Enhance your research and build connections around the world
Indiana University faculty and librarians can apply to participate in short-term exchange programs with university partners around the world. The duration of each program differs, ranging from two weeks to one month.
Each program has a limited number of exchange slots available each year. Some programs have higher demand and, therefore, are competitive. Priority will be given to applicants who have not received funding support from OVPIA over the past three years for research or creative activity.
To apply, you must be a tenure-line faculty member, librarian, or research scientist/scholar at an IU campus. If you’re a non-tenure-line faculty member whose evaluation criteria for promotion includes research or creative activity, you are also eligible with an explanation in the letter of support from your dean or chair. Academic specialists are ineligible.
Participants receive funding to cover airfare and a reasonable living stipend. With the exception of the Academia Brasileira de Letras, the partner institution may provide or assist with housing.
2023-2024 Academic Year
OVPIA is currently expanding the parameters under which we will continue to fund faculty mobility to primary partners. More information will be forthcoming later in the semester.
Available programs for the 2023-2024 academic year
Program duration: Minimum of two weeks, maximum of one month
The Academia Brasileira de Letras (Brazilian Academy of Letters), located in Rio de Janeiro, is a literary nonprofit society established at the end of the nineteenth century by a group of 40 writers and poets inspired by the Académie Française.
The first president, Machado de Assis, declared its foundation on December 15, 1896. The Academy is composed to this day of 40 members chosen from among the citizens of Brazil who have published recognized works or books of literary value. The position is awarded for the recipient’s lifetime.
The Academy is charged with the care of the national language of Brazil (Portuguese) and with the promotion of Brazilian literary arts.
Today the Academy administers one of the largest public libraries in Rio with more than 90,000 volumes and a multimedia center. The library houses many rare manuscripts and first edition books by famous Brazilian writers.
To apply, you must have strong Portuguese proficiency, both written and oral, and have a clear research agenda that would be appropriate for the Academy.
Due to the unique nature of this partnership, the selected participant must notify the Academy of their intended visit at least three months in advance and must copy IU's international partnerships team (partner@iu.edu) on all initial correspondence.
A post-trip report is mandatory. It should be at least 900 words in length, written in Portuguese, and address how you utilized the resources of the Academy for your research and/or professional development. A copy of the report should be sent to both the Academy and IU's international partnerships team (partner@iu.edu) within 60 days of the program's completion.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Due to the pandemic, faculty selected for this program should anticipate rapid changes to entry requirements/restrictions for China and similar access restrictions to Zhejiang University in Hangzhou. Flexibility at this time is essential.
Zhejiang University (ZJU) is one of the top five universities in China. It is located in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province.
Zhejiang Province is a vibrant center of entrepreneurial business, and Hangzhou’s West Lake is one of China’s most impressive tourist attractions. ZJU is a comprehensive university with leading programs in law, business and management, economics, medicine, and the natural sciences.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. This exchange program requires strong Chinese language proficiency. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that can be accommodated by ZJU.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy. ZJU helps participants find housing.
Located in the heart of Paris, Sorbonne University is a multidisciplinary and research-intensive public university with three faculties in the arts and humanities, science and engineering, and medicine and about 55,000 students in total. The university was created as a result of a merger between the Paris-Sorbonne University and Pierre and Marie Curie University in 2018. Sorbonne University strives for creativity, diversity and innovation in teaching and research to make knowledge accessible for everyone. Among the university's alumni are several Noble laureates and Fields Medal winners.
Two IU faculty participants are selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that Sorbonne University can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, incidentals, and health insurance in line with university policy. Sorbonne University can recommend housing options for participants.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
University of Bayreuth is a center of international research promoting interdisciplinary cooperation. BU has nine central research institutes and offers a full range of academic programs in agricultural sciences, arts and letters, basic sciences, engineering, health sciences, and social sciences.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Exchange participants should have a clear research agenda that BU can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare. Housing is provided in the Bayreuth University Guesthouse and is within a 15-minute walk of campus. BU also provides health insurance and a stipend for meals. BU’s academic calendar runs from October through September.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Formally founded in 1919, the roots of University of Hamburg (UHH) reach back to the beginning of the seventeenth century.
HU offers approximately 150 degree programs across six schools:
Law
Business
Economics and Social Science
Medicine
Education, Psychology, and Human Movement
Humanities
Mathematics, Informatics, and Natural Sciences
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that UHH can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare. UHH provides a stipend to cover housing and meals. Housing is available near the UHH campus.
UHH’s academic calendar runs from October through July. Participants are encouraged to avoid the Pentecost vacation, typically the second half of June.
Program duration: Two weeks
Founded in 1088, the University of Bologna (UniBo) is the oldest university in continuous operation in the Western world. Today UniBo enrolls more than 85,000 students across campuses in Bologna, Cesena, Forlì, Ravenna, and Rimini. Each campus has its own distinct scientific and educational identity and its own institutional, cultural, social and sports facilities and services.
The university has 11 schools and 33 departments. The schools include:
Integrative studies in bioinformatics, biophysics, and biocomplexity
Interdepartmental environmental sciences
Legal professions
Philosophy
Public administration
Sociology of law and in computer science law
Studies on the city and the territory
Tourism
Before you apply, please be aware that this exchange program is funded by OVPIA for a two-week period only. One IU participant is selected each academic year. Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides a living stipend in line with university policy. UniBo will provide housing.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Waseda University, located in Tokyo, is one of Japan’s most prestigious institutions of higher education. Consistently ranked among the top 10 in Japan and among the top 40 internationally, the university has more than 6,000 academic staff and 50,000 students.
It offers a full range of academic programs, including:
Applied sciences
Business
Education
Environmental studies
Information systems
International studies
Japanese applied linguistics
Law
Natural sciences
Public management
Social sciences
Sports sciences
The arts
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that Waseda University can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy. Waseda University recommends housing options to participants.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), located in Mexico City, is the second-highest-ranked university in Latin America and one of the most recognized universities in the region.
UNAM is a comprehensive institution with faculties of:
Accounting and administration
Architecture
Chemistry
Economics
Engineering
Law
Medicine
Odontology
Philosophy and literature
Political and social sciences
Psychology
Sciences
Veterinary medicine and animal sciences
It is particularly outstanding in the humanities and social sciences. Scientific research at UNAM is divided between faculties, institutes, centers, and schools, and covers a range of disciplines.
Two IU participants are selected each academic year. Applicants’ research interests should lie in the fields of social sciences, the humanities, and/or natural/physical sciences.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Jagiellonian University (JU), founded in 1364, is the oldest university in Poland. It is located in the historic city of Krakow and has close to 50,000 students. JU has leading programs in law, philosophy, linguistics, Polish language and literature, and natural sciences.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that JU can accommodate.
IU covers the cost of round-trip economy airfare. Jagiellonian University provides a stipend for board and lodging for one month and will help the IU participants locate housing. Students who secure their own funding may be able to extend their stay.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
University of Warsaw (UW) is Poland’s largest university with close to 60,000 students and is one of the top universities in Poland. The university is located in downtown Warsaw, the capital of the country. UW has strong programs in Polish Studies, social sciences, linguistics, and a variety of research institutes.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that UW can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Higher School of Economics (HSE) was established in 1992 on the initiative of renowned Russian economists and leading reformists with the purpose of promoting economic and social reforms in Russia.
Exchange participants may spend up to one month at HSE. The exchange program rotates between the Moscow and St. Petersburg campuses of HSE:
2022–23: St. Petersburg
2023-24: Moscow
The schools and institutes on the Moscow campus include:
Business and management
Communications, media, and design
Computer science
Economics and finance
Economic sciences
Electronic and computer engineering
Humanities (history, cultural studies, linguistics, philology, philosophy, foreign languages)
Law
Mathematics
Physics
Social sciences (political science, sociology, public administration, psychology, education, demography, public policy)
Statistical studies and economics of knowledge
Urbanism
World economy and international affairs
The schools and institutes on the St. Petersburg campus include:
Applied research and development
Economics and management
Innovative entrepreneurship
Law
Research management and academic development
Social sciences and humanities (sociology, history, political science, public administration, foreign languages, Asian and African Studies)
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that can be accommodated by the relevant HSE campus. Applicants are strongly encouraged to have pre-existing contacts with researchers/faculty at HSE.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Yonsei University is the top private university in Korea and one of the three top research universities in Korea. Its main campus is located in Seoul. It has close to 30,000 students. Yonsei has strong programs in business, life sciences, social sciences, law, journalism, and medicine.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that Yonsei can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare. Yonsei provides housing and a living stipend.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Chulalongkorn University was officially established in 1917. It is a comprehensive university composed of a total of 41 faculties; departments; colleges; academic, research, and service institutes; and academic offices.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that Chulalongkorn University can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy. Chulalongkorn University will help participants locate housing.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA), located in Bangkok, is Thailand's most prestigious graduate school for public administration and business. NIDA’s MBA program is the most highly ranked in Thailand.
In addition to its traditional academic strengths, NIDA also has academic programs in:
Applied statistics
Communication arts and management innovation
Development economics
Environmental development administration
Human resource development
Language and communication
Law
Social and environmental development
Tourism management
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that NIDA can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy. NIDA will help participants locate housing.
Program duration: Maximum of one month
Consistently ranked among Turkey's top research universities,Boğaziçi Universityoffers academic programs across six faculties (Arts and Sciences, Communications, Economics and Administrative Sciences, Education, Engineering, and Law) and two schools (Applied Disciplines and Foreign Languages). With the exception of foreign, the vast majority of instruction is in English.
One IU participant is selected each academic year. Applicants should have a clear research agenda that Boğaziçi University can accommodate.
Indiana University covers round-trip economy international airfare and also provides funds for the cost of housing, meals, and incidentals in line with university policy.
Application guidelines
To apply, you should prepare a brief proposal (maximum 1,500 words, double-spaced, 12-point font) that describes your intended activities before starting the online application.
Proposed activities may include conducting research, engaging in creative activity, consulting with colleagues, or offering lectures or short courses. You should indicate how your proposed activities are important to your professional development, the development of a school or departmental affiliation, or the development of the partner institution.
Proposals for research or creative activity should include an outline of the project and should specifically identify local resources you would employ or engage. If you propose to offer lectures or a short course, you should provide confirmation that your topics are of interest to colleagues at the partner institution.
You are highly encouraged to identify a counterpart at the partner institution with whom you would like to work prior to completing the application. You should submit a letter of support from your chair or equivalent unit representative and may also submit a letter of invitation from the potential host at the partner institution. You are required to upload a copy of your CV.
Activities should fall within the 2023-2024 academic year (July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024). Any proposed dates outside these parameters require approval from Seth Walker at partner@iu.edu.
Awards for travel scheduled to take place in late spring semester or summer are expressly contingent upon your continuing employment at IU the following academic year. Retired IU faculty are encouraged to explore internal grants offered by the IU research offices.
Ready to apply?
Before beginning the application, make sure you have the following documents available to upload in PDF format:
Narrative statement
Curriculum vitae
Letter of endorsement/support from your chair (or other relevant unit representative)
Other supporting document(s), such as an invitation letter from a colleague at the partner university (optional)
Selection Process
Applications are reviewed by a committee of faculty members with diverse disciplinary backgrounds. Reviewers score each application based on the strength of the proposal. In particular, reviewers will consider the extent to which an applicant’s program participation will advance the proposed research, enhance professional development, or further collaboration with the partner institution.
Have you been nominated to participate in an exchange program?
If you are selected to participate in an exchange program, you will need to provide additional information about your intended plans for travel. Exchange participants from IU’s partner institutions must complete several forms and provide necessary documentation for their visa.
Learn more about what’s required of faculty exchange participants
