Description

This call for Faculty Fellowship Projects (FFPs) invites Penn faculty to propose a project that brings their research to bear on global policy. We are looking to partner with faculty who have ongoing research with potential global policy impact in one of PWH's core areas, and who have a concrete vision for how to translate that research into policy action. The strongest proposals will articulate both the research and the translation: what the research is, why it matters for policy, and what a two-year collaboration with PWH would make possible.

FFPs are not grants. They are a two-year collaboration through which PWH puts its resources, convening power, and practitioner network in service of the project. PWH provides the policy infrastructure to help it reach the audiences and decision-makers who can act on it.

 

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Hold a full-time faculty appointment at the University of Pennsylvania
• Submit a two-page concept note, according to the instructions
• If selected to submit a full proposal, outline a two-year project with a clear global policy dimension aligned with PWH's mission, as described below, starting in January 2027 and concluding in December 2028
• Have the time to engage in PWH programming and fulfill project commitments
• Agree to use PWH as a secondary affiliation on relevant scholarly (and popular media, where relevant) work produced during and informed by the project if published later
• Secure written support from Department Chair and/or Dean prior to submitting a full proposal

All eligible proposals will be reviewed by a PWH selection committee. In addition to meeting the core eligibility requirements, stronger proposals will demonstrate:

• Relevance to PWH mission and core pillars of inquiry. These are security, climate change, democracy, and global justice and human rights.
• Global Policy Relevance & Impact Potential. The project addresses a significant global challenge. There is a credible and specific pathway from the research to policy influence. Priority will be given to projects where the applicant can articulate not just what they will study, but who they are trying to reach, why, and how.
• Scholarly Strength. The proposed research is grounded in rigorous scholarship. The applicant has a demonstrated record of relevant work. This scholarship will be featured in the project’s written outputs.
• Student Engagement. The project offers substantive opportunities for PWH-affiliated undergraduate and graduate students.
• Feasibility. The proposed project activities are realistic within the two-year timeframe and proposed budget.
• Convening Vision. Propose one workshop, one public event, two non-resident visiting fellows, and corresponding written and other outputs that are well-conceived – with a clear purpose, target participants, and intended outcomes related to PWH’s mission and the projects goals – rather than generic ideas.
• Breadth of Perspectives. The project brings together a range of disciplinary, geographic, and/or methodological viewpoints on the topic.

Project Activities | If selected, over a two-year period, PWH will fund and provide resources for one or more faculty leads of a project to produce, at a minimum:

• One policy-relevant workshop – Workshops provide faculty with the opportunity to engage in substantive discussions with a diverse range of policymakers, practitioners, and scholars across varied institutional, national, and academic contexts. Typically held at PWH, these convenings vary in size based on their design and purpose, with a maximum of 75 participants. Workshops leverage PWH's convening power to translate research into actionable policy solutions and pathways. PWH will collaborate with you to design an impactful event. Here is a recent PWH workshop on sanctions and corruption that resulted in this

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