The Provost and the Dean of ISP provide funds to develop strategic partnerships with particular universities and institutions of higher education and research, focused on themes in which a critical mass of MSU faculty are engaged. These partnerships will generally involve multiple departments and/or colleges at MSU. Collaborations that link Arts and Letters or Social Science faculty to the STEM and health disciplines are especially encouraged.

These partnerships may involve collaborative research, regular exchange of faculty and students, co-developed distance learning courses, co-sponsored dual degree or sandwich programs, and other forms of cooperation that build the institutional partnership.

Core faculty of the MSU Center for European and Eurasian Studies (CEES) are eligible to apply for SPG funding through CEES in support of their work in the broad region under the Center’s purview.

Collaborative research is essential to these partnerships, and we ask faculty who participate to build broader and deeper multidisciplinary cooperation with the partner institutions that extends beyond their own research priorities.

Strategic Partnership funds will provide partial support of travel costs to develop strategic partnerships, both for MSU faculty and their partners coming from abroad.

The applicant’s college, department, and other institutes will be expected to share the costs (at least a 20% match) of this travel to ensure that the commitment to long-term partnering is shared by departments and colleges.

Outcomes from these travel awards should include one of the following:

1. Development or submission of a collaborative proposal (including MSU and partner institution faculty) for external funding.
2. Development of new collaborative research (joint publications, conference papers, etc.) or curricular programs (e. g., degree programs, courses, faculty exchanges).

Proposals should not exceed 5 pages and should include:

A narrative addressing the following questions:

1. What activities are proposed for this trip?
• What outcomes are expected from these activities and this trip?
• What are the long-term goals of this partnership and who will be involved?
• How has this institution been chosen as a potential strategic MSU partner abroad?
• What MSU faculty are involved in the project and from which disciplines?
• With which department and/or college at the host university will you collaborate?
• If project participants previously have engaged in collaborative work with colleagues there, what was the nature and duration of that collaboration?
2. A written endorsement from the applicant’s Dean or Department Chairperson committing to a minimum of 20% matching funds (or in-kind contributions).
3. A proposed budget.

The criteria that will be used to evaluate the use of these funds will include the number and quality of

1. Collaborative research grant applications submitted and awarded,
2. Collaborative research publications completed,
3. Faculty exchanged, through post-doctoral and visiting scholar appointments, and
4. Curricular innovations (e. g., collaborative courses, dual certificate or degree programs, sandwich degrees, study abroad, internship programs, etc.)

These proposals are reviewed on a rolling basis until the funds are exhausted each year. Accordingly, submissions earlier in the academic year are recommended.

The initial deadline for proposals is Friday, October 31, 2025.

Please e-mail your proposals to cees(at)isp.msu.edu with “SPG” as the subject line.