This is the third consecutive year that the Provost’s Office has offered one-year seed grants of up to $50,000 to support pilot research/creative projects by interdisciplinary teams of two or more Temple faculty members.

According to Staiano-Coico, the types of collaborative multidisciplinary research/creative projects that will be supported by seed grants “are only limited by the range and scope of our collective intellectual horsepower.”

This year, to ensure an equitable distribution of grants between the sciences and the arts and humanities, the Provost’s Office established two separate sets of grants and will award as many as 10 grants for scientific research collaboration and as many as 10 for research and creative collaborations in the arts and humanities. For both types of grants, projects that include elements of environmental sustainability and urban ecology are especially encouraged.

“These grants are designed to take advantage of Temple’s rich breadth of disciplines and many outstanding professional schools. They provide an opportunity for faculty from different disciplines to come together to develop a unique research and/or creative niche to benefit our region, nation and world,” said Staiano-Coico.

To qualify for funding, all research and creative collaborations in the arts and humanities must be cross-disciplinary. Scientific collaborations can be cross-disciplinary or can be clinical translational research--projects that can be translated into practical applications to improve human health.

Applications for 2009-10 seed grants must be received by April 15, 2010. A selection committee consisting of Temple faculty members will rank all proposals and the Provost’s Office will announce the winners on or about June 1, 2010.

For more information about the new seed grant program, including application instructions, visit temple.edu/provost/initiatives.