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

Proposed international travel must initiate prior to June 30, 2025.

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.

Proposals are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.

      • 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, 2025.
      • 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.
      • 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.

      Proposals for travel to any region within SSEA will be considered; however, priority will be given to the KU articulated target regions of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Indonesia and Japan.

      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.
        1. A description of the project (not to exceed three pages, single-spaced), including its benefit to KU and its alignment with Jayhawks Rising; plans for publication; the location and length of the stay abroad; and why the project requires travel abroad.
        2. A detailed travel budget and information on other sources of support or potential support.
        3. A letter from the applicant’s department chair or dean endorsing the project.
        4. Email proposal materials as a single PDF to Whitney Denning at whitneydenning@ku.edu no later than 5 p.m., March 6, 2024.
          1. A description of the project (not to exceed three pages, single-spaced), including its benefit to KU and its alignment with Jayhawks Rising; the location and length of the stay abroad; and why the project requires travel abroad.
          2. A detailed travel budget and information on other sources of support or potential support.
          3. A letter of endorsement from the applicant’s department chair or dean that includes department/school matching funds to demonstrate the importance of the partnership to KU. Matching funds may not come from central campus sources. 
          4. Email proposal materials as a single PDF to Whitney Denning at whitneydenning@ku.edu no later than 5 p.m., March 6, 2024.

          Questions?

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