CSCC Faculty-Student Collaborative Project Grant (Max. 2,000 USD)
Submission Deadline: Tuesday, 24 February 2026 midnight China time
*This is a strict deadline. Late applications will not be considered.
Award Notification Date: within six weeks
Program Description:
The CSCC Faculty-Student Collaborative Research Grant supports projects at DKU that advance our understanding of the society, politics, and economy of contemporary China, while fostering meaningful mentor-mentee relationships and collaborations. Supported projects should demonstrate potential for significant learning experiences for students. Faculty members are invited to submit proposals on behalf of their collaborative team. This grant provides funding of up to USD 2,000. The project duration is maximum 2 years.
Eligibility:
- Faculty applicants must be full-time DKU employees during the entire project period.
- Faculty applicants must not have received this grant in the previous year.
- Faculty may receive no more than USD 7,000 in CSCC support per academic year.
- Student participants must be enrolled at DKU during the entire project period.
- Students may participate in a maximum of one proposal per semester.
- Project proposals without funding opportunities from other sources will be prioritized.
Application Materials:
Proposals must include the following components in one PDF file.
- Project description (maximum 3 pages), covering objectives, rationale, research methodology, intended output, impact, role of each team member, applicants’ relevant expertise and skills, learning opportunities for students, mentorship plan, and brief list of references.
- Timeline (maximum 1 page) listing project tasks, including Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval, if applicable.
- Budget (maximum 1 page), describing, quantifying, and justifying expected expenses. The budget must specify whether the project is already supported by other (internal) grants and whether applicants have or are actively applying for other support.
- Up-to-date (2026) CV or resume of the faculty and student applicants.
A list of previously awarded projects is available here.
Evaluation Criteria:
Proposals will be reviewed by a CSCC grant committee of 3-4 DKU professors from diverse disciplinary backgrounds based on the following criteria:
- Relavance and Significance
- Does the project offer meaningful insights into contemporary Chinese society, politics, and economy, and demonstrate scholarly, social, or policy relevance?
- Project Design
- Are the project goals clearly articulated and appropriately matched with a rigorous and well-justified research methodology?
- Learning Opportunities
- Does the project provide meaningful learning and research opportunities that support undergraduate students’ academic growth and career preparation?
- Project Impact
- Does the proposal specify concrete project outputs and outline realistic plans for disseminating research results to relevant audiences?
- Are the project objectives achievable within the grant duration given the skills, resources, and time availability of both the student(s) and the faculty applicant?
- Budget Justification
- Does the applicant clearly justify the need for the grant funds and propose a reasonable and realistic plan for how the funds will be used to achieve the project’s goals?
Grant conditions:
- Grant recipients are required to submit a progress report and a final project report, each no more than two pages (single-spaced); instructions will be provided.
- All outputs (e.g., publications, presentations, exhibitions) generated under this grant must acknowledge support from the Center for the Study of Contemporary China.
- Student conference travel is eligible only if the student is listed as a presenter, with funding capped at USD 500; consultation with relevant DKU offices may be required.
- If working with human subjects, IRB approval may be obtained after the grant is awarded, but must be submitted before grant funds can be accessed. More information about the IRB process at DKU is available here.
Submission and questions:
Proposals need to be submitted by faculty applicants before Tuesday, 24 February 2026 midnight China time by email to cscc@dukekunshan.edu.cn. To ensure a fair and equitable process for all applicants, late submissions will not be considered. Grantees will be notified within six weeks.
All grant proposals and inquiries should be sent to Chi Zhang, senior program coordinator for the Center for the Study of Contemporary China.
List of CSCC Research Grant for Faculty-Student Collaborative Projects
