# Focus Sessions

**Source**: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/ipia/what-we-do-pages/international-research-academy/2024-25-focus-sessions.html
**Parent**: https://ag.purdue.edu/department/ipia/what-we-do-pages/international-research-academy/index.html

**College of Agriculture**\
 **International Research Academy 2024-25**

**Session 1: Welcome**

- Welcome to the Academy and plans for the program
- Introduction of participants
- Introduction to mentoring
- Introduction of concept note requirement
- Select times for future meetings & trips

**Session 2: Finding partners**

- How to find international partners – Government agencies, World Bank, universities, CGIAR Centers, NGOs (Gates, CRS)
- How to identify international opportunities
- IPIA’s role in the college- Jerry Shively and Gary Burniske

**Session 3**: **Introduction of 2023-24 cohort**

- What went well?
- Suggestions for getting the most out of this program
- Working with your mentor
- Things I wish I had known when the Academy started
- What did you learn and do differently now?
- Reflections on your concept note
- Washington, D.C. goals, agenda and travel plans

**Session 4: Travel to Washington, D.C**

**Session 5: Motivation and payoff (panel discussion)**

- Why do international work? What is the motivation? What is the reward?
- How did you get started?
- Types of international work (research, capacity building, etc.)
- What would you do differently?

**Session 6:** **International proposals and grants**

- Writing a research grant with an international collaborator: panel
  - Pre-awards office – Proposal development process, budget prep, onboarding international sub-awardees
  - Post-Award office – Working with international institutions, setting up grants
  - Challenges and opportunities with international collaborators

**Session 7:  Promotion and Tenure**

- How does international work help with P&T?
- How to document impact?

**Session 8: Intercultural competency**

- Intercultural conflict style assessment
- Interpretation of results and ways to implement changes

**Session 9:**  **Sabbaticals and short-term assignments**

- Fulbright sabbaticals: Chris Lukasik
- Fulbright specialist program – Mark Russell
- Sabbatical - Mike Mickelbart

**Session 10: Campus connections**

- Office of Global Partnerships and Programs
  - What OGPP does
  - LOIs/MOUs and hosting visiting scholars
- Private partnerships

**Session 10: Pre-travel orientation**

- International trip pre-departure
- Introduction of concept notes and expectations

**Session 11: International travel**

**Session 12: Concept notes**

- Presentation of concept notes - feedback from all mentors.
- Wrap-up: Next steps, program assessment and feedback