Researchers in the environmental and sustainability sciences across the University of Iowa are brimming with innovative and promising ideas potentially worthy of significant external funding. However, taking a project from idea stage to being ready for a major grant proposal often requires seed funding that colleges, departments, and labs are hard-pressed to find.
The Office of the Provost and the Office of Sustainability and the Environment are helping to bridge that developmental funding gap and to enhance the competitiveness of UI researchers as they seek large interdisciplinary grants. The Interdisciplinary, Scalable Solutions for a Sustainable Future (ISSSF) project is funded by the Office of the Provost, Provost Investment Fund. A three-year project that began in 2019, ISSSF has an annual budget of $100,000.
In addition to increasing the number of externally funded UI research projects, the ISSSF program is designed to:
- Promote the University of Iowa as an important destination for research and teaching in the environmental and sustainability sciences.
- Engage faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students from across campus in research focused on sustainability.
Examples of how seed funding from the ISSSF program might be used include collecting data and conducting analyses needed to enhance the competitiveness of a subsequent proposal to an external funding agency, or building a team that produces and submits a proposal to an external funding agency.
- Read about funded 2020-21 ISSSF-funded projects.
- Learn about ISSSF program funding criteria and obtain application information.
If you have further questions, contact me or Professor David Bennett of the Department of Geographical and Sustainability Sciences.
Stratis Giannakouros
Director, UI Office of Sustainability and the Environment
stratis-giannakouros@uiowa.edu
319-335-5516