The Gülen Institute is an independent, non-political, and non-profit organization and a joint initiative of the University of Houston, Graduate College of Social Work and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog. The main goal of the Institute is to promote academic research and grass roots activities aimed at bringing about positive social change, namely the establishment of stable peace, social justice, and social harmony, by focusing on the themes of education, volunteerism and civic initiatives. While we acknowledge the very important role of government policies and funding, we believe that any lasting solution to any fundamental problem of humanity involves the civic initiative and includes an education component. We also believe that bringing people of diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds together around shared values, hopes and concerns of humanity is a crucial activity. We envision a world community in which the achievements of human civilization, that is, the quality of human relationships and degree of social harmony, equal or surpass the achievements in science and technology.


GRANT PROPOSALS

The Gülen Institute provides funding for a broad range of research projects focusing on positive social change, stable peace, social justice, social harmony, and dialogue opportunities, and the dissemination of information on international peace and conflict resolution in Euro-Asia and the Middle East. Research topics specifically recommended by the board of directors are democratization, social harmony, social capital and justice, and shared values.
Based on the Grant Review Committee’s decisions, funding is provided for projects that fall within the scope of the Institute’s vision. Grants are awarded to researchers  hailing from a broad range of relevant disciplines, and using various skills, and approaches, as long as the research focuses on the areas mentioned above.  The Institute sets no disciplinary restrictions, and welcomes proposals from interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary perspectives.


PROPOSAL SELECTION CRITERIA

The following factors are taken into consideration by the Grant Review Committee as it selects proposals to fund:

•    Proposals will be accepted on any topic related to education, peace-building, conflict prevention and social work issues in the following volatile regions of the world: Southeast Turkey, the Balkans, the Middle East, Central, South and Southeast Asia.
•    Research proposals on democratization, social harmony, social capital and justice, and shared values will have priority over other topics.
•    The Institute gives high priority to proposals that contribute to the Institute's efforts to increase peace-building potential, disseminate the message of interfaith and intercultural dialogue, and improve social capital.
•    Successful proposals include a plan for generating findings that are accessible to policymakers, academicians, and practitioners and show promise of having a substantial impact on the field.
•    The Grant Program does not support undergraduate study.
•    Projects that conduct basic and policy-oriented research on the causes of conflicts; on strategies to prevent and/or resolve conflicts; and on the condition and character of peace among regions, states, and peoples will given priority.
•    The project plan should be well-conceived.
•    The competence and relevant experience of the researcher(s) will be considered.
•    Inclusion of education and outreach components is important.


REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

Principal researchers will be required to submit an interim progress report at the end of the first quarter of their research program and a final progress report at the end of the third quarter. 

Duration of Grant     Interim Progress Report        Final Progress Report
1 year            end of 3 months            end of 9 months
2 years            end of 6 months            end of 18 months
3 years            end of 9 months            end of 27 months

Principal researchers will be requested to present the findings of project work in the form of a conference presentation and a scholarly paper to be submitted to an academic event or scholarly publication in a relevant field within one year after the grant time has ended.  These presentations and papers/publications should be in English.


ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

•    The Institute accepts proposals from individuals affiliated with accredited universities, university based non-profit organizations, and public institutions. Successful applicants will be required to show proof of affiliation.

•    Applications must be submitted in English.

•    Individuals who are currently working as Gülen Institute grant recipients are not eligible to apply for another grant.  However, successful grant researchers who have completed their projects may re-apply.

•    Applications that list members of the Institute's Board of Directors as participants, consultants, or project personnel will not be accepted.

•    Individuals may submit one grant proposal at a time.

•    The Grant Program does not provide support for costs associated with earning educational degrees, such as tuition.

Although the Grant Proposal process is not anonymous, there will be no discrimination based on age, gender, race, ethnic or religious affiliation, marital status or sexual orientation.

TENURE, AMOUNT, AND TERMS OF GRANTS

Gülen Institute awards are one to three years in duration. Annual Grant Competition awards consist of a pool of $100,000 available each year for research, which will be allocated to either one major project or a maximum of 10 projects at $10,000 apiece . Grants over $100,000 may also be granted after additional review.

The Gülen Institute may also give partial grants with a condition that the Institute will be acknowledged equally or more based on the proportion of the Institute’s contribution. Thus researchers may seek funding from any other source other than the Institute and its affiliates as long as the Institute is satisfied with equal acknowledgement vis-à-vis other funding agencies.

The amount of any grant is based on the proposed budget and on negotiations with successful applicants. All grants must be administered by the institutions with which the applicants are affiliated. It has to be noted that the Gulen Institute has a limit of 10% for overhead money.

Before the proposal is submitted by the Gülen Institute, the applicant is required to submit the proposal for a review by the Human Subjects review department of the institution in which he/she works. Then, after making necessary amendments recommended by the Human Subjects reviewers, the proposal must be signed off by an authorized institutional officer before the submission to the Gülen Institute.

REVIEW PROCESS

Grant proposals are evaluated through a rigorous process of review. A panel of expert reviewers composed of faculty from the University of Houston, and other academic partners of the Institute, as well as reviewers solicited by the Institute from federal, state, county and municipal agencies, non-profit organizations and the private sector will evaluate the proposals. The final authority for decisions about grant proposals rests with the Gülen Institute Board of Directors. The review process is confidential. Applicants will receive written notification of the status of their applications at the completion of the review process.


CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

All applicants should be aware that Institute directors, officers, and employees are not eligible for grants, and their proposals will not be considered. To assist the Institute in identifying possible conflicts of interest, the Institute requires that grant applicants bring to its attention possible relevant personal or institutional relationships. The Institute holds the right to make the final determination on conflict of interest issues.

RESUBMITTING A PREVIOUSLY DECLINED PROPOSAL FOR FUNDING

The Gülen Institute receives many more proposals worthy of funding than it has the resources to support. After making substantial revisions, applicants may choose to resubmit a proposal that the Institute declined to fund earlier.

PUBLICATION OF GRANT PRODUCTS

All published material resulting from grant activities shall contain an acknowledgement of the Gülen Institute’s financial support. The publication shall also include the following statement: "The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Gülen Institute."

CONTENT OF PROPOSALS

The purpose of this section is to help applicants prepare a detailed project description.
The proposals shall consist of the following sections, as specified:

SECTION 1

1.    Title
2.    Proposal Summary: an 80-100 word summary of the project proposal.
3.    Principal Investigator(s) name(s) and College/Department(s):  Provide the name, department, college, email address and phone number for all principal investigators and identify the primary project contact.

SECTION 2 : DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION

1.    Nature, scope and objectives of the research.
2.    Approach, methods, procedures, and facilities: Provide the review committee with enough information that it may evaluate the conceptualization of the research and the extent to which it will satisfy the research objectives.
3.    Training potential: Specify the number of post-doctorate, graduate and undergraduate students who will work directly on the project and estimate the number who will receive educational benefits from the project.
4.    Publication potential: Describe how information about the results of the research will be disseminated, ie. via submission to relevant publications, in the form of a book, documentary or audio-visual media. Identify potential journals and book publishers. List any previously published work in any of the aforementioned venues.

SECTION 3: PROJECT BUDGET

1-    A detailed project budget shall be proposed in this section.
2-    The budget should include, but is not limited to the following categories:
a.    Wages and salaries
b.    Miscellaneous supplies and services
c.    Travel expenses per year

SECTION 4

1.    Bibliography  if available.
2.    Qualifications of the investigator(s): Include resumés) of the investigator(s) not to exceed two pages for each individual; and list no more than 15 pertinent publications.
 
PROPOSAL SUMMARY

The summary of the proposal is a requirement of the application. In this section, please explain the relevance of your work to the Institute’s vision “to promote academic research and grass roots activity aimed at bringing about positive social change, namely the establishment of stable peace, social justice, and social harmony, by focusing on the themes of education, volunteerism and civic initiatives.” Do not assume that reviewers will make the connection. The summary section should also outline what the project will accomplish; why it is important to the overall understanding of peace and conflict studies, and interfaith and intercultural dialogue; and why it is pioneering or groundbreaking.



DETAILED PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The applicant should set the stage by describing the questions, problems, or needs that the project will address and the larger context within which these issues have relevance. What issues will the project address and how will it generate new knowledge? What conclusions does the applicant expect to draw from the research, and why are they significant?

Research proposals must include a review of relevant literature on the subject. How are the questions the researcher is addressing similar to or different from those addressed in existing literature? How will the proposed research fill important gaps or challenge findings in the existing literature? The proposal must also include a detailed bibliography that demonstrates the researcher(s) familiarity with the relevant literature on the topic.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The proposal should outline precisely how the researcher will undertake the project.
What is the analytical framework within which the research will be conducted? What specific research methods will the researcher use to examine evidence and arrive at conclusions? Why is the methodology appropriate for addressing the issues raised in the proposal? What information sources—documents, personal interviews, newspaper articles, surveys, participant observation, databases—will the researcher use to answer the research questions?

Reviewers will make judgments about whether the methodology proposed is appropriate and feasible, and whether the information sources identified in the proposal will help the researcher find the answers to the research questions. If there is a plan to conduct interviews or undertake survey research, it may be appropriate to describe the key questions that will be asked and how the answers are likely to shed light on research hypotheses.

Reviewers will also be looking for answers to some very basic and practical questions in the methodology section. For example, is the scope of the project significant but unachievable? Can the applicant complete the project within the proposed term? Does the project require special skills—such as knowledge of a foreign language—that the researcher does not possess? What other qualifications does the researcher bring to the project? If there is more than one researcher involved in the project, what is the division of labor? Will the project result in concrete products—such as journal articles, reports, or books—that will be completed by the end of the grant period?

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION:

Proposals will be reviewed twice a year, in March and October. To be considered in March, proposals must be received on or before February 15 and for consideration in October, they must be received on or before September 15. Awards will be announced shortly after the Grant Review Committee’s meeting.

Please forward an electronic version (MS Word document, font size 11) on CD or via email, and 2 hardcopies of the proposal to:

Director of Academic Affairs
Gülen Institute
237 Social Work Building, Room 417
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-4013

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