Description

The Bobst Center provides limited research support for Princeton University Politics Department Ph.D. students working in the areas of peace and justice and enrolled in the sub-field of comparative politics as their primary field (i.e., admitted as CP students, attending the CP student graduate seminar, etc.). 

Students who specialize in international political economy and whose research project relates to peace and justice may also be eligible, but need to check with Jennifer Bolton (NCGG) before submitting an application. If eligibility is confirmed, students should forward this confirmation to Michelle Anderson (Bobst Center).

The executive committee expects that applicants will be able to show that they have solicited funds from other sources within the University, as well as from national or international sources, and that Bobst monies will top up other support in most cases. Small requests for exploratory research (up to $2,500) need not show evidence of effort to secure outside support, but larger requests (above $2,500) should be accompanied by a list of other applications. 

The maximum amount of the Bobst Center grant is $5,000.  Center support is limited to two grants per student over the course of a student’s career. 

The Fall 2024 deadline is October 28, 2024. The Spring 2025 deadline is March 20, 2025.

The proposal and letter of reference should be uploaded to the Bobst Dissertation and Pre-dissertation Research Grant funding opportunity on the SAFE website. 

Proposal Guidelines

A good proposal provides a blueprint for research. Please follow these guidelines:

1. The proposal must follow the below structure. Proposals that do not follow the below structure (please use the same headings) and format will not be reviewed.
   1. Introduction: State your research question, explain why it is important and how it relates to peace and justice. 
   2. Review of existing research: The review should not be comprehensive, but it should give non-experts a sense of the major developments and debates surrounding your research question. Explain how your research project will advance knowledge given existing research. 
   3. Research question and theory: Spell out your research question, theory and hypotheses in greater detail.
   4. Research design and setting: Provide details on the research design (define and operationalize concepts, units of analysis, type of research instrument, etc.) and empirical setting. 
   5. Budget: provide a reasonable overview of research expenses (e.g., transportation, survey costs, accommodation, visa costs, etc.). Meals are not covered. The maximum amount is $5,000.
   6. Other Funding: Indicate from what other sources within and outside the University you have solicited funding.
   7. Conclusion: Brief conclusion indicating the significance and limitations of your expected findings.
   8. References
2. Format: The word limit is 2,000 words (excluding references). Do not append or link to appendices or other documents.

Note to Graduate Students:

• Please discuss your proposal with at least one faculty member who can provide a letter of reference.
• Interviews and surveys usually require university human subjects clearance, under federal law. You should be familiar with the rules and prepare your project for review. If you do not have clearance by the time the committee makes its decisions, the Center will make an award conditional on receipt of IRB waiver or approval.
• If you are awarded a grant that includes travel, you must register this travel with the University.
• Those who win Bobst support will be asked to provide a statement about how they used the resources. 
• The Bobst Center reserves the right to rescind any award after six months in cases where the awardee has failed to accept the award or provide information needed for the dispersal of the grant money.
• Grants to continue dissertation write-up beyond the University deadline are strongly discouraged.