Proposal process and timeline

Faculty or staff who have a proposal that may meet the Committee's criteria should contact Dr. David Golan, Dean for Research Initiatives and Global Programs (David_Golan@hms.harvard.edu), as early as possible to discuss the proposal and its appropriateness for review by the Committee (and by UCIPS).

After this discussion, the proposal will be placed on the agenda for an upcoming Committee meeting. The Committee meets approximately every two months, except for June-August. After the Committee meets to review the proposal, the proposal may require subsequent review by UCIPS, which meets monthly.

Approval by the HMS Committee on Global Programs and Sites and, as needed, UCIPS is generally required prior to any formal contract or agreement being put in place with an international or global partner.

Please keep in mind that, due to the cadence of meeting schedules of the Committee and UCIPS, the review and approval cycle can take several months. Expedited review is possible, but ordinarily proposers should engage with the Committee as early as possible and keep this timeline in mind.

Proposal template and meeting logistics

Once the proposal has been confirmed to be placed on an agenda for a Committee meeting, the proposer should complete a proposal template and submit it to Alison Haight at Alison_Haight@hms.harvard.edu at least one week prior to the Committee meeting, to provide committee members time to review.

Proposers should be aware of the criteria established by the Harvard University Provost’s Office regarding the establishment of international programs and the use of the Harvard name (available at: https://provost.harvard.edu/pages/policies).

Presentation slides should be emailed to Alison Haight by 8 am the morning of the meeting.

A typical presentation at the meeting includes the following components:

  • 15-20 minutes of presentation by the proposer
  • 15-20 minutes of Q&A with the Committee
  • 10-15 minutes of private Committee discussion

After the Committee meeting, the outcome of the decision will be communicated to the proposer by the Committee Chair.