Tufts Institute for Innovation Seeks Proposals

After its official launch last year, the Tufts Institute for Innovation (TII) began funding interdisciplinary teams of researchers seeking real-world solutions to mitigate intractable public health problems.

Now TII is seeking proposals for a third round of projects, and has issued a new request for proposals (PDF). TII funds up to three or four yearlong projects per round.

TII’s overarching mission is improving the human condition, and in this round it is requesting researchers to submit proposals linked to the broad area of global health. TII is particularly interested in soliciting more proposals from the social sciences, engineering and computer science. Teams must consist of faculty members from multiple disciplines, bridging at least two out of the three Tufts campuses.

With this round, all applicants must submit a pre-application, a one-page concise summary of the project application, which is due on Nov. 3. It will be used to screen applications, as well as provide applicants with feedback to help them focus their research proposals, which will be due Jan. 4. 

“These seed projects have catalyzed collaborations of over 35 Tufts faculty members, and the interest in applying to TII for funding has tremendously increased,” says David Walt, founding director of TII. “The pre-application is a way to provide guidance to faculty so they can put together impactful projects that meet TII’s goals.”