GIF supports cooperative and exchange activities between SJTU and global leading universities, disciplines, and research institutions. Specific partner institutions and disciplines can be referred to in the current year’s ARWU Rankings, QS World University Rankings, THE World University Rankings, and U.S. News World Report Best Universities Ranking, targeting universities ranked in the top 20 globally or disciplines ranked in the top 10 globally.

The project application fields include, but are not limited to, energy, ecology, health, marine science, biology, agriculture, information technology, equipment, materials, etc.

In 2025, GIF will support the following two types of projects:

• Type A: Lead investigator from SJTU should be no more than 45 years old, i.e., born after January 1, 1980. The application projects should be exploratory and innovative, with the basic goal of building cooperative relationships and jointly publishing high-level papers. In 2025, 10 projects are planned to be funded, with the project period lasting until December 31, 2025, and each project will be supported with 50,000 yuan, which will be used for the international travel expenses (account for at least 90% of the funding amount) of the lead investigator from SJTU to carry out international cooperation on the applied project and remuneration (accounts for no more than 10% of the fund).
• Type B: Lead investigator from SJTU should hold a full or associate professorship (Principal Investigator). The application projects should be original and leading research, with the basic goal of deepening cooperative relationships and jointly cultivating students, and striving to successfully apply for provincial-level or above international cooperation projects within 2 years. In 2025, 2 projects are planned to be funded, with the project period lasting until December 31, 2025, and each project will be supported with 100,000 yuan, which will be used to support the international travel expenses of the team (account for at least 90% of the funding amount) of SJTU to carry out international cooperation on the applied project and payment (accounts for no more than 10% of the fund).

The lead investigator should be a full-time faculty member at SJTU (excluding postdoctoral fellows).

Lead investigator who is undertaking seed fund programs (including Global Initiative Fund, Academic Exchange Fund, Specialized Seed Fund, Collaborative Inception Fund, etc.) is not eligible to apply as the lead investigator for this program.

Funded personnel must complete the necessary university procedures, including obtaining approval for overseas travel, before conducting any official visits. Reimbursement for official overseas travel must comply with SJTU’s regulations on temporary overseas travel expenses and related internal policies.

The project will incorporate an evaluation mechanism. Upon the completion of the project, the lead investigator is required to submit a final work report to the Division of Global Cooperation and Exchange. The Division will assess the execution of the project. If the project fails to be successfully concluded on time or in accordance with the requirements, the lead investigator will be ineligible to apply for any type of seed fund programs (including the Global Initiative Fund, the Academic Exchange Fund, the Specialized Seed Fund, and the Collaboration Inception Fund, etc.) for the following three years.

Application Period: January 17, 2025, to February 28, 2025(deadline: 23:59 Beijing Time).

Project Period: March 21, 2025, to December 31, 2025.

Please download and fill out the application form (Attachment 1). The application form must be signed by the head of the school/department of the lead investigator and stamped with the official seal.

Please upload the application form and other documents through the online questionnaire: https://wj.sjtu.edu.cn/q/9Lue7hTE.

Required application materials include:

• A scanned copy of the signed and stamped application form;
• CVs of project team members;
• A Confirmation letter from the main participant from the partner institution (Attachment 2).

Attachment 1: SJTU Global Initiative Fund Application Form

Attachment 2: Confirmation Letter from the Main Participant from the partner institution

Contacts: Ms. Xiuing Yan, Mr. Kaifeng Huang

Tel: 34206752

Email: simonayan@sjtu.edu.cn

This notice is written both in Chinese and English. In the event of any dispute or misunderstanding as to the interpretation of the language or terms of this notice, the Chinese language version shall prevail.