Fund Priorities
Penn’s China Research and Engagement Fund (CREF) aims to:
Advance Interdisciplinary Study and Engagement:
Promote interdisciplinary research, teaching, and engagement on China-related issues.
Position Penn as a leading source of knowledge and ideas on China.
Strengthen Relationships:
Enhance connections between the Penn Wharton China Center in Beijing (PWCC) and the wider Penn community.
Impact
38 Grants: Supporting projects across various disciplines.
34 Penn Faculty: Engaged from 11 of Penn’s 12 Schools.
Current & Past Projects
Established in 2015, CREF was designed to stimulate and support research activities and engagement in China. The fund has supported diverse projects that integrate knowledge to address significant issues at local, regional, and global levels.
The Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations
Focus Areas:
National Security
Trade & Competitiveness
Technology
Human Rights, Law, & Democracy
Climate & Environment
Research, Education, & Academic Freedom
Launch:
January 2020 with its inaugural fellowship cohort.
A new cohort will be assembled in January 2024.
Support:
Grants from Penn Global’s China Research & Engagement Fund, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Additional Initiatives
CREF has led to new initiatives expanding Penn’s engagement with China. For instance, Professor Katherine Hellerstein’s project on China and Ashkenazic European Jewry resulted in a new undergraduate seminar on the history of Judaism in China.
