South, Southeast and East Asia Fund


Daniel Takaki in front of a white broad with math equations

The South, Southeast and East Asia Fund (formerly the CIK Fund) is administered by International Affairs and supports international travel expenses for individual faculty research projects up to $2,000. Additionally, it provides up to $4,000 for the development or maintenance of institutional exchanges, partnerships and academic collaborations between KU and counterparts at selected postsecondary institutions. The fund prioritizes helping departments and schools initiate and/or build relationships on behalf of KU with peer institutions of higher learning that grow KU research, expand research impact, further student success, or promote healthy and vibrant communities under Jayhawks Rising

International Affairs may request grant recipients to offer a presentation on their research to the campus community or serve on future grant selection committees up to three years post award.

International Affairs is currently accepting proposals for projects under the South, Southeast and East Asia Fund.

Proposals must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. March 5th, 2025.

  • Eligible applicants must be full time teaching or research professors; full time multiterm lecturers; or tenured or tenure-track faculty members at KU. 
  • Proposed international travel must initiate prior to June 30, 2026.
  • Applicants who have not received support from the South, Southeast, and East Asia Fund in the past three years will receive priority. 
  • Proposals to support research activities must contribute to scholarly publication.
  • Departmental or School matching funds are required to support proposals for partnership development.
  • Attendance or participation in an international conference are not eligible activities under this fund.
  • Applicants who have previously received support from this fund must submit a one-page, post-activity report detailing project outcomes of the funded travel to be considered for the current award competition.

While KUIA will review all proposals submitted for institutional exchanges, partnerships, academic collaborations and individual faculty research, the most compelling proposals will:

  • Speak to the project’s contribution to institutional internationalization as a core foundation that informs Jayhawks Rising. Examples might include, and are not limited to: the development of new collaborative research projects; faculty mobility toward joint funding or publication opportunities; international partnership or collaboration development; international student recruitment; and/or outbound student mobility.
  • Engage with two or more research priorities within the Jayhawks Rising Framework that grow KU research, expand research impact, further student success, or promote healthy and vibrant communities.

KUIA is currently accepting proposals through an online application form.

The application will require you to upload the following PDF documents:

  • full project description, 3-page maximum
  • detailed budget with other sources of funding; note matching funds are required for partnership development projects
  • letter of endorsement from your Dean or department chair

Only complete proposal submissions will be considered. Proposals must be submitted no later than 5 p.m. on March 5, 2025.

Ready to submit a proposal?

For questions about this fund, contact Whitney Denning, manager of internationalization initiatives and events.