Call for Proposals

Faculty Seed Grant Competition for Interdisciplinary Projects in Society and Neuroscience

The 2018 application cycle is closed. See the instructions below for more information.

The PSSN Program offers annual seed grants to enable collaboration between Columbia and Barnard faculty in the humanities, arts, or social sciences, and faculty in the natural sciences whose primary focus is the empirical study of mind, brain, and behavior.  This request for proposals is open to all full-time faculty at Columbia University and Barnard College who contribute to these interdisciplinary goals.  Non-faculty may apply with the support of a faculty co-investigator. Please see additional eligibility details. 

Unlike previous years, a Letter of Inquiry will be the first step in the application process for 2018.  The committee will invite selected applicants to submit a full proposal. Grants will be awarded on or before July 1, 2018.

Letters of Inquiry should outline interdisciplinary research or other initiatives that involve either direct collaboration between neuroscientists and researchers from other disciplines, or traverse traditional disciplinary boundaries in order to investigate issues relevant to society and neuroscience.

Up to $50,000.00 for projects one-year in duration, with the possibility of renewal for a second year of funding.

All full-time faculty at Columbia University and Barnard College. Applications from non-faculty (including postdocs and senior PhD students) will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, with at least one full-time faculty member serving as a co-investigator. Please contact [email protected] if you have any questions regarding eligibility.

One-page Letters of Inquiry are due March 19, 2018.

  • Letters of Inquiry should be no more than a single page with one-inch margins in 11pt font.
  • Please include the title of the proposed project and list the principal and co-investigator(s) and their departmental affiliations.
  • All letters should include a short summary of the project, a brief statement of interdisciplinarity, and should briefly describe the timeline and the total funding amount sought.

Generally, proposals that involve research already in progress or stand-alone curriculum development will not be funded. 

Please submit letters as a PDF or Word file and email to [email protected]. All Letters of Inquiry must be received in full by 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday, March 19, 2018