Presidential Research and Education Fund

PREF POLICY 2022-2023

OVERVIEW

The AUCA Presidential Research and Education Fund (PREF) was established in 2019 as a unique initiative designed to support discrete projects from AUCA faculty, students, and staff for research and educational activities through the President's Office at AUCA. The PREF fund especially welcomes seed funding for new initiatives at the University, multidisciplinary projects, and those involving AUCA students are strongly encouraged. Over the last three academic years (2019-2020, 2020-2021, 2021-2022) 46 research projects and educational activities initiated by AUCA faculty, students, and staff were implemented successfully. And these positive results of three years encouraged us to continue the PREF Fund and launch a new round of funding during the 2022-2023 academic year. We are now announcing the call for research projects and educational activities for the PREF Award 2022-2023.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Full-time AUCA faculty;
Full-time AUCA active students (both bachelor and master). Graduating AUCA MA students are eligible to apply if the research project is meant to be finished by December 20, 2022;
Full-time AUCA staff members;
Current part-time faculty can apply if students are involved in the project;
Recipients of PREF awards in the AY 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and Fall 2021 are eligible to apply. Those who have been awarded PREF funding in Spring 2022 are not eligible to apply.

FINANCE

The President's Office will make awards depending on the requested budget, tax-inclusive.

Please be aware that the principal investigator for the project is responsible for carrying out logistics as well as administrative and financial procedures and reporting related to the PREF project. Executive Officer to the President, HR, and Finance Offices will consult and assist you in resolving any questions that may come up. However, in case you have never administered documents at AUCA, it may be useful to include a team member responsible for managing administrative processes.

TOPICS

There is no restriction imposed on the possible topics of your initiatives. Nevertheless, based on the last three years of experience, we encourage you to think about the project’s social impact while designing your research projects and the proposal. We also highly encourage you to think about publication opportunities upon the completion of your research project. We are specifically interested in seed funding for new initiatives that may be scalable or potentially create a long-lasting impact through proof of concept, especially in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia, including Afghanistan and Iran.

Among possible topics to be proposed, but certainly not limited to these:

Art, history, and culture of Central Asia and its neighbors;
Future governance challenges resulting from climate change;
How inclusive is AUCA as an institution of higher education?
How energize Kyrgyz citizens and students about the imminent and huge risks of climate change?
Technological change and its impact on mental and physical health;
What are the unique characteristics of nomadic peoples and cultures?
What have we learned about online/hybrid education and its potential role in the future?
What promotes and obstructs creativity and innovation in higher education?

Project results may also be very diverse; from the production of new high-tech goods to traditional and non-traditional art forms, research papers and published articles, documentaries and videos, and even more standard academic materials (books, manuals, reading materials, etc.)

From the table below you can see how diverse the PREF projects are:

Term	Project Title	PREF Winner
Fall 2019	An order of polarizing microscope with transmitted and reflected illumination	Rustam Orozbaev, Professor
Fall 2019	Beyond plain visualization: 3D modeling of historical buildings in Karakol	Aida Abdykanova, Associate Professor Jyldyz Bekbalaeva, Library Director Tolgonai Kozhokanova, Electronic Service Assistant
Fall 2019	Media representation of Islam and Muslims in Kyrgyzstan	Mukaram Toktogulova, Associate Professor Elira Turdubaeva, Professor
Fall 2019	Online Kyrgyz language course for beginners	Uulkan Kambaralieva, Professor Daniyar Karabaev, Assistant Professor
Fall 2019	Participation in International Film Festival in Rotterdam	Anastasiya Lysogorova
Fall 2019	The foundation needed for AUCA to be competitive in attracting a large research grant that will help children on the autistic spectrum	Michael Brady, Associate Professor
Fall 2019	The value of liberal arts education: AUCA alumni perspectives and curriculum design opportunities	Anguelina Popova, Ph.D., Director of CTLT Jarkyn Shadymanova, Associate Professor Emil Begimkulov, Assistant Professor
Fall 2019	The voices of Afghan students at AUCA	Tamo Chattopadhay, Associate Professor Zarlasht Sarmast, Global Fellow Program Coordinator
Fall 2020	Blockchain technology in Kyrgyzstan	Saikal Anvar kyzy, Assistant Professor
Fall 2020	Compilation and preparation for publication of the collection AUCA Mathematical Olympiads for secondary school students	Sergey Sklyar, Professor Syrgak Kydyraliev, Professor Elena Burova, Assistant Professor
Fall 2020	Development of a Kyrgyz language textbook for students whose first language is English	Gulmira Duisheeva, Assistant Professor
Fall 2020	Implementation of international law by domestic courts of Kyrgyz Republic	Hannepes Taychayev, Professor
Fall 2020	Problems, progress, and prospects of organic farming as a means of sustainable agriculture in Kyrgyzstan	Mairambek Nurgaziev, Associate Professor
Fall 2020	Singing the song of the land you are in: local dissemination of the findings of the AKYN project	James Plumtree, Assistant Professor
Fall 2020	Tengrian beliefs/practices in post-Soviet Kyrgyzstan	Mukaram Toktogulova, Associate Professor Baitur Toktosunov, Graduate student, MAATH
Fall 2021	Adaptation of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-V (WISC-V)	Olga Yarova, Associate Professor Elena Kosterina, Associate Professor
Fall 2021	Annual flagship activities for economics students of Bishkek universities	Dina Mamadjanova, Undergraduate student, ECO
Fall 2021	Central Asian Nomad Youth (@cany.kg)	Erkebai Bakhavadinov, Undergraduate student, BA
Fall 2021	Collaborative teaching materials website	Ilias Suvanov, Instructor
Fall 2021	Continuation of the digitization of the National Academy of Science Herbarium with AUCA students	Amadeus DeKastle, Instructor
Fall 2021	Creation of GIS and remote sensing laboratory in AUCA	Zheenbek Kulenbekov, Associate Professor
Fall 2021	Dusty data project (digitalization of archived statistical data)	Akylai Muktarbek kyzy, Assistant Professor
Fall 2021	Measuring and mapping walkability in Bishkek	Otabek Nigmatov, Graduate student, MAATH
Fall 2021	Promotion of sex education for teenagers through social media	Ramina Ergeshova, Undergraduate student Albina Dastanova, Undergraduate student
Fall 2021	The Emerald Handbook of Childhood and Youth in Asian Societies – Generations between local and global dynamics	Elena Kim, Professor
Fall 2021	Справочник по культуре русской речи в вопросах и ответах	Eleonora Karypkulova, Assistant Professor Svetlana Kunduzakova, Professor
Spring 2020	Augmented reality as an educational tool for children with developmental delays	Vladislav Pak
Spring 2020	Data Art	Anastasiya Valeeva, Assistant Professor
Spring 2020	Digitization of the National Academy of Science Herbarium with AUCA Students	Amadeus DeKastle, Instructor
Spring 2020	Startup Bootcamp	Bermet Talasbek kyzy, Program Manager, MBA
Spring 2020	The Casebook on Constitutional Chamber of the KR: 15 major decisions as a promotion and internationalization of rule of law and constitutionalism in Kyrgyzstan	Saniya Toktogazieva, Associate Professor Kanykei Kasybekova, Assistant Professor
Spring 2021	Accreditation of undergraduate programs at AUCA: lessons learned and way forward	Chynarkul Ryskulova, Professor Anguelina Popova, Ph.D., Director of CTLT
Spring 2021	Climate change in Kyrgyzstan: short movie series project	Adina Sulumbekova, Undergraduate student, LAS
Spring 2021	Documentary interview film: immigration, sense of belonging, and envisioning the future ("Unheard Voices of People of Kyrgyzstan")	Ruslan Rahimov, Associate Professor
Spring 2021	Forward - to the past: satellite images of the Chui region from 1960 to the present day	Talgat Dzhumashev, Graduate Student, MAATH
Spring 2021	Mapping of Issyk-Kul rock art: prevention and preservation	Aida Abdykanova, Associate Professor Montana Reid, Undergraduate student
Spring 2021	On the edge of Bishkek: highlighting ecological problems through creative writing and visual research	Mingoiim Nishonova, Administrative Assistant, NGA
Spring 2021	Oral histories collection at AUCA	Jyldyz Bekbalaeva, Library Director Aijamal Sarybaeva, Assistant Professor
Spring 2021	Responsible mining at the top of the world: balancing the protection of investors' rights and advancement of sustainable development in the Kyrgyz Republic	Begaiym Esenkulova, Associate Professor
Spring 2021	Role of gender and social media in Kyrgyzstani Parliamentary elections October 2020	Olga Tarabashkina, Assistant Professor
Spring 2022	A textbook on the German language for tourist purposes	Gulshaiyr Derbishalieva, Assistant Professor Diana Arykbaeva, Assistant Professor
Spring 2022	AUCA students’ empowerment through the experience in “OVOP+1” local rural development projects (Japan)	Aizada Tynyeva, Assistant to Artistic Director, Instructor Yumi Takahashi, Instructor
Spring 2022	How can we do more for refugee students	Nicholas Andersen, Graduate Student, MACAS
Spring 2022	Hybrid education: its effectiveness and sustainability (the case of AUCA)	Cholpon Chotaeva, Professor
Spring 2022	Inherent powers of courts in the Kyrgyz Republic	Hannepes Taychayev, Professor
Spring 2022	Integration of international innovative practices of Climate Fresk and Model COP for climate education and engagement in Kyrgyzstan	Samar Kanatov, Undergraduate student, ECO

HOW TO APPLY

Your PREF APPLICATION FORM 2022-2023 should be completed and submitted to kydyrgychova_u@auca.kg (Re: PREF Application Form 2022-23). All application forms should be submitted following the deadline of October 25, 2022, by 12:00. Your Application Form 2022-2023 will include some narrative and a detailed budget, including personal information of an applicant and other team members. Once you submit your application form, you will receive an email from the President's Office.

For more information contact Umut Kydyrgychova at kydyrgychova_u@auca.kg.

DEADLINE

Call for research projects: September 6, 2022

Proposals submission deadline: October 25, 2022

NOTE: The funding for approved PREF research projects and educational activities must be disbursed by July 20, 2023. And your final reports should be submitted upon the completion of each research project or educational activity by August 10, 2023, to the President's Office at kydyrgychova_u@auca.kg