Background 

Our society has experienced exponential growth in the volume of new scientific and technological knowledge. Some scientific advances are incremental – they extend existing streams of knowledge, while other contributions disrupt existing knowledge – rendering it obsolete and propelling science and technology in new directions. However, for many reasons, securing funding for these potentially disruptive ideas is challenging. 

Purpose 

The Office of the Provost seeks to accelerate forward-thinking research that moves beyond incremental scholarship and strategically positions Emory’s scholars for the future. Some of these high-risk, high-reward projects will successfully demonstrate feasibility and produce persistently disruptive scholarly products; while others will not achieve their original aims but will still advance our understanding of the world. Accordingly, these projects will be selected for their potential to be transformative and establish Emory scholars as thought leaders in their fields.  

This seed program has an explicit expectation that awardees will go on to compete for external grants that support their scholarship and/or generate a scholarly product(s) appropriate for their discipline that has the potential to be persistently disruptive in their field. 

Eligibility 

The following eligibility criteria apply: 

• Regular, continuing full-time faculty of Emory University are eligible to apply for awards.  

• Eligibility follows criteria for “full-time faculty” as defined within each school.  

• Postdocs, Fellows, Adjuncts, and part-time faculty are not eligible to apply for funding.