Chrétien International Research Grants

Purpose

In honor of the memory of Henri Chrétien, French Professor of Optics and co-originator of the Ritchey-Chrétien telescope design, the American Astronomical Society has been named to administer grants to further international collaborative projects in observational astronomy. Emphasis is on long-term visits and the development of close working relationships with astronomers in other countries.

Eligibility

Astronomers with a PhD or equivalent; graduate students are not eligible.

Size

Up to $20,000 (US) is available each year to one or more individuals or groups to be used for the support of international observational astronomy with the emphasis upon long-term, international visits. The awards are open to astronomers throughout the world.

Application

Applications should include:

• A description of the research project (no more than three pages in length) including an assessment of its importance to that particular subfield of astronomy and a statement enumerating all the aspects of international collaboration.
• A statement of the candidate's ability to do the proposed research. Special emphasis should be placed on international collaboration and foreign visits which have been arranged. Include facilities available and observing time allocations, if any.
• A proposed budget with brief justification for the amount requested.
• A description of other financial resources available.
• The candidate's curriculum vitae and bibliography of recent papers.
• Two letters of reference from astronomers who know the candidate's work. The candidate is responsible for ensuring that these letters reach the Committee by the application deadline.
• Any special circumstances which might help in the decision process.

Deadline

The application deadline is the 1st of April each year. Applications and all supporting materials should be submitted electronically to:
Sara Asfaw, [email protected]

Eligible Expenditures

The awards may be used to cover any reasonable costs associated with astronomical observational research including travel costs, salary, publication costs, and small pieces of research equipment. If appropriate, the recipient's family is encouraged to accompany him/her on the long-term international visit.

Operation

The award decisions are made by an international committee of astronomers and are announced by the American Astronomical Society in September. The decisions will be made on the basis of quality of research, importance of the proposed research to international astronomy, the ability of the applicant to carry out the research, and prudence of the budget estimates.

Preference will be given to individuals of high promise who are otherwise unfunded. Innovative technical approaches including the development and use of new optics, new devices and new techniques will count heavily in the applicant's favor. These awards will normally not be given to supplement a major research project which is funded elsewhere. The letters of reference will weigh heavily in the decision process.

The awards are for individuals and will be made as single payments directly to the Principal Investigators. There is no institutional overhead included in this award. Except for general adherence to the research objectives stated in the proposal, there are no restrictions on the use of the money. At the conclusion of the research project, a short report and a simple financial statement will be required.
 

Donate to the Chrétien International Research Grants Fund

Henri Chrétien Grant Committee