Deadlines

Eligibility

All full-time junior faculty, postdoctoral scholars, and graduate and undergraduate students at Columbia University, Teachers College, and Barnard College.

Proposals from undergraduate and graduate students are especially encouraged. Collaborative projects that involve participants from different disciplines (including professors and students of any rank and from any school at Columbia and Barnard) are encouraged.

Amount

Awards will normally be in the range of $1,500-$3,000. Grants can be combined with any other funding held by the applicants. Projects must be completed and funds expended by June 30, 2024, with a possibility of a one-year extension.

Description

The Center for Science and Society at Columbia University invites proposals for innovative interdisciplinary projects involving the study of science in society that require modest amounts of seed money to initiate collaborative research and programming. Projects might include small research collaborations and pilot studies, organizing internal discussion groups and journal clubs, planning an event or conference.

As part of the Center’s efforts to build an academic space that is more just, equitable, and accessible, and to foster diverse voices and audiences, we ask that each applicant consider how their proposed project may support the Center’s ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in policies, systems, and spaces in science and society. Please review our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism plan for more information. You may also review information about our prior years’ theme of Knowledge and Access as a reference for projects.

Apply

Please view the Call for Proposals for additional information or contact [email protected] with any questions. 

View past Seed Grant Awards and learn more on our Seed Grant Overview page.

Submitting Proposals

To apply, please submit the following as a single PDF document to [email protected] with “Seed Grants Applications” in the subject line of the email:

• Cover page, including (1) title of proposal, (2) principal investigator(s)/applicant(s) and their departmental affiliations, (3) an executive summary/abstract of the project, and (4) the total funding amount sought.
• Proposal narrative with a timeline of research and/or activities (no more than 3 pages in 12-point font). Please include a brief statement on how your project connects to the Center’s ongoing efforts to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in policies, systems, and spaces in science and society.
• Project budget with a line-by-line breakdown of all expenses.
• CVs for each investigator/applicant.