The Research Travel Grant (RTG) is now open for applications!
Research Travel Grants (RTG) provide up to $2,000 USD (or the GBP/EUR equivalent amount) to support the dissemination of research on the teaching and learning of Arabic at an academic conference. The goal of this grant is to bridge the gap between research and practice by supporting scholars and professionals in sharing their findings to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and application of research in classroom settings.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants:
- Must be presenting research at an upcoming conference on the teaching and learning of Arabic at the K-12 (primary/secondary) level
AND must be one of the following:
- Researcher of school-based Arabic pedagogy at primary and secondary levels
- Current Arabic teacher or administrator of Arabic programs at primary and secondary schools who actively participate in such research
Current eligible geographies of conducted research and conference:
- US, Canada, UK, or EU,
- other geographies deemed eligible via a QFI Special Call
Eligible events:
- Language-focused or Arabic-focused conferences
- Local, regional, national, or international conferences withing QFI’s designated geographies
- In-person conferences
Eligible travel costs covered by the grant:
- Conference registration and fees (via reimbursement)
- Lodging (via reimnbursement)
- Transportation (via QFI Travel Agency)
QFI’s Research Priorities
Your presentation must fall under one of QFI’s Research Priorities. In your application, please be sure to note which of these areas you are contributing to. Building on the 5 research areas, at the 2024 Research to Practice Forum held by the University of Oxford and QFI, we established priorities for new research by asking stakeholders (academics, teachers, policy makers, administrators and learners) what they consider the most pressing areas for focus of future research. Below are QFI’s 5 Research Areas and the priority research questions.
Research Area 1: Arabic as a Global Language
- What might an effective multiglossic approach to teaching Arabic look like?
Research Area 2: Teacher Pipeline
- What approaches to teacher development are effective for teachers of Arabic?
- How do we develop heritage learners' positive sense of identity through their Arabic learning?
- How can we ensure that instruction and materials are appropriate for learners of different levels within the same classroom (across different language skills and areas of learning)?
Research Area 3: Teaching about Arab Culture
- How can critical cultural competence be taught effectively to different categories of learners?
Research Area 4: Motivations to include Arabic in School Offers
- What resources are available for teaching Arabic at different levels, and to students of different backgrounds, and how effective are they?
- What factors influence, generate, and sustain learners' motivation to study Arabic?
Research Area 5: Students
- How do we design valid, reliable, inclusive, and fair assessments of AL2 proficiency for learners of diverse backgrounds?
- What strategies can learners use in relation to different skills (reading, writing, listening, vocabulary, learning etc.) to help improve their proficiency?
- How can students be encouraged to use Arabic inside and outside the classroom?
How to Apply
Please register on QFI’s Grants Management Portal, SM Apply, at www.qfi.smapply.org, creating a user account and profile. Upon completing your login credentials and user profile, you will be prompted to confirm your eligibility before submitting your application materials. Once you have confirmed your eligibility, you can access the application directly: https://qfi.smapply.org/prog/research_travel_grant_2026
To apply, you must submit an itemized budget, estimating the cost for your transportation*, lodging (within US per diem rates), and conference registration fee. You must include screenshots with the dates and cost clearly stated for your transportation and hotel booking estimates. If you already have partial funding from another source, an RTG can be used to cover remaining expenses so long as proof of this existing funding is provided.
*Please note that if your application is awarded, you must arrange and book your transportation (flight/train) through QFI's approved travel agency. If you book your travel independently, you will not receive a reimbursement.
In addition, the application entails:
- Verification of your eligibility
- Provision of conference details (name, dates, location, and website)
- Upload of your abstract and, if available, proof of acceptance/submission
- Connecting your work to QFI’s Research Priorities
- Upload of your CV
- If applicable, proof of existing partial funding from another source
If you receive an RTG, please note that to receive your funds, you must complete all final reporting, including:
- The conference feedback form
- Uploading your final presentation
- Submitting all required receipts for reimbursement (lodging and conference registration fee)
Final Reporting must be submitted no more than two weeks after the conclusion of the conference. Please note that applications must be for upcoming conferences - applications for conferences that have already taken place are ineligible to receive an RtP. Applications are not a guarantee of funding and are accepted on a rolling basis and approved amounts may vary (you are not guaranteed to get the full $2,000). Please do not make any purchases that you assume will be reimbursed by QFI unless you have officially received a RtP grant. QFI has a minimum two-week review period for this grant and cannot fund events that are less than a month within the application date.
Please email research@qfi.org with any questions.
Research Travel Grant 2026
The Research Travel Grant (RTG) is now open for applications!
Research Travel Grants (RTG) provide up to $2,000 USD (or the GBP/EUR equivalent amount) to support the dissemination of research on the teaching and learning of Arabic at an academic conference. The goal of this grant is to bridge the gap between research and practice by supporting scholars and professionals in sharing their findings to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and application of research in classroom settings.
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants:
- Must be presenting research at an upcoming conference on the teaching and learning of Arabic at the K-12 (primary/secondary) level
AND must be one of the following:
- Researcher of school-based Arabic pedagogy at primary and secondary levels
- Current Arabic teacher or administrator of Arabic programs at primary and secondary schools who actively participate in such research
Current eligible geographies of conducted research and conference:
- US, Canada, UK, or EU,
- other geographies deemed eligible via a QFI Special Call
Eligible events:
- Language-focused or Arabic-focused conferences
- Local, regional, national, or international conferences withing QFI’s designated geographies
- In-person conferences
Eligible travel costs covered by the grant:
- Conference registration and fees (via reimbursement)
- Lodging (via reimnbursement)
- Transportation (via QFI Travel Agency)
QFI’s Research Priorities
Your presentation must fall under one of QFI’s Research Priorities. In your application, please be sure to note which of these areas you are contributing to. Building on the 5 research areas, at the 2024 Research to Practice Forum held by the University of Oxford and QFI, we established priorities for new research by asking stakeholders (academics, teachers, policy makers, administrators and learners) what they consider the most pressing areas for focus of future research. Below are QFI’s 5 Research Areas and the priority research questions.
Research Area 1: Arabic as a Global Language
- What might an effective multiglossic approach to teaching Arabic look like?
Research Area 2: Teacher Pipeline
- What approaches to teacher development are effective for teachers of Arabic?
- How do we develop heritage learners' positive sense of identity through their Arabic learning?
- How can we ensure that instruction and materials are appropriate for learners of different levels within the same classroom (across different language skills and areas of learning)?
Research Area 3: Teaching about Arab Culture
- How can critical cultural competence be taught effectively to different categories of learners?
Research Area 4: Motivations to include Arabic in School Offers
- What resources are available for teaching Arabic at different levels, and to students of different backgrounds, and how effective are they?
- What factors influence, generate, and sustain learners' motivation to study Arabic?
Research Area 5: Students
- How do we design valid, reliable, inclusive, and fair assessments of AL2 proficiency for learners of diverse backgrounds?
- What strategies can learners use in relation to different skills (reading, writing, listening, vocabulary, learning etc.) to help improve their proficiency?
- How can students be encouraged to use Arabic inside and outside the classroom?
How to Apply
Please register on QFI’s Grants Management Portal, SM Apply, at www.qfi.smapply.org, creating a user account and profile. Upon completing your login credentials and user profile, you will be prompted to confirm your eligibility before submitting your application materials. Once you have confirmed your eligibility, you can access the application directly: https://qfi.smapply.org/prog/research_travel_grant_2026
To apply, you must submit an itemized budget, estimating the cost for your transportation*, lodging (within US per diem rates), and conference registration fee. You must include screenshots with the dates and cost clearly stated for your transportation and hotel booking estimates. If you already have partial funding from another source, an RTG can be used to cover remaining expenses so long as proof of this existing funding is provided.
*Please note that if your application is awarded, you must arrange and book your transportation (flight/train) through QFI's approved travel agency. If you book your travel independently, you will not receive a reimbursement.
In addition, the application entails:
- Verification of your eligibility
- Provision of conference details (name, dates, location, and website)
- Upload of your abstract and, if available, proof of acceptance/submission
- Connecting your work to QFI’s Research Priorities
- Upload of your CV
- If applicable, proof of existing partial funding from another source
If you receive an RTG, please note that to receive your funds, you must complete all final reporting, including:
- The conference feedback form
- Uploading your final presentation
- Submitting all required receipts for reimbursement (lodging and conference registration fee)
Final Reporting must be submitted no more than two weeks after the conclusion of the conference. Please note that applications must be for upcoming conferences - applications for conferences that have already taken place are ineligible to receive an RtP. Applications are not a guarantee of funding and are accepted on a rolling basis and approved amounts may vary (you are not guaranteed to get the full $2,000). Please do not make any purchases that you assume will be reimbursed by QFI unless you have officially received a RtP grant. QFI has a minimum two-week review period for this grant and cannot fund events that are less than a month within the application date.
Please email research@qfi.org with any questions.