Launched in 2007 as a collaborative initiative of the Princeton Environmental Institute, the Woodrow Wilson School and the School of Engineering and Applied Science, the Grand Challenges initiative is an integrated research and teaching program designed to promote student involvement and faculty research on three intractable issues facing our world:  Energy and Climate, Development, and Global Health. Recognizing that any solution requires a multidisciplinary approach, Grand Challenges seeks to encourage broad interdisciplinary research and scholarship to address the interrelated problems of climate, energy security and air pollution; rural poverty, land use, biodiversity and water in Africa; and infectious disease and global health in the developing world.
 
The Grand Challenges program is organized around three core research cooperatives, each of which has created interdisciplinary programs of research and teaching that engage faculty, postdoctoral and graduate fellows, and undergraduate students from across the University. In its first two years, the program has funded faculty research proposals and provided support for other proposal development.  Course development, student internships, research apprenticeships, and independent work have also been funded. Each of these three research cooperatives are expected to grow over time as new research projects are initiated and additional faculty and students begin focusing on the Grand Challenges topics.

Types of Funding
In 2009-2010, Grand Challenges will offer one to three additional seed grants to faculty who are starting new research projects that relate to one or more of the core Grand Challenges themes. Two types of proposals will be considered: (1) projects from individual faculty members that represent a change of research and teaching direction; and (2) projects from two or more faculty members that initiate novel interdisciplinary research and teaching collaborations.  Successful applicants will be funded for a period of 1-2 years at a level of up to $100,000 per year.  With adequate funding, it is possible that certain successful seed projects may evolve into longer-running research and teaching projects.
 
We invite proposals for seed funding at this time. Proposals should be no more than three pages in length; should include a description of both teaching and research elements; and should include a budget.  The teaching element should describe innovations in student experiences that the faculty member(s) will create. For example, the proposal might identify one or more new or heavily revised courses; describe specific internships; and/or outline opportunities for independent study. The research element should relate the faculty member’s new venture to one or more of the Grand Challenges themes and explain how advances in this new research could contribute to possible solutions. Project budgets may include any reasonable teaching or research expense.

Proposals will be evaluated on how well they address both the teaching and research goals of the Grand Challenges Program. Written proposals should be submitted electronically to gcseeds@princeton.edu and are due by Friday, September 25, 2009. A Selection Committee will review and consider proposals for awards to be made early in the fall semester.

Further detail regarding the overall Grand Challenges initiative including a description of each of the three research cooperatives is provided on the Grand Challenges website: www.princeton.edu/grandchallenges. Faculty members wishing to submit proposals are encouraged to visit the Grand Challenges' website to familiarize themselves with the program and the central themes of the research cooperatives. Detail on currently funded projects and other GC programs are also available through this site. Questions about the proposal process may be submitted through to gcseeds@princeton.edu.