In that case, coordinators will manage directly through their institutions the funds allocated by PUF to that effect. Local laws and regulations regarding employment fully apply in that case. Such PUF visitors cannot benefit from the status of Bousier du Gouvernement Français described above and therefore cannot benefit from the EGIDE insurance coverage.

When coordinators choose to welcome PUF visitors through EGIDE as Boursiers du Gouvernement Français, EGIDE directly manages the payment of the allowances and PUF visitors are not considered as being employed under French law. One important effect of this situation is that no additional costs (charges sociales) need to be added (and budgeted in the first place) to the allowance received by the PUF visitors.

5.3. FILLING THE ADDITIONAL BUDGET DOCUMENTS
Based on the template below, also available at the very end of the application form, partnership coordinators can fill the additional budget document by indicating the anticipated number of visitors by type and duration, and by choosing, when relevant, the level of allowance awarded to the visitors (in the case if high level scientific visitors).

To make the management of the PUF/EGIDE partnership simple and efficient, project coordinators are encouraged to choose this option for all incoming visitors or for none, although special cases may be considered.

Based on the local context and on budget constraints, project coordinators may choose to budget only one of the two main categories of allowances: study/research allowances and housing allowances. Regarding housing allowances, coordinators can choose lesser values than the ones suggested in the budget template so as to better adapt to the local context.

The consolidated amounts extracted from this budget can then be introduced in the general budget document available in the application form.

5.4. DISBURSEMENT OF EGIDE FUNDS
The funds allocated by EGIDE to PUF visitors will be directly sent to EGIDE by PUF, without partner universities needing to get involved. The same applies to the fees charged by EGIDE for insurance coverage and operational costs (both one time and monthly ones) for each PUF visitor. PUF will therefore only transfer the remainder of the funds to the partner universities, making the administration of the projects much easier.

EGIDE will then work directly with each approved PUF visitor to arrange for the payment of the allowances and for setting up the insurance coverage, such as specified in the budget approved by the Grant Review Committee for each project.

Because PUF budgets are in US Dollars, partnership coordinators are encouraged to be conservative when choosing the exchange rate applicable to their project as far as the expenses in Euros are concerned. Expenses in Euros will indeed not start before August/September 2008, i.e eight or nine months after the application deadline. Given that PUF will only then transfer to EGIDE the amount of US Dollars specified in the approved budget, there is always a risk that the countervalue in Euros may end up lower than planned.

6. Evaluation criteria

The Grant Review Committee is sovereign in its evaluation of the projects. The evaluation process puts emphasis on three major dimensions. First, the scientific quality and relevance of the partnership. Second, the impact and value added of the partnership on the participating institutions, as well as on the broader community. Third, the level of preparedness of the participants and the quality of the project planning. At a more detailed level, the following dimensions have been underlined by the Review Committee, in a non limitative way:

6.1. Scientific excellence of the host teams, scientific pertinence of the shared or complementary curricula and/or research.
Each partner team should present its members and their scientific achievements in concise resumes without lengthy lists of publications, but with current research activities.

Each partner program, whether master’s, doctoral or postdoctoral, should list the coursework being offered and exchanged in clear, well defined sections corresponding to the time spent in residency by the student on the host campus. The credit equivalencies should also be clearly stated as well as any corresponding qualification units in doctoral exchanges.

6.2. Evidence of institutional commitment and sustainability of the partnership in the long haul.
The Partnership should be envisaged as a long-term project, well beyond the initial 3 years of support given by PUF. A concise vision statement on the planned evolution of the partnership over the 3 years will be included in the project summary and progress reports at the end of each year will be requested by the fund to ensure the sustainability of each project.

6.3. Number of students and faculty in exchange mode.
The Partner University Fund aims at both a qualitative and a quantitative development of the partnership. The PUF Grant Review Committee will therefore discourage numbers of students and faculty exchanged at the master’s level below three students each way.

At the doctoral level, a single student in exchange each way will not be construed by the Grant Review Committee as an institutional partnership, but rather as a doctoral grant, which is not the mission of the Fund.

Exchange of faculty is essential to the dynamic evolution of the partnership. Exchange faculties bring new ideas and teaching methods to the partnering institution. They help select those students better adapted to a creative partnership both ways.

Additional funding arrangements that would facilitate the living and working conditions of the visiting students will be appreciated by the PUF Grant Review Committee (student stipends, teaching assistant positions, Research assistant positions, etc.).

6.4. Joint or Dual Degree.
The PUF Grant Review Committee will look, when relevant, for evidence of institutional commitment to the development of joint or dual degrees even when the partnership starts with simple shared teaching and research exchanges.

6.5. Management of mobility.
Each host institution should be perceived as deeply committed to making the stay of guest students and faculty as pleasant and accommodating as possible. Any local initiative and or additional funding to achieve this will be greatly appreciated by the PUF Grant Review Committee.

6.6. Broadening of the collaboration.
The creation of additional collaboration with surrounding research labs and institutions outside the initial host campus will also be greatly appreciated, as well as the creation of consortia of partner institutions.

6.7. Additional local funding and fund raising.
Depending on the discipline, the partnership should be able to generate interest from local sponsors, enterprises, institutional funds other than the PUF Fund. The PUF Grant Review Committee will appreciate any leads to additional funding to which PUF can give moral and institutional support both in France and the U.S.

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