Seed Funding

Technology is changing how we look at the world. All areas have been affected- science, liberal arts, humanities, the health professions, communications, business and the fine arts have all experienced significant technology induced change. These changes are blurring and erasing traditional disciplinary boundaries and creating new interdisciplinary areas of studies. Work in these emerging areas requires interdisciplinary teams that bring very different skill sets to the same problem. However, interdisciplinary collaboration is filled with difficulties, especially in its early stages. Finding the right people and the right external support structure is often much harder when one moves outside of the traditional disciplinary boundaries. To that end, the SET will support teams of interdisciplinary faculty in the early phases of collaborative projects. Three kinds of projects are of particular interest:

• Projects that foster the development of new innovative, interdisciplinary courses and degree and non-degree programs in fields involving emerging technologies. These projects could address the anticipated technical workforce needs of the region and/or integrate the study of social/cultural, environmental and ethical issues as well as specific technologies.
• Projects that facilitate interdisciplinary research and creative collaborations that focus on the study and application of emerging technologies in addressing public and individual needs, including quality-of-life enhancements.
• Projects that foster the development of new innovative, interdisciplinary courses and degree and non-degree programs in fields involving emerging technologies. These projects could address the anticipated technical workforce needs of the region and/or integrate the study of social/cultural, environmental and ethical issues as well as specific technologies.

See the full request for proposals for complete details, including submission instructions.

• Request for Proposals (PDF)
• Cover Sheet  (PDF)