UC MEXUS-CONACYT Fellowship Programs 2008

University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States

UC MEXUS-CONACYT Fellowship Programs 2008

UC MEXUS – CONACYTMexican and UC Visiting Scholar Fellowshipsfor short- to long-term stays by Mexican researchers and scholars at UC campuses and UC faculty at Mexican academic institutions 2008-2009

Deadline for Receipt of Proposals: March 10, 2008

A program established under the 1997 UC-CONACYT Agreement of Cooperation in Higher Education and Research

New Program
The University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (UC MEXUS) and Mexico’s National Council for Science and Technology (CONACYT) are pleased to announce the new Visiting Scholar Fellowship Program which will provide fellowships for Mexican and UC researchers and scholars who wish to conduct short- to long-term stays at UC campuses or Mexican institutions of higher education and/or research. This program combines the UC MEXUS-CONACYT Faculty and Sabbatical Fellowship programs offered in previous years.
The Visiting Scholar Fellowship program is designed to better meet the needs of UC and Mexican faculty and researchers. It continues to allow for faculty and sabbatical visits while also offering greater flexibility in the length of proposed stays. All of the resources previously dedicated to the Faculty and Sabbatical Fellowships have been combined to support this larger, more inclusive program.

The UC MEXUS-CONACYT Visiting Scholar Fellowship provides an opportunity for short- to long-term academic exchange between Mexican and UC researchers, and seeks to promote and further the academic careers of scientists and scholars through periods of research, scholarship, and training at UC campuses or at Mexican institutions of higher education or research. Fellows must spend their time teaching or in scientific or scholarly advancement in the natural, physical or social sciences, humanities, engineering, or computer science and developing collaborative research projects with the UC or Mexican faculty host. Stays should be utilized to develop or expand binational collaborations at the individual and/or institutional level. Applicants are encouraged to connect their proposed stays with projects submitted to the UC MEXUS-CONACYT Collaborative Grants Program competition. The program also seeks to support projects that include matching funds or support, either from the host campus or institution or from other funding sources.

Dependent on the pool of applicants, reviewer recommendations, and available funding, fellowships are offered with a preferred even division between Mexican and UC fellows. Fellowship residencies must last a minimum of three consecutive months (i.e., one academic quarter) or up to a maximum of twelve months. During this time, visiting scholars may propose diverse scholarly activities including research, teaching, writing, acquiring and/or sharing expertise.

Fellowships for UC researchers and faculty support stays at Mexican institutions of higher education and/or research, and fellowships for Mexican investigators and scholars support stays at UC campuses. Support for UC and Mexican visiting scholars includes a monthly payment of $4,000 for a maximum of twelve months. Departments hosting Mexican faculty will receive funds to administer directly from UC MEXUS. All fellows will receive $800.00 towards payment of health insurance from CONACYT, in accordance with CONACYT’s policies. UC MEXUS does not provide funding for health insurance, benefits, and required University contributions. Applicants are advised to discuss the distribution of their monthly payments with their host departments.

Visiting scholars are expected to qualify for paid leave of absence from their home institution. They must begin their residency no earlier than September 1, 2008. They must begin their stay within 90 days of the originally proposed starting date and complete their residency no later than within 12 months or less from that starting date. This program does not allow fellowships to be deferred to a subsequent academic year if the residency cannot be completed within the originally approved timeline.

Eligibility

Mexican applicants must meet CONACYT eligibility criteria, which specify that they must hold full-time academic/research appointments at a Mexican institution of higher education and/or research. They must also be registered in the National Register of Institutions and Scientific and Technological Institutes at level 1 or higher. They must have held an academic position at their home institution for at least three years prior to the publication of this Call and must indicate their intent to return to their home institution following the residency. Mexican applicants must be hosted by a UC faculty or researcher who meets the criteria under the UC Policy for Eligibility.

UC applicants must meet the criteria set forth under the same UC policy. UC fellows must be hosted by a Mexican faculty or researcher who holds a full-time academic/research appointment at Mexican institution of higher education and/or research registered in the National Register of Institutions and Scientific and Technological Institutes.
Applicants may connect their fellowships to projects submitted to the UC MEXUS-CONACYT Collaborative Grants competition. However, the fellowship proposal must be unique to this program and applicant, i.e., it may not be a copy of any proposal submitted to the collaborative grants program or by other fellowship applicants connected to the same research group.
All applicants must provide an invitation from the host institution to undertake a residency. UC and Mexican hosts should provide evidence of their responsibility in ensuring that they will integrate visiting scholars into the academic community by facilitating their participation in ongoing research, instruction, and contact with other researchers, faculty and students. They should indicate that their departments will provide fellows with access to appropriate research facilities, office space, equipment and communications, and additional funding where possible. Applications that include several sources of support apart from UC MEXUS-CONACYT are particularly encouraged.

Conditions
UC MEXUS-CONACYT visiting scholars will be expected to participate in a collaborative research project with a faculty researcher and/or teach or co-teach a course/seminar at the host institution, or advance their own professional training at their host’s institution, department, or campus. If applicants propose independent, non-collaborative research, they must show evidence of how this work will develop into a long-term collaboration or program with the host institution. During their tenure, fellows may be asked to participate in seminars, conferences and educational activities organized by UC MEXUS-CONACYT as part of this program.
Each fellowship is expected to result in the completion of the proposed work within the project period, and a final narrative report of activities must be submitted jointly by the fellow and host faculty member. Failure to do so will prevent the recipient from receiving additional awards from UC MEXUS-CONACYT programs. The support of UC MEXUS and CONACYT shall be acknowledged in proposals, publications, conference materials, exhibitions, videotapes, or other products of the grant. A copy of each such product must be provided to UC MEXUS as the Office of Record for the UC MEXUS-CONACYT visiting scholar fellowship program.

Submission of applications
Eligible Mexican or UC researchers must submit their applications using the electronic submission site, which will be open for submission starting November 12, 2007. The items required in a complete application set are listed below. Each of the items must be completed in order to submit the entire application on line. Each applicant is responsible for securing all appropriate approvals and signatures prior to the submission of their application.
In addition, three sets of one complete proposal packet (original plus two copies) with all required items must be submitted to UC MEXUS at the address listed below by March 21, 2008 for the application to be considered complete. (Please note the caution regarding Semana Santa on page F-5).

The proposal packet must include hard copies of all files uploaded to the electronic submission site. The following items are required as part of the proposal packet, for both the online submission and the three hard copies sent to UC MEXUS:
Online Application Cover Sheet with an abstract in English and Spanish. (The application cover sheet is available at the online submission site. Applicants must create an online account in order to access the printout.)
Applicant’s curriculum vitae, (not to exceed five pages). Include educational achievements, academic positions and/or awards, a list of publications and current works in progress. The vitae must indicate when and where the applicant received his/her doctoral degree.
UC or Mexican host’s (and co-host’s, if applicable) abbreviated curriculum vitae, (not to exceed five pages). Include publications and research interests in the last five years.
Letter of intent from the UC or Mexican faculty host (and co-host, if applicable) indicating research or teaching responsibility and support, (not to exceed two pages). This letter should provide evidence of the host’s/co-host’s familiarity with the applicant’s project plan and indicate host support for the proposed activities as well as discuss the potential benefit of the stay to the fellow and the host institution.

Project plan for the work to be undertaken, (not to exceed five pages). Provide a summary in English or Spanish describing the proposed activities to be undertaken during the fellowship residency. For proposed research, detail the specific goals and objectives of the work to be undertaken, its significance within the discipline, work to be performed, timeline, and plans for continuation of the research and/or collaboration. Address planned methodology and relevant literature, as well as any disciplinary, interdisciplinary and international collaborative approaches.

Discussion of proposed non-research activities should provide a detailed description of the work to be undertaken and include a timeline and work plan. Applicants who wish to engage in teaching, training, or other scholarly activities should address how this work contributes to the advancement of the applicant’s academic advancement, to fostering and expanding collaboration between UC and Mexican research institutions and universities, and/or to the betterment of the home or host institution.

Please note that UC MEXUS and CONACYT look favorably upon host involvement and commitment to the fellow’s proposed activities. However, visiting scholar fellowship proposals must be original projects or work plans formulated by the applicant.
Official letter of invitation from the host institution of research or higher education or a UC department, laboratory, research center, or institute, (not to exceed two pages). This letter serves as an official authorization from the department or research institute where the fellow will be conducting his or her stay. It must be written by the department chair or by the director of the research institute hosting the candidate’s residency.
Mexican applicants need an official letter from their home institution indicating that they hold a full-time appointment and will be released for the time requested. The applicant’s position must have been held for at least three years prior to the publication of the Call. The letter must indicate the RENIECYT registration number of the applicant’s home institution and be signed by a legal representative of that institution.
UC applicants need an official letter from their department chair indicating that they are a faculty member and will be released from teaching duties during the period of the stay. Letters for both Mexican and UC applicants should note that the researcher will be returning to this position upon completion of the visiting scholar fellowship.
Mexican applicants must provide official evidence of belonging to the Sistema Nacional de Investigadores at level 1 or higher and provide their SNI registration number. Supporting letters that must be uploaded and sent separately include:
Two letters of support in English or Spanish addressing the applicant’s research accomplishments and abilities and the importance of this initiative for future collaboration between Mexico and Califor-nia. Information regarding uploading letters separately will be provided on the electronic application site. Applicants must provide this information to those people who will be providing letters. Letters should be addressed to the UC MEXUS-CONACYT Review Committee and, after being uploaded to the electronic submission site, they should be sent directly to UC MEXUS at the address listed below.
Within 10 working days following the electronic submission deadline of, send three hard copies (original plus two copies) of a complete application set with all required materials listed above in one package to the following address:
UC MEXUS – Visiting Scholar Fellowship Program3324 Olmsted HallUniversity of CaliforniaRiverside, CA 92521 USAAttn: Dr. Wendy DeBoer; tel: (951) 827-7339 Deadline for receipt of applications
To be considered, proposals must be submitted to the electronic site not later than 5:00 p.m. by Monday, March 10, 2007, and the three hard copies of the complete proposal packet must be received by March 21, 2007.
Please keep in mind that the week of March 17-21 is Semana Santa (Easter week), and most Mexican institutions will be closed. However, UC MEXUS will be open during this time, and the final date for receipt of the hard copies is March 21, 2008, without exception. The proposal will not be entered into the competition unless the hard copies are received. We strongly suggest that applicants get the required institutional signatures well before the proposal is submitted electronically.
Hard copies of proposals not previously submitted electronically will not be accepted, nor will late submissions, faxes, e-mail attachments, incomplete, or subsequently revised proposals. The copies sent to UC MEXUS must match the text and information submitted in the online version of the proposal. Hard copies that do not match materials submitted electronically will not be included for review.Review
UC MEXUS and CONACYT are committed to the principles of peer review and parity in the review and selection processes. Each proposal will be reviewed, evaluated, and rated by a committee of faculty members and/or researchers from Mexican and UC institutions representing expertise in relevant topics. Proposals should be written for a committee of broadly based expertise and interests. Appropriate bibliographies and supporting documents should be provided.
In addition to standard review criteria such as clarity, quality, and feasibility of the proposed work during the fellowship period, reviewers will consider the qualifications of the applicant, the potential for the establishment of long-term collaborative activities with the host campus or institution, the relevance of the proposed work to the UC CONACYT program and its significance for society and for the advancement of science and scholarship. Reviewers will look for project design that leads to development of research programs and resources in UC or Mexican institutions.
UC MEXUS and CONACYT provide no pre-review of proposals, and reviewer comments on individual proposals are not provided following the competition and final decisions.
It is strongly recommended that applicants review the proposal writing suggestions at our website: Proposal Writing Suggestions.Online Fellowship Proposal Submission:
Before submitting your proposal online, please read the description and instructions on this page. Also, read the Uploading Requirement and Instructions.
Submit your proposal online.For additional information contact:
Wendy DeBoer, Ph.D.Director of International Academic Programs, UC MEXUStel: (951) 827-7339; e-mail: wendy.deboer@ucr.edu or Dra. Maria Cristina Revilla MonsalveDirectora, Direccion de Investigación Científica Básica, CONACYTTel: 5322-7790 ext. 6100; e-mail: mrevilla@conacyt.mx
UC MEXUS Universitywide Headquarters3324 Olmsted Hall • University of CaliforniaRiverside, CA 92521-0147, USATel: (951) 827-3519 Fax: (951) 827-3856 Email: ucmexus@ucr.eduThis site is best viewed using Internet Explorer 4.0+ or Mozilla Firefox.