Preference will be given to projects with a tangible plan to apply for larger external research funds.

Deadlines

• Submission Deadline: October 31, 2025
• Award Notification Date: within six weeks
• Mid-Project Report Deadline: A year from the award notification date
• Final Project Report Deadline: Two years from the award notification date
• Fund Closing Date:  Two years from the award notification date

Evaluation Criteria

• Mission and Impact
  • Is the proposal a good fit with the CSCC’s mission?
  • Does the proposal have potential for impacts? If so, how much?
• Originality
  • Is the proposed study innovative (incrementally) in concept, theoretical framework, research questions, methods, and/or implications?
• Design
  • Is the study methodologically sound?
• Capacity and Track Records
  • Does the PI possess the expertise and experience to successfully carry out the proposed study?
• Value for Money
  • Does the study represent value for money?
  • Are the costs realistic and reasonable?
• Potential for Larger Grants
  • If funded and successfully completed, does the study have high likelihood of receiving larger external grant support?

Institutional Review Board Approval

• If working with Human Subjects, grant recipients must obtain an approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) for the acceptance of the grant to be completed. IRB review may take place after the grant application, but needs to be completed before faculty get access to the grant.

Grant Responsibilities

• Acknowledgement

If awarded the grant, all publications, conference posters or presentations, or other means of dissemination resulting from work supported by a CSCC research grant should acknowledge funding from the Center for the Study of Contemporary China, Duke Kunshan University, see example below.

• Reporting

Grant recipient needs to submit a mid-project report and a final project report. Both reports should be max 2 pages (single-spaced) and detail the progress and outcomes of the project.

• Grant Management

All spending authorization approval requests in the ERP online system must attach the approved grant budget demonstrate alignment between the proposed spending and the objectives of the awarded project. This documentation may include, but is not limited to, invoices, quotations, and detailed descriptions of the expenses. Please ensure that all required documents are complete and accurate to facilitate the approval process.

• Grant Modification Policy

Grantees are allowed to modify up to 10% of the total grant award for expenses not originally outlined in the approved budget. Requests for modifications exceeding this limit, due to extraordinary circumstances, will be considered on a case-by-case basis. To request a budget modification, grantees must submit an updated budget and a rationale for the changes, which will be reviewed by the CSCC co-director for approval.

Questions?

All grant proposals and inquiries should be sent to Chi Zhang, the program coordinator for the Center for the Studies of Contemporary China.

List of CSCC Research Grant for Faculty Research & Creative Activity Projects