Details

The IES Graduate Research Grant is available to graduate students in any field of study whose research is focused on the study of Europe.

Criteria

• Quality of the research proposal within the field
• Validity and feasibility of the project
• Research and professional qualifications
• Strength of academic performance and letter of recommendation

Requirements

• 4-5 page research proposal (double-spaced) with bibliography
• Project budget
• 1 letter of recommendation*

Winners receive up to $4,000 in funding, distributed through their bursar account. The IES Graduate Research Grant application is conducted together with the Manon Michels and Michele Sicca Grant competitions. Candidates submit a single application and are automatically considered for each of the awards.

Contact IES with questions about this award.

Details

The Luigi Einaudi Graduate Dissertation Fellowship is a semester-long or year-long fellowship available to graduate students in modern European government, history, economics, and related social science fields. The award consists of a graduate student stipend for one or two semesters, in-absentia fees, and enrollment in Cornell's student health insurance plan.

Criteria

This fellowship is designed to enable graduate students to conduct field and archival research focused on Europe for an extended period (4-8 months). To be eligible, applicants must have completed the "A" exam in their department or have an exam date scheduled prior to submitting their application and have a dissertation project approved by their dissertation committee.

• Quality of the research proposal in a social science field
• Validity and feasibility of the applicant’s research project
• Research and professional qualifications
• Strength of the student’s academic performance and letters of recommendation

Requirements

• 8-10 page project proposal (double-spaced) with bibliography
• 2 letters of recommendation

Contact IES with questions about this award.

Details

This graduate research grant honors the memory of Manon Michels Einaudi, a Cornell faculty wife and mother. One award is given each year for graduate research in a field close to Mrs. Einaudi's interests: European art and architecture, art history, literature, philosophy, and culture. 

Graduate students in those fields whose research is in Europe and who are recommended by their faculty committee are eligible.

The primary aim of the Manon Einaudi Grant is to help Cornell doctoral candidates explore possible topics or otherwise launch their dissertation work, although applications from students whose dissertations are already in progress may also be considered if funding is available.  

Criteria

• The quality and feasibility of the applicant's research proposal
• Evidence that funded research focused on Europe will advance the applicant’s doctoral program
• Applicant's academic performance and qualifications to complete the proposed project
• Strength of the applicant's letters of recommendation

Requirements

• 4-5 page project proposal (double-spaced) with bibliography
• Project budget
• 1 letter of recommendation

Winners receive up to $4,000 in funding, distributed through their bursar account. The Manon Michels Einaudi Grant competition is conducted together with the IES Graduate Research Grant and Michele Sicca Grant competitions. Candidates submit a single application and are automatically considered for each of the awards.

Contact IES with questions about this award.

Details

The Michele Sicca Research Grant was created by the late Mario Einaudi, Goldwin Smith Professor of International and Comparative Politics and former director of the Center for International Studies. Michele Sicca was an antifascist physician with whom Einaudi worked in exile during the Mussolini period.

The primary aim of the Sicca grant program is to help Cornell doctoral candidates explore possible research topics in European studies or otherwise launch their dissertation work via preliminary summer fieldwork in Europe. Applications from advanced doctoral students for completion of Europe-related dissertations may also be considered if funding is available. 

Criteria

• The quality and feasibility of the applicant's Europe-focused research proposal
• Evidence that field research in Europe will advance the applicant’s doctoral program
• Applicant's academic performance and qualifications to complete the proposed project
• Strength of the applicant's letters of recommendation

Requirements

• 4-5 page project proposal (double-spaced) with bibliography
• Project budget
• 1 letter of recommendation

Winners receive up to $4,000 in funding, distributed through their bursar account. The Michele Sicca Grant competition is conducted together with the IES Graduate Research Grant and Manon Michels Einaudi Grant competitions. Candidates submit a single application and are automatically considered for each of the awards.

Contact IES with questions about this award.

Details

The purpose of the Abraham and Henrietta Brettschneider Oxford Exchange Fund is to facilitate academic exchanges between Cornell and Oxford University (UK).

The awards are designed to promote scholarly interchange between Cornell and Oxford colleges, primarily in the social sciences and humanities. Cornell scholars from all colleges are invited to apply. 

Eligibility 

This fund is available to Cornell faculty, postdocs, students (graduate and undergraduate), and permanent RTE faculty. Priority is given to faculty and PhD students. Students planning to travel to Oxford after graduation or postdocs without an active appointment at the time of travel are not eligible.

Criteria

Successful grant applicants will receive funding to support research stays at Oxford. The award is also open to faculty and faculty-student research teams to travel to Oxford for collaborations and to make use of Oxford’s extensive research and library resources. Appropriate uses of the fund include thesis or dissertation research, workshop participation, and initiating or sustaining research partnerships. Projects that foster ongoing, close collaborations between Cornell and Oxford are given priority.

Requirements

• Four to five-page (double-spaced) research proposal (including bibliography)
• Detailed budget (does not count towards proposal page limit)
• Proposed research timeline (does not count towards proposal page limit)
• One Cornell faculty letter of recommendation (for students and postdocs)
• One Oxford faculty letter of support (for students and postdocs)
• For staff applications, please inquire for requirements at ies@cornell.edu

The online application form requires applicants to provide the names and email addresses of faculty recommenders. The online system automatically generates a notification email to the recommenders with instructions on how to log in and upload a recommendation letter. The submission deadline for the letters of recommendation and support is March 8, 2026. The letters of support from Oxford faculty can be mailed directly to IES Program Manager Patricia Young, pty6@cornell.edu.

Contact IES with questions about this award.

Details

The Freeman Prize is awarded annually in the spring to a Cornell graduating senior and/or a graduating Master's student. The Freemans established the prize to offer recognition and encouragement to Cornell students actively engaged in promoting peace and to encourage continued work or education in the field of peace studies. 

The Freeman Fellowship is awarded annually to one or more Cornell students to pursue unpaid projects in the field of peace and conflict studies, including unpaid internships, training seminars, and conferences.

In 1984, the Harrop and Ruth Freeman Prize and Fellowship was established to honor Ruth Freeman, the first woman on the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences. A bequest from the Freemans ensures that future Cornell students will be recognized for their achievements and continuing work in peace activities.

Eligibility

For the Freeman prize, you must be a Cornell graduating senior or Master's student who has demonstrated a commitment to working for world peace. Preference will be given to students who plan to work in peace-related organizations after graduation, but students who are going on to graduate work in the field are also eligible for consideration. The Freeman Fellowship is open to all Cornell students.

Amount

We award one or more Freeman prizes of $2,500 each. The Freeman fellowship amount varies based on activity, location, and duration.

How to Apply

Apply online:

• Include a brief (1-2 pages) statement of purpose.
• If applying for the fellowship, describe the project you plan to engage in, and include a budget in your statement of purpose.
• Identify and ask your advisor or a faculty member who knows your work well to provide a letter of recommendation. They will be emailed to submit a letter in the online application.
• Upload an e-transcript to the online application.