Research Awards

Applications for Tier 1 and 2 which demonstrate consideration for the following will be given priority:

• Cross-disciplinary collaboration
• Diversity, equity, and accessibility
• Environmental sustainability
• Longevity of the program/project
• Bi-directional relationships with global partners

Application for Tier 3 – collaboration with Tohoku University:

• This call invites proposals for partnership development activity in areas of mutual interest and complementary strengths that will strengthen collaboration between UW and TU.   
• Proposals must include participants from both institutions.   
• Applications from all research areas are welcome
• Applications must demonstrate how the proposed activity will provide a platform for longer-term, larger-scale collaboration between UW and TU in the relevant field, for example, by providing a basis for ongoing joint research and education activity and/or applications to external bodies for research grant funding.  

Awards cannot support long-term projects.

Contact OGA with questions at uwgif@uw.edu

For Tier 1 Research Awards:

• First-time GIF Research Award applicants only.
• Early-career UW faculty members, research scientists, and non-faculty researchers, as well as post-docs from the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell campuses, are encouraged to apply. Graduate students may apply with a faculty lead.
• Tier 1 awards are intended for applicants who are in the early stages of a research project or those who are looking to expand their research globally.

For Tier 2 Research Awards:

• UW faculty members, research scientists, and non-faculty researchers, as well as post-docs from the Seattle, Tacoma, and Bothell campuses, are encouraged to apply. Graduate students may apply with a faculty lead.
• You can apply for Tier 2 awards only once every three years.

For both Tier 1 and Tier 2 applications, the priority are given to:

• Cross-college, cross-discipline, and multi-country collaboration
• Proof of concept with clear outcomes
• Sustainable funding models after the GIF award
• Development and submission of a collaborative proposal for external funding
• Development and submission of a collaborative scholarly publication, monograph, or exhibition of research or creative work
• Development of new collaborative curricular programs (degree programs, courses, faculty exchanges)
• Increased engagement in regions of the world where the UW already has academic partnerships and collaborative activities.

Applications aligned with one or more of UW’s strategic initiatives receive higher priority:

• UW Race & Equity Initiative
• UW Innovation Imperative
• UW Population Health Initiative
• American Indian and Indigenous studies

For Tier 3 Research Awards: 

• Applications are open to UW and TU staff members with the following roles:  
  • Professor or equivalent  
  • Associate Professor or equivalent  
  • Senior Lecturer/Principal Researcher/Principal Research Associate or equivalent
  • Lecturer/Senior Research Associate or equivalent 
  • Post Doc/Researcher/Research Associate or equivalent  

• Applicants from UW and TU must have an open-ended contract or a fixed-term contract that lasts until at least December 2025.
• Applicants are not required to have a doctorate to apply but do need to hold a role at one of the levels described above.  
• PhD students are not eligible to apply, but their involvement in the delivery of the project – for example as research assistants or interns – is encouraged. 

All funded projects must submit a post-award report at the end of the award use period.

• Brief narrative report – describe the community, outcomes, and next steps
• Photos
• Budget report reflecting actual expenditures

Please mention the Global Innovation Fund in any communications or news related to your project. Please mention the Global Innovation Fund in any communications or news related to your project. Use #UWGlobal on social media UWGlobal LinkedIn and UWGlobal Instagram.

OGA may follow up to do additional marketing and story-telling around each community.

Failure to submit the final report and budget on time will cause exclusion from future GIF applications.