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Supporting Faculty

CALS Global supports the global aspirations of our faculty by building partnerships abroad, building individual capacity for global engagement, and providing seed grants to enable faculty to pursue global opportunities.

Funding Opportunities for Faculty

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    Global Opportunity Initiative

    The Global Opportunity Initiative is a cohort-based faculty development program geared towards capacity building, network development, and building teams to pursue global funding initiatives.

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    Seed Grant Opportunities for Faculty

    Browse opportunities curated for CALS faculty looking to submit proposals to advance global partnerships, develop a proof of concept, and revise existing courses to create international engagement opportunities.

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    Fellowship Opportunities for CALS Faculty

    CALS faculty can apply for two opportunities for furthering global engagement as CALS Global Faculty Scholars and GAP Research Fellows.

Opportunities Beyond CALS

Other Resources for Faculty

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service supports agricultural professionals from middle-income countries, emerging markets, and emerging democracies for two- to three-week trainings at U.S. institutions. These programs are designed to  address specific, mutual trade interests in agriculture between the U.S. and the participating foreign professionals. Eligible countries and topics are announced annually by the USDA.

The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service supports early- and mid-career professionals from developing and middle-income countries working in agricultural research or policy. These one-on-one mentorships at U.S. institutions, which run from eight to 12 weeks, emphasize collaborative research development and fostering of science-based trade policies in agriculture.

These U.S. State Department reciprocal programs allow foreign students and scholars to work with U.S. institutions in a variety of short- and long-term programs. Applications are sought by country or regional selection processes, and the vast majority of countries are eligible.

FACULTY NEWS

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    Dr. Eric Bendfeldt presenting a khanga with four soil health principles translated into Swahili as an educational communication method to Dr. Miriam Kyule (second from left) and her Agricultural Education and Extension colleagues at Egerton University in Njoro, Kenya.
    Virginia Tech’s 2023 East Africa Summer Institute for Educators

    Eric Bendfelt participated in Virginia Tech’s 2023 East Africa Summer Institute for Educators to widen his view and window of what extension education programming entails in an international setting. The VT East Africa Summer Institute for Educators was organized through VT’s Global Education Office, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, and College of Natural Resources and the Environment with support provided by the U.S. Department of Education Bureau of Cultural Affairs' Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad (GPA) grant program.

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    GOI Re-union and Data Party

    The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences through CALS Global recently hosted a Global Opportunity Initiative (GOI) alumni reunion and evaluation data party. GOI is a CALS Global signature initiative that targets faculty for international research capacity building and collaborations.

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    College of Agriculture and Life Sciences awarded Fiedler (at right) with a 2023 Celebration of Ut Prosim Award for her work as an outstanding alumna in the global community.
    Helping secure the nation’s food supply , redirect

    Kate Fiedler, Ph.D. ’14, is a plant pathologist who has worked around the globe to help negotiate and regulate plant trade between the U.S. and its international partners. Earlier this year, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences awarded Fiedler (at right) with a 2023 Celebration of Ut Prosim Award for her work as an outstanding alumna in the global community.