New fund will strengthen ties to Penn Wharton China Center

Penn’s ties with China are not over yet — the recently-announced Penn China Research and Engagement Fund is a grant program “designed to stimulate and support activity in China and engagement with the Penn Wharton China Center.”

The Penn China Research and Engagement Fund is closely tied to the Penn Wharton China Center, which opened in March. The fund aims to develop new and strengthen existing relationships with Chinese partners, highlight the Penn Wharton China Center as a space for knowledge sharing, support outstanding research projects across the university and increase “the study and understanding of China at Penn,” as well as create “opportunities for student engagement,” according to the announcement.

The Fund will award up to $2 million to qualifying Penn senior administrators and faculty this year. There is no maximum award size and the grant terms will be up to three years. $1 million will be contributed by the office of the Provost, and $1 million from matching internal and external funds.

“Projects supported by the Fund could include programs about China that engage our students here at Penn, programs at the China Center itself, or collaborations between our faculty and distinguished academic leaders in China,” Provost Price wrote in a statement.

Applicants must also match funds with other sources, collaborate with academic partners in China, and make significant use of the Penn Wharton China Center. The Fund aims to support a diverse collection of activities using the Penn Wharton China Center, ranging from conferences, to faculty exchange programs, to short term courses that aim to bring students to China.

“Both the Fund and the Center aim to catalyze a mutual exchange of knowledge and research between our two countries, and we look forward to further advancing that important goal through projects supported by the Fund,” Price wrote in a statement.

Statements of Interest are due April 28, 2015, and proposals are due on June 30.

Awards will be announced on Sept. 10, 2015 at the Penn Wharton China Center.

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