Penn Global has provided $1.7 million in research and engagement awards to support 19 new projects involving faculty from all of Penn’s 12 schools.

This year’s cohort engages countries and regions around the world including India, China, Africa, and Latin America, with multiple projects concurrently engaging numerous regions. Projects span a wide range of disciplines, exploring topics like approaches to climate resilience, educational capacity-building for improved health outcomes, and early childhood interventions serving refugees, among others.

All 19 projects selected for funding this year will engage one or more of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 and adopted by all U.N Member States, the goals are “a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and improve the lives and prospects of everyone, everywhere.” As the United Nations approaches the midpoint to the achievement of these SDGs by 2030, Penn Global solicited proposals that sought to reassess the progress of these goals and promote initiatives that would advance their attainment. The latest cohort will engage nearly all 17 SDGs, with many focusing on good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10).

“Positioning Penn research for global impact is central to our mission of bringing the world to Penn and Penn to the world, and a primary goal of our grant program,” said Penn’s vice provost for global initiatives Ezekiel Emanuel. “By supporting projects like the 19 selected this year, we are able to leverage the deep expertise of Penn faculty to generate new knowledge, tackle cross-border challenges, and amplify impact.”

The Penn Global Research and Engagement Grant Program prioritizes projects that bring together leading scholars and practitioners across the University community and around the world to develop new insight on significant global issues, a core pillar of Penn’s global strategic framework. The grant program consists of the Global Engagement Fund, the China and India Research and Engagement Funds, and the Holman Africa Research and Engagement Fund.

This year’s grant recipients will introduce their projects at Penn Global’s upcoming annual launch symposium on April 27 at Perry World House.

2023 Awards

Projects Engaging Multiple Regions

• Evaluating Europe’s Flagship Carbon Policies—Arthur van Benthem,  Wharton School
• Cost-Effectiveness Studies of Early Childhood Interventions Serving Refugees—Brooks Bowden, Graduate School of Education
• Residential Location Choice, Affordability, and High-Capacity Transit Lines in Bogota—Erick Guerra, Weitzman School of Design
• PBL for Global Climate Justice—Zachary Herrmann, Graduate School of Education
• Blue Planetary Boundaries for Climate Resilience & Sustainable Development—Irina Marinov, School of Arts and Sciences
• Kidney CEUS in Latin America, Multinational Education and Research Program—Hansel Otero, Perelman School of Medicine
• Designing a Just and Climate Resilient Transboundary Region—Simon Richter, School of Arts and Sciences
• Living Learning Environments: Early Education for Sustainable Futures—Laia Mogas-Soldevila, Weitzman School of Design
• Income, Family Structure, and CCT Effects on Child Maltreatment in Mexico—Petra Todd, School of Arts and Sciences
• Impact of Tech-based Teaching on Learning in India: Towards UN SDG4—Daniel Wagner, Graduate School of Education

Projects Engaging Africa

• Resilient Ecosystem and Sustainable Transformation of Rural Economies—Heather Huntington, School of Arts and Sciences
• To Improve Stroke Care in Africa—Renyu Liu, Perelman School of Medicine
• Resuscitation Education and Acute Care Help (REACH)-Sub-Saharan Africa—Vinay Nadkarni & Vanessa Denny, Perelman School of Medicine
• Botswana Education and Research Development—Megan Rybarczyk, Perelman School of Medicine
• The Impacts of Income Volatility and Risk on Economic Outcomes in Ghana—Heather Schofield,  Wharton School and Perelman School of Medicine

Projects Engaging India

• Stories of Climate Action: Negotiating Planning in Mumbai’s Wetscapes—Nikhil Anand, School of Arts and Sciences
• Clinical Multimodal Integration for Stratification of Glioblastoma Patients—Spyridon Bakas, Perelman School of Medicine  and Sharath Chandra Guntuku, School of Engineering & Applied Science
• Synergy to Solve SDGs (S3): Targeting Physical and Mental Health in India—Jere Behrman, School of Arts and Sciences and Graduate School of Education

Projects Engaging China

• Knowledge Building Innovation Network in Greater China: Educating Towards a Sustainable Future—Bodong Chen, Graduate School of Education