Phase 1 grants

Phase I Design for Innovation grants, with a maximum of $50K per grant to be spent over a year, are being offered to enable faculty to undertake projects with direct, real-world impact through means that are distinct from scholarship or dissemination. Recognizing that such impact can take years, Phase II grants for successful phase I grantees are also planned. Applicants are encouraged to review the mission and approach of the program.

Eligibility

Regular Princeton faculty (senior lecturers; assistant, associate, full professors) may apply. Other faculty, and members of the University engaged in research may apply if their appointments are expected to run through Spring 2026. Those with shorter terms may only apply as co-proposers. Please contact the program directors if in doubt. The program encourages faculty from all disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and engineering to apply.

Selection criteria

Key criteria include:

  • Team: Is the team passionate and committed to realizing their vision over a potentially multi-year period? How will the workload be managed? Is there a strategy to maintain continuity as non-faculty participants change (e.g., students graduate, etc.)?
  • Problem: How significant is the problem being addressed, and in what ways? Measures of significance may vary, from the cultural to the societal to the technological.
  • Proposed solution: Can it realistically address the problem? Other pieces will often be required – what are those?
  • External partnerships: There are a range of partners who could, e.g., offer deep insights into the nature of the challenge, help deploy interventions, etc. Who might these be? What might engagement look like?

Expected outcomes

These will depend on where the grantee is in their journey and the nature of the intervention. For some grantees the Phase I grants will enable real-world pilot tests of their idea. For others, the grant will be used to get to the threshold of such a pilot, which may then be carried out in Phase II. For some faculty, the grant may be used to develop a proof-of-concept and gain understanding of the real-world constraints.

All grantees will be expected to develop a detailed execution plan that can be used to seek continued funding, recruit teams and build partnerships. Program directors will be available to co-develop this blueprint.

Program Directors

Manish Bhardwaj is the contact for humanities and social sciences faculty, and Nena Golubovic for engineering and natural sciences faculty.

Process

Faculty will submit a brief expression-of-interest (EoI) with key details. Shortlisted EoIs will be invited to submit a full proposal that will be evaluated by an independent panel. Details:

  1. Faculty indicate their interest by emailing Manish Bhardwaj or emailing Nena Golubovic.
  2. Submit a brief expression-of-interest (EoI) through the application portal. Please see detailed guidance on the EoI below. Faculty are strongly encouraged to have their EoI reviewed by Manish or Nena before submission.
  3. Program directors may request follow-up interviews to clarify aspects of the EoI.
  4. Faculty whose EoIs are shortlisted for full proposal development (3-4 pages) will be notified. Faculty are strongly encouraged to co-develop the proposal with the program directors. Detailed guidance on the full proposal will be provided to shortlisted faculty.
  5. Final proposals will be sent to an independent panel for evaluation. The panel may request clarifications and/or interviews before the final awards are made.

Timeline

Expressions-of-interest are accepted on a rolling basis but must meet the deadlines below to be considered for a particular cycle.

Fall 2024 cycle

  • October 1, 2024: Expression-of-interest submissions open
  • November 1: Initial proposals due
  • December 1: Revised proposals due
  • December 2024 and January 2025: Design salons
  • January 31, 2025: Grantees notified

Spring 2025 cycle

  • March 1, 2025: Expression-of-interest submissions open
  • April 1: Initial proposals due
  • May 1: Revised proposals due
  • May and June: Design salons
  • June 30: Grantees notified

Guidelines on composing the EoI

The EoI is a short summary of your proposed project (750 words maximum in Word or PDF format) that includes (not all aspects will apply to every project):

  • The challenge or gap you are addressing.
  • Your solution – what is it you propose to do.
  • Impact – how will your solution change the status quo.
  • Your team and roles and roughly how much time each member will devote to the project.
  • Organizations you will partner with to execute your idea (where applicable).
  • What you hope to accomplish with the grant.
  • Total funds requested, with a rough breakup (no detailed budget required).
  • Proposed start date and duration.

Submit an expression-of-interest