MIT-Jordan Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation Seed Fund
Call for proposals in 2024 is open.
Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation (AHSF) launch its new Scientific Research Seed Fund in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) under the name of “MIT-Jordan Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation Seed Fund”. The fund aims to support joint early-stage research projects between researchers and their students in Jordan and their counterparts at MIT.
Through an annual call for proposals, the fund will be offering financial grants with a maximum value of $ 30,000 per grant covering travel, meeting, and workshop costs, inclusive of visits to Jordan and MIT facilities in the US. It is a faculty-led and student-engaged and would also enable MIT and Jordanian students to participate - including visits to one another’s institutions. “MIT-Jordan Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation Seed Fund” is a part of MISTI Global Seed Funds. Proposals should fit within Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation priority areas below to promote international, collaborative research.
This seed fund will grant projects in the following research fields:
• Medical and Health Sciences.
• Engineering Sciences.
• Basic Sciences.
• Humanitarian, Social and Educational Sciences.
• Economics and Administration Sciences.
• Agriculture.
• Technology.
Applicant eligibility
The Fund is open to faculty members and researcher from universities and public research centers in Jordan with principal investigator privileges (principal research scientists and senior research scientists) and their counterparts at MIT as per the research fields identified by AHSF.
Application process
• Finding a research partner
Researchers and faculty members from both sides are expected to reach for an agreement prior applying for the fund, as a prerequisite and an essential requirement for applying.
To facilitate the process MIT has provided a list of its research centers for researchers to find each other:
http://web.mit.edu/research/category/index.html
• Applying for the fund
The 2024-2025 call for proposals will be announced on both MISTI and the Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation websites. Proposals must be submitted jointly through
MISTI website:
The call will be open for a duration of 3 months from its launch date,
September 10th until the 10th of December..
• Evaluation
Applications will be evaluated by a scientific committee selected by both Abdul Hameed Shoman Foundation and MIT. Priority will be given to projects that:
• Are likely to make an important contribution to the field
• Are new or are entering a new phase
• Involve undergraduate and/or graduate students in a meaningful way
• Present a balanced exchange between the MIT and Jordanian participants.
• Demonstrate complementarity between the MIT and Jordanian teams.
Funded Research Projects
The announcement of the funded research projects will be held through a joint live event between AHSF and MIT, after which research agreements are signed within clear commitments of both parties. Funding will be available for use for a period of up to twenty (20) months. Researchers may apply for extensions of up to one year after having both AHSF and MIT approvals on it.
The Funds will be administered within the MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (“MISTI”) program in the Center for International Studies, it will be made available to the MIT applicant and must be administered by his or her department and the counterpart will be redeemed for the expenses related to the fund. Grant recipients shall submit a final report to MISTI at the end of their projects.
General Guidelines
• Funding may be used to cover travel and meeting costs to facilitate international projects and collaboration.
• Funds may not be used to cover salaries, materials, or equipment.
• Funds are not intended to be used for long-term stays (over two months) abroad or at MIT.
• Funds are not intended to be used to fund graduate students’ dissertation fieldwork.
• Maximum award amounts are 30,000 US$ per project
• Funds will be made available to the MIT applicant and must be administered by his or her department and the counterpart will be redeemed for the expenses related to the fund
• Researchers are not allowed to apply with two projects in the same cycle
Travel expense guidelines
Awards may cover up to 75% of the US Department of State maximum per diem rate for the proposed travel abroad plus a reasonable estimate of the economy-class airfare. For travel to MIT, applicants are eligible for up to $250 per day in expenses, plus economy-class airfare.
Confidentiality
Patentable ideas, copyrightable software, or any confidential information, disclosure of which may harm the proposer, should not generally be included in proposals. If such information is necessary to convey an understanding of the proposed project it must be clearly marked in the proposal and appropriately labeled with a legend such as, “The following is proprietary or confidential information that (name of PI) requests to be released only to the (evaluation committee and selection board) for the sole purpose of review and evaluation.”
Call for proposals: Closed.
If you have questions or you need support, please contact us via email:
research.fund@shoman.org.jo,
OR Dr. David Dolev, Managing Director of MISTI's programs in the Middle East via email:
ddolev@mit.edu .