Here and Next Grants support interdisciplinary research activities at Washington University in St. Louis across disciplines, departments, and schools. The Grant Program is designed to provide initial funding and assistance for interdisciplinary research of the highest caliber in alignment with the larger Here and Next Plan.
Housed in the Research Development Office within the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, theses grants support work in the following areas: Public Health, Global Health, Environmental Research, Digital Transformation, and Research Impacting the St. Louis Community.
Grant programs currently accepting applications can be found on InfoReady. Please email researchseedfunding@wustl.edu with any questions about these programs or InfoReady.
Here and Next Seed Grant Programs
Core Grant Programs
There are four, core Here and Next grants available to WashU faculty members, each with their own aims and objectives, deadlines, and requirements that will return annual. Please see each individual page for more details.
FY 2026 Calls for Proposals are now available. Application portals will be available by August 1 for all programs via InfoReady.
Special Topic & Collaborative Programs
Also available to researchers are special topic seed grand opportunities that are collaborations with the Here and Next seed funding program and other campus entities whose goals align with the Here and Next priority areas of Research Excellence. See each individual page for details.
- Global Incubator Seed Grants FY 2026 Applications due 9/15 at 12 noon
- AI for Health Seed Grant in collaboration with the AI for Health Institute FY 2026 call will be announed in 2026
- Implementation Science Pilot Grant with the Center for Dissemination and Implementation
Here and Next Seed Grant Email Announcements
Stay up to date with Here and Next Seed Grant funding deadlines, announcements of new competitions, awardees, and more. We promise to only send you information relevant to Here and Next Seed Grants.
InfoReady
To apply for all Here and Next Grants, you must use the InfoReady platform to submit your materials. Updated Calls for Proposals and competition details can be found on InfoReady. Login with your WASHU key.
2026 Webinars
Spark Funding Webinars
Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant Webinars
Transcend Initiative Grant Webinars
2025-2026 Calendar
Last updated: July 2, 2025
We will add additional dates and programs as they become available.
| August 1 | Applications and Calls for Proposals released for all programs Spark Funding Grants and Transcend Initiative LOIs have rolling review periods and will accept applications until May 15, 2026. |
| August 15 | Transcend Initiative Grant Informational Webinar (Register) |
| August 22 | Spark Funding Grants Informational Webinar (Register) |
| September 10 | Ignite Grant Informational Webinar (Register) |
| September 15 | Global Incubator Seed Grant Application Deadline at 12 NOON |
| September 30 | Fall 2025 Ignite Grant Application Deadline at 11:59 PM Q1 Transcend Initiative Grant Review Deadline (Full Proposals Only) |
| By End of Fall 2025 Semester | Fall Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant and FY 26 Global Incubator Seed Grant decisions made |
| December 31 | Q2 Transcend Initiative Grant Review Deadline (Full proposals only) |
| January 14 | Spark Funding Grants Informational Webinar (Register) |
| January 16 | Transcend Initiative Grant Informational Webinar (Register) |
| January 30 | Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant Informational Webinar (Register) |
| February 18 | Spring 2026 Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant Deadline at 11:59 PM |
| March 31 | Q3 Transcend Initiative Grant Review Deadline (Full proposals only) |
| May 15, 2026 | Spark Funding Grants and Transcend Initiative LOI portals stop accepting applications. The portals will reopen after the start of FY 27, in early August 2026. |
| End of Spring Semester 2026 | Spring Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant decisions made |
| June 30 | Transcend Initiative Grant Quarter 4 Review Deadline (Full proposals only) Please note that if you submit during this quarter, review may take a little longer than usual given it is the summer. |
| August 3 tentative | FY 27 Program Call for Proposals and Portals released |
Frequently Asked Questions
Please check out these Frequently Asked Questions about Here and Next Research Seed Grants. If there are questions not answered here, please see the below contact information.
Contact
Please contact researchseedfunding@wustl.edu with any questions about these programs.