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Presidential Research and Education Fund
PURPOSE, GOALS, AND OBJECTIVES OF THE FUND
Established in 2019, the Presidential Research and Education Fund (PREF) is a unique initiative to foster innovative research and educational activities at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). The purpose of the PREF is to provide crucial support to faculty, students, and staff for a wide range of projects, including seed funding for new initiatives, multidisciplinary research collaborations, and student-led projects. The fund promotes academic and research excellence, innovation, and community engagement by providing resources for projects that align with the University’s strategic priorities, such as advancing interdisciplinary research, enhancing student learning outcomes, and addressing pressing social and environmental challenges in Central Asia. With a strong emphasis on encouraging creativity, the PREF is an essential resource for the AUCA community to bring new ideas to life and drive positive change in the country and region.
AWARD DETAILS
Eligibility:
The PREF eligibility criteria include full-time faculty, active students, and full-time staff members at AUCA. Current part-time faculty who involve students in their projects are also eligible to apply. Previous PREF awardees representing faculty, students, and staff can apply only after two full academic years. PREF awardees of earlier years who failed to submit a report on time are not eligible for further consideration and funding.
Eligible costs:
The following is a comprehensive list of eligible costs under the PREF; however, the Selection Committee will consider exceptional requests for funding other research-related activities not covered in this list if a strong case is made in the application.
Acquisition of data and information, including technical support that costs no more than 1,000 USD;
Conference attendance fee as a way of disseminating research results;
Equipment purchase for a specialized research activity that costs no more than 1,000 USD;
Hiring temporary research assistants among AUCA students and alumni;
Hospitality expenses (coffee break, lunch, etc);
Payment to AUCA faculty and staff members, including other payments and honorarium;
Publication costs (translation, editing, open access publication costs, etc);
Research-related services (e.g., translation) and communication;
Student stipend;
Travel for fieldwork, including archival works;
Travel and accommodation costs for principal researchers and participants of the project in trips or meetings related to the project.
Non-eligible costs:
The following is a comprehensive list of non-eligible costs under the PREF:
Costs of interviews or surveys involving participants;
Costs of presents and gifts (e.g., certificates, coupons) involving participants;
Overtime payment or bonuses;
Undergraduate and graduate thesis projects.
APPLICATION FORMAT AND CRITERIA
Applications must be submitted according to the deadline announced by the Office of the President. Applications should be submitted using the application form (Annex 1) to pref@auca.kg and will be decided by the PREF Selection Committee. In exceptional cases, the Committee may request an external review of any application. The Selection Committee will review and evaluate the application within three weeks after the set deadlines. Priorities will be given to high-quality applicants participating in the call for the first time.
Selection criteria:
In assessing applications by faculty, students, and staff members, the PREF Selection Committee will give priority to:
First-time applicants applying for the fund;
Research that involves AUCA undergraduate and graduate students;
As a general rule, research on the same project can only be funded once.
FUNDING, MANAGEMENT, AND BUDGET GUIDELINES
The project principal researcher is responsible for the logistics, administrative, and financial procedures. The principal investigator reports and consults with the Executive Officer of the President to resolve any questions arising before the application and during the project implementation period. If necessary, the funding for each project approved in the Fall semester can be disbursed by July 10th of each year. Research on the same project can only be funded once.
AUCA faculty, students, or staff may apply for up to 3,000 USD per project, which includes taxes ;
The principal investigator of the project is responsible for disbursing the fund and managing relevant financial documentation in close coordination with the Executive Officer to the President;
Funds must be spent according to the approved budget. For any significant changes in spending amongst budgetary lines, the grant recipients must seek approval from the President’s Office;
Funding is intended to be utilized over ten months (September/October - June/July) by the end of the academic year;
All PREF awards will be made public on the AUCA website and disseminated via intra-email;
Projects that require Institutional Review Board approval cannot start before the IRB has completed its evaluation and approval;
If the project's activities, duration, or other characteristics change, the principal researcher must notify the Executive Officer to the President as soon as possible.
RELEVANT PARTICIPANTS AND PROJECT GUIDELINES
Main actors:
1. Principal Researcher:
Decides on purchases;
Manages the scientific aspects of the project and is responsible for its implementation;
Prepares and submits the final narrative report;
Regularly consults with the PREF Manager on the project progress;
Selects services;
Selects team members and supervises the research team (if applicable);
2. PREF Manager (Executive Officer to the President)
Provides support and guidance to the Principal Researcher;
Manages funding at the institutional level (submitting requests, overseeing budget, etc.).
Reporting:
The principal researcher is responsible for submitting a narrative report on research activities and results, or expected results, on the relevant form (Annex 2), within one month of the project's completion and any papers accepted for publication therein. A financial report is unnecessary, as it can be retrieved from the notes of the Executive Officer to the President. Reports will be reviewed by the Executive Officer to the President and shared with the President.
Topics:
We encourage researchers to consider the project’s social impact while designing their proposals. We are specifically interested in seed funding for new initiatives that may be scalable or potentially create a long-lasting impact through proof of concept, especially in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.
Among possible topics to be proposed, but certainly not limited, include:
Art, history, and culture of Central Asia and its neighboring countries;
Creativity and innovation in higher education;
Innovative solutions to combat climate change, including renewable energy technologies and sustainable infrastructure;
Technological change and its impact on mental and physical health;
The impact of AI on various aspects of business, such as marketing and financial analysis;
The effects of climate change on renewable energy resources;
The effect of language learning apps and online platforms on pedagogy;
The effect of social media on mental health among adolescents and young adults;
The increasing focus on interdisciplinary research that combines social science with data science;
The psychological and social impacts of climate change on individuals and communities;
The role of art in addressing social and environmental challenges;
Unique characteristics of nomadic peoples and cultures.
Project results may also be diverse, ranging from producing new high-tech goods to traditional and non-traditional art forms, documentaries and videos, and even more standard academic studies. SeeAnnex 3（https://auca.kg/uploads/PREF/Annex%203_Previous projects.pdf） for other projects implemented since 2019.
Below you can see how diverse the PREF projects were:
2019-2020 AY
An order of polarizing microscope with transmitted and reflected illumination, Rustam Orozbaev
Augmented reality as an educational tool for children with developmental delays , Vladislav Pak
Beyond plain visualization: 3D modeling of historic buildings in Karakol, Aida Abdykanova, Jyldyz Bekbalaeva, Tolgonai Kozhokanova