Faculty Grants

Application Form                                                                               Summer Contract

Guidelines for CASAR American Studies Grants for AUB Faculty   

The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud Center for American Studies & Research (CASAR), in accordance with its mission to increase knowledge of the United States in the Middle East, is accepting grant applications from AUB faculty members for three kinds of scholarly activity:

I.    Conference Travel Grant (Deadline is five weeks prior to departure)

II.   Research Travel Grant (Deadline is May 1^st)

III.  Summer Research Stipend Grant (Deadline is May 1^st)

All grants are intended to support research related to American studies.  AUB Faculty may apply for grants in more than one category, but may receive funding in any one category only once per year. An applicant may receive funding for a conference travel grant in addition to either a Research Travel Grant or a Summer Research Stipend Grant during the same year. Applications for all grants require the completion and submission of the “Application Form for American Studies Grants for AUB Faculty”, in addition to the other required documents for each category. All documents should be submitted to the CASAR office (453 College Hall). Specific guidelines and instructions for the three types of grants are outlined below.

I.  Conference Travel Grant

The Conference Travel Grant is similar to the URB short-term grants, but only supports conference presentations on American Studies topics.  Applications for this type of grant should be submitted to the CASAR office at least five weeks prior to the departure date. These grants will cover the registration fee to attend and participate as a presenter in a conference. Funding also covers expenses for food and lodging, airfare and local transportation. 

Required Documents:

1. Application Form for American Studies Grants for AUB Faculty.

2. Proposal (not more than 200 words explaining the theme of the conference and the title of the paper you are presenting).

3. Request and authorization for Official University Travel approved by your Chair and Dean.

4. Copy of the official leave request approved by your Chair and Dean.

If your grant is approved, CASAR will cover two kinds of expenses:

1. Airplane ticket: You are requested to purchase the ticket through AUB Auxiliary Services. CASAR will directly pay the auxiliary services for the amount of the ticket.

2. For all other expenses, you will receive an advance payment for your travel pending the travel request and leave request were submitted a month before the date of travel. Eligible expenses include:
   • Transportation from airport to conference location and back (does not include car rental).

   • Conference registration fee.

   • Lodging and food expenses, justified by receipts, up to the per diem rates as specified by the office of the comptroller for lodging and food. (Per Diem in USA or Per Diem in other countries).

   An expense report should be submitted to the CASAR office within two weeks after returning from your trip. It should be accompanied by receipts for all the above expenses. Any extra expense for accommodation and meals above the per diem rate will not be honored.

II.  Research Travel Grant

This grant involves travel for the purpose of researching an American studies topic, and it is valid for twelve months from the approval date. The applicant will receive a stipend of $2000 USD per month (up to two months) in addition to the cost of an airplane ticket. The deadline for applications is May 1^st.

Required Documents:

1. Application Form for American Studies Grants for AUB Faculty.

2. Proposal that includes:
   • Title of the project.

   •  Abstract (not to exceed 200 words).

   • Dates of proposed research.

   •  Description of the proposed research including its specific aims, review of related work, methods of inquiry and analysis, and significance of the project (not to exceed 5 pages).

   •  Other funds expected or received for the same research project.

   • A Curriculum Vita.

3. Request and authorization for Official University Travel request approved by your Chair and Dean. Please ignore per diem section on the travel request, estimate the transportation cost (airfare) and under “Miscellaneous” include cash in advance for research expenses (Calculate this as $2000 USD per month and prorate the amount for parts of a month).
4. Copy of the official leave request approved by your Chair and Dean.

If your grant is approved, CASAR will cover two kinds of expenses: 

1. Airplane ticket: You are requested to purchase the ticket through AUB Auxiliary Services. CASAR will directly pay the auxiliary services for the amount of the ticket.
2. For all other expenses, you will receive a payment voucher for cash in advance ($2000 USD / month). These expenses include:
   • Transportation expenses (including car rental).

   • Lodging.

   • Food (Please save your receipts for auditing purposes; however, you will not need to submit receipts for food unless the expenses exceed $60 USD/day).

   • Other research expenses (such as copying etc...)

All the above expenses should be justified by receipts and submitted along with an expense report to the CASAR office when you return from your trip.

III.  Summer Research Stipend Grant

The Research Stipend Grant will be awarded to applicants who wish to conduct research related to American Studies while staying in Lebanon during the summer semester. The deadline for applications is May 1^st. This grant does not involve travel. The applicant will receive a stipend of $2000 per month to be spent on research purposes. This money will be processed via payroll (and thus will be subject to taxes according the Lebanese Labor law). In order to be eligible for this grant, applicants cannot participate in any teaching during the summer.

Required Documents:

1. Application Form for American Studies Grants for AUB Faculty.

2. Proposal that includes:
   • Title of the project.

   • The date when the research begins and when it ends.

   • Abstract (not to exceed 200 words).

   • Description of the proposed research including specific aims, review of related work, methods of inquiry and analysis, significance of the project (not to exceed 5 pages), and explanation of how this grant will help you achieve your objectives.

   • Other funds expected or received for the same research project.

   • A Curriculum Vita.

Accepted applicants will receive a letter of approval, and will be asked to sign a summer contract with AUB. This contract should be signed and approved by the CASAR director, your department chair, and your dean.

Upon completion of the research, you are required to submit a summary report to the director of CASAR.