Igniting Interdisciplinary Innovation 2026
Guidelines for submitting an I³ proposal by the April 1, 2026 deadline
The Igniting Interdisciplinary Innovation (I³) initiative is a campus-wide effort led by the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research (OVCR) to catalyze bold research collaborations that cross or complement UW–Madison’s RISE themes—AI, EARTH, and THRIVE. The aim of this Initiative is to develop revolutionary, high-impact interdisciplinary projects that will advance solutions to complex societal challenges and position teams to attract exceptionally large extramural funding support relative to standard awards in a given field.
For features of strong proposals, see the I³ announcement.
Eligibility:
● The lead Principal Investigator (PI) 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 as co-PIs.
● At least 2 team members must have attended an I³ incubation session.
The I3 Grant Proposal must contain:
1. A cover sheet that includes: PI contact info; list of Co-PIs and Co-Is; names of 2 team members that attended an incubation session and session(s) attended; project title; and lay abstract (150 words).
2. Abstract (300 words) that addresses the following topics (in accessible language):
● What is the problem or grand challenge your project is trying to solve? Why is this problem important and why should it be addressed now?
● What are the project’s innovative approaches and potential for groundbreaking impact?
● What are the unique qualifications of the research team for leading this interdisciplinary project?
● What will you accomplish with I³ seed funding, and what is your external funding strategy to move the project forward?
3. Project narrative (3 pages max, 1-inch margins, 11-point font or larger) that includes:
• The innovative vision and its transformative potential for UW–Madison, fields of knowledge, and society.
• Project goals, methods, techniques and strategies.
• The interdisciplinary aspects of the research and the unique qualifications of the research team that increase the likelihood of project success.
• Key milestones for the funding period.
• How potential risks and challenges will be addressed.
• Expected project outcomes and an explanation of how they will provide the necessary foundation for seeking exceptionally large extramural funding support relative to standard awards in a given field.
• Extramural funding opportunities that will be pursued (be as specific as possible).
• How the proposed research project represents a new and distinct direction for your team.
• If the PI or co-PI has received previous research funding from the OVCR in the past 5 years, provide a brief description of the outcomes (e.g. related extramural grant(s), publications or performances).
4. Budget form (request up to $250,000 for a 1-year grant). Provide a detailed budget request, indicating the personnel to be supported and other categories of funding that will be needed. Although collaborations with faculty outside of UW–Madison may be beneficial, funds from this initiative cannot be used to support researchers at other institutions. The budget may include faculty salary for summer support only; this initiative will not provide in-semester support. For faculty with 9-month appointments, you may not exceed the NIH salary cap. For example, the current NIH salary cap is $228,000 over 12 months (1 month = $19,000, plus fringe benefits). Thus, if your annual salary exceeds the cap you are limited in your request to $19,000 (plus fringe benefits) per month. Faculty with 12-month appointments are not eligible for faculty salary support. Equipment requests are limited to under $25,000. This initiative does not fund conference travel; only travel for research purposes is allowed. Use the I3 Summary Budget Template. Once you have completed I3 Summary Budget Template save the .xls document as a PDF (select “actual size”) and upload both the .xls document and the .pdf document to the on-line submission system.
5. Budget justification, In no more than 1 page, provide a concise justification for every item in your budget. Please also provide in the spaces provided the funding amount of the most likely initial proposal based on the I3 grant and the funding agencies/organizations/philanthropies/industry sponsors where the initial proposal and future related proposals will be submitted. If responding to a specific funding opportunity, please list. For more information, please see the FAQs.
6. In a single PDF file: CVs or Biosketches (no more than 5 pages each), for the Principal Investigator, co-Principal Investigators, co-Investigators, and Collaborators. In addition, include a document that lists all current and pending intramural and extramural research support for each investigator.
Important Notes:
● 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).
● At least 2 team members must have attended an incubation session for the team to be able to submit a proposal.
● Involvement of investigators from multiple departments and colleges is encouraged, as well as teams with PIs at a range of career stages.
● Finalists present at the I³ Showcase in May; if your team proposal is selected then some team members must be available to present it to the audience of reviewers.
When providing documents, please use single space formatting, 1-inch margins, and 11-point font or larger.
Submitting the full proposal:
After completing the items above, you will be able to select “review and submit” before making your final submission. Please make sure to review the entire document before you select to “submit” it. You will also have the option to download the entire document. For questions regarding eligibility or submitting a proposal, please contact the appropriate divisional Associate Chancellor or Research.
For technical questions or for general information:
Please send an email to competitions@research.wisc.edu.
Application Instructions:
The online submission application site will open on March 9. We will post the link on this webpage and ask you to apply electronically.