Igniting Interdisciplinary Innovation FAQs
Q: Do I have to attend one of the December information sessions to participate in an incubation session?
A: No
Q: Can I attend more than one incubation session?
A: Yes.
Q:Can I attend an incubation session online?
A: No. All incubation sessions will be held in person.
Q: Do I have to attend an incubation session to submit a proposal?
A: Preference will be given to teams for which most or all members have participated in an incubation session. At least 2 team members must have attended an incubation session for the team to be able to submit a proposal. If you cannot attend the session mostly closely aligned with your interests, you may attend another.
Q: What if I can’t attend an entire session because of teaching obligations.
A: Please attend as much as you can.
Q: How do I submit a proposal?
A: Details of the submission process will be provided at the incubation sessions.
Q: Who can serve as the lead PI?
A: The lead Principal Investigator must be a UW–Madison tenure-track faculty member or a researcher with permanent PI status. CHS faculty, research professors, and other academic staff without permanent PI status may participate only as co‑PIs or team members.
Q: Who can attend incubation sessions?
A: Because of space limitations, only faculty members and researchers with permanent PI status should sign up for these.
Q: Is team diversity required?
A: A key aim of this program is to bring together new, interdisciplinary teams of researchers, so involvement of investigators from multiple departments and colleges is encouraged, as well as teams with PIs at a range of career stages.
Q: Are external collaborators allowed?
A: Yes—projects may work to build or enhance partnerships with other universities, national labs, industry, community partners, or government entities. However, the PIs should be from UW–Madison, and funds disbursed under this program can only be used to fund people and activities on the UW–Madison campus (aside from contracted goods and services).
Q: How much funding is available?
A: Each award offers up to $250,000 in seed funding for one year.
Q: What are the proposal requirements?
A: Teams submit a 3‑page proposal by April 1, followed by peer review. Finalists present at the I³ Showcase in late April.
Q: What criteria are used for evaluation?
A: Strong proposals display:
- Interdisciplinary and new collaborations
- Transformational vision elevating UW–Madison
- Strategic partnerships (external and cross-disciplinary)
- Clear path for extramural (federal, industrial, philanthropic…) funding within 12–24 months.
Q: Is external matching required?
A: No.
Q: What is meant by “exceptionally large extramural funding support” in the program description?
A: Support beyond the scale of typical grants in the relevant field. E.g. For life sciences-focused proposals, grants substantially larger than an R01.
Q: Can faculty participate on more than one team?
A: Yes, but they can only be lead PI on one.
Q: Will additional sessions be scheduled?
A: One additional session may be scheduled if another popular theme emerges from the expression-of-interest poll. Otherwise, no.
Q: Must the proposals be STEM-focused? Must they be focused on fundamental research?
A: No. Proposals that might seed external support in any area are welcome.