Award Period: 1 year
Award Cap: Up to $50,000
Application Cycles: Every Fall and Spring semester
The Ignite Interdisciplinary Grant provides project support to catalyze innovative interdisciplinary research projects that address complex, transformative problems that require a novel interdisciplinary approach. These projects should be currently unfunded, and they must have the potential for increased funding either through federal, foundation, or philanthropic support.
Projects can range from proof-of-concept/feasibility studies to the development of new interdisciplinary teams that lead to the formation of large, collaborative research proposal submissions. These funds can be used to gather pilot data with the goal of successfully competing for future sponsored research opportunities. This program is particularly interested in funding imaginative and innovative research proposals, especially those that are particularly novel in their interdisciplinary collaboration.
FY2027 CFP portal will be live on August 1, 2026
Open competitions and application guidance can be found on WashU Research InfoReady site.
Please reach out to researchseedfunding@wustl.edu with any questions about Ignite Interdisciplinary grants.