PUF (Partner University Fund)

As we enter more deeply in the 21st century, the dynamics of global economic and technological development are producing revolutionary changes in the cross-border movements of talent, capital, innovation and intellectual property. In this increasingly global knowledge-based economy, countries and universities alike are learning to navigate a complex landscape made of both competition and cooperation.

At this crucial time when French and American universities are taking new steps to face the challenges of international competition, the Partner University Fund (PUF) was established in 2007 in conjunction with the FACE Foundation (French American Cultural Exchange) to promote innovative partnerships in research and higher education between French and American institutions of higher learning and research.

PUF helps them build sustainable education and research partnerships within or/and across all the disciplines, in a dialogue with its main contributors as well as with key actors in the academic field such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Institute of International Education (IIE), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) or the Conférence des Présidents d’Universités (CPU).

Partnerships may combine elements such as: joint initiatives in research and publications; graduate student, faculty and postdoctoral mobility; and shared, joint and dual degrees at the master’s and PhD level. They can be funded at a level of up to $80,000 per year over a three-year period, subject to annual review by the Grant Selection Committee.

From physics to musical composition, and environmental science to business, PUF supports partnerships in a wide range of areas, such as “the Dual Ph.D Program in African Studies” between Northwestern University and Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) and the “Research and educational partnership on Nanosciences and Nanotechnology” between the University of Texas, Austin, and Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble I.

Governed by a steering committee, the PUF Fund is managed by an Executive Director also serving as Cultural Attaché for Higher Education within the Embassy of France in Washington, D.C. PUF has a budget of 1 million USD allocated for its second call for projects.

Partnership projects are subject to independent scientific expertise and then reviewed by a committee of renowned academics and high level officials in the areas of international education and research.

The deadline for applications is December 15, 2008; the results will be announced early March 2009 for the following academic year.