Notre Dame-Universidad Panamericana Joint Research Grant

Universidad Panamericana (UP) in Mexico and the University of Notre Dame (ND) announce the ND-UP Joint Research Grant to strengthen academic ties between the two institutions and to support research in keeping with the strategic interests of both universities.

Grant Project Requirements

• The ND-UP Joint Grant projects are expected to run from August 2026 to September 2028.
• Compliance approval is necessary at both institutions for all research projects.
• Faculty mobility is a requirement of this grant program.

Contact

For questions regarding the content of this call, please contact:

Sevda Arslan
Program Director for Faculty Support and Partnerships
Notre Dame Global
Email: sarslan@nd.edu

Abraham Baltazar León Soto
Institutional Manager for Research
Vice President's Office for Research
Email: vgi@up.edu.mx or ableon@up.edu.mx

See past recipients

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Eligibility

This call is open to teams composed of at least one principal investigator (PI) from each institution. Applications from all disciplines are welcome.

• At Universidad Panamericana, the PI must hold a full-time academic position with a Ph.D. or equivalent degree.
• At the University of Notre Dame, the PI must be a regular faculty member.

Researchers from both institutions may participate in only one project, either as a principal investigator or a co-principal investigator, and cannot be involved in multiple projects.

Funding & Expenses

• Joint awards up to a total of $70,000 will be made for each joint research project, with each project investigator being funded by their respective institution.
• The fund can finance up to three (3) projects, with a maximum budget of USD $70,000 per proposal. The total available funding is USD $210,000, with equal contributions from both universities.
• Funding will be available for joint research projects of between 12 months and 24 months duration. Proposals for projects of longer duration will not be accepted.
• The total requested funds for awarded projects may be adjusted following budget review.
• Unspent funds at the end of the award period will be returned to the awarding institution.

Expenses

Each institution will support its own researchers involved in the research project. Full details of all anticipated costs/activities must be clearly itemized as follows:

• A clear breakdown of expected costs by institution must be provided in the budget. Awarded funds cannot be transferred between universities.
• The budget plan should indicate spending over the full duration of the proposed project.
• Budget justification will be required to ensure good use of financial resources.

Eligible Expenses

• Field work data collection expenses
• Payment to human subjects
• Travel between both institutions for planning, execution, and review of research
• Materials and supplies (e.g., lab reagents)
• Software
• Publications (articles in peer-reviewed high-impact Q1 or Q2 journals, book chapters, or books).
  • Faculty at ND are encouraged to investigate agreements between the Hesburgh Library and a select number of publishers, as a publisher of interest may be among those listed.
• Academic workshops
• Research equipment (all equipment and supplies purchased by a university becomes the property of that university)
• Personnel:
  • Partial Notre Dame graduate student stipend and benefits (graduate student assistants must be involved in the faculty fellow’s collaborative research and writing in ways that contribute to the student’s intellectual formation). Please note that at ND, you must allow approximately an additional 13.5% in the budget for fringe benefits for graduate students.
  • UP Graduate Students are not supported through this specific grant but may be supported through other scholarship funding mechanisms at UP.

Ineligible Expenses

• Computers
• Faculty salary
• Teaching buy-out
• Business start-up costs
• Tuition fees
• Conference attendance

Outcomes

Project outcomes are expected to relate to knowledge generation, project visibility, and future financial sustainability, with optimal outcomes being:

• Co-Publication(s)
• An application to an external funding body

Other measurable outcomes or impacts are encouraged as relevant to the discipline(s). Co-supervision of doctoral theses, while not considered a primary outcome, is welcomed.

How to Apply

Applications are to be prepared jointly and submitted in English by either the ND Principal Investigator or the UP Principal Investigator, through NDG's Online Application system. Incomplete proposals or late submissions will not be accepted.

To initiate the proposal development effort for the program, ND faculty and UP faculty must take the lead in reaching out to each other in their areas of expertise.

Review application requirements:

SAMPLE ND-UP Joint Research Grant ApplicationND-UP Joint Research Grant Budget Template

Additional Funding Sources

If a submitted project is under review for other funding or already receives support from another fund, external institution, and/or financing from ND or UP, the origin, amount, and funding source must be disclosed and clearly specified.

Application Timeline

• Launch: February 23, 2026
• Deadline: April 21, 2026
• Selection panel: May 2026
• Notifications expected: June 2026
• Projects start: Between August 1, 2026, and September 1, 2026 (a delay could occur for a project if the Compliance Reviews at one or both institutions necessitates longer time)
• Maximum project length: 2 years

Selection Process

Proposals will be jointly evaluated by a senior faculty panel from both institutions.

Applications will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Academic quality of the proposed research, including methodology, scope, ambition, and significance
• Clarity of objectives and outcomes
• Efficiency and reasonableness of the budget
• Sustainability of the research relationship
• Alignment with the strategic goals of both universities

Reporting Requirements

A Project Completion Report must be completed by award holders upon completion of the work defined in the funding application. Submissions to external funding agencies are to be reported and provided to the contacts at the respective institutions.

For 2-year projects

• A progress report is due at the end of the first year; and,
• A progress report is expected, and a project completion report must be completed by the project leaders at the end of the funding period

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The University of Notre Dame du Lac (ND), USA and Universidad Panamericana (UP), Mexico Joint Research Grant Program is contingent upon ND and UP entering into a mutually acceptable written agreement.

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