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Schwartz Research Fund

Funding for the Schwartz research awards is possible thanks to donations from Joan '63 and Ron '63 Schwartz.

Applications Due Dec. 8, 2023

Description:

Two grants of up to $25,000 each will be awarded to Ithaca, Cornell Tech, and Geneva-based female faculty or faculty who enhance the diversity, equity and inclusion goals of the university and whose work is in the life sciences at Cornell. The faculty display outstanding promise for conducting creative research. The primary goal is to provide seed money for significant investment in a pilot experiment that generates novel preliminary data or opens a significant new line of inquiry.Logo for Schwartz Research Fund

One award will be given to a pre-tenure assistant professor who has completed the first two years of their appointment, to provide seed money for significant investment in a pilot experiment, likely to generate novel preliminary data to be used in a subsequent application for major new funding (e.g. NIH-R01, NSF, or other equivalent multi-year support).

The second award will be given to an associate professor (if hired as associate, the faculty member must complete the first two years of their appointment as well) to conduct an innovative pilot experiment, expected to open a significant new line of inquiry to be used as preliminary data in a subsequent application for major new funding. Alternatively, the award can serve as a bridge grant to enhance the possibility of such funding.

With the exception of large equipment purchases and faculty salaries, grants from the Schwartz Research Fund may be applied toward a wide variety of expenses with the goal of completing the pilot experiment. For example, items such as plastics, biologics, animals and genomic screens required to do the experiment would be funded. In addition, some salary and meeting travel support for a student/postdoc can be covered, although it should not exceed 40% of the grant.

Grants from the Schwartz Research Fund will be awarded on a 12-month cycle.

Faculty from colleges and departments in the traditional life science disciplines, as well as those outside such traditional departments, are eligible to apply provided they clearly state the relevance of the proposal to their research and its likely impact on the life sciences.

Eligibility:

  • Ithaca and Geneva-based assistant and associate professors as well as Cornell Tech faculty are invited to apply.
  • Faculty members outside of life science departments should consult Yael Levitte (ofdd@cornell.edu) prior to submitting their application if they are unsure if their research may qualify.

Recipients of the Research Fund grants may not re-apply until the third subsequent RFP cycle (i.e. if awarded in 2022, cannot apply until fall 2025 application cycle).

Application procedure: Submit application, including budget summary, current/pending/anticipated support, cv, and letter of recommendation (see guidelines) to ofdd@cornell.edu by Dec. 8. 2023.

Reporting requirements: Awardees are required to submit a 1-3 page-long final report, including an expenditure report. Grantees are encouraged to meet with Drs. Joan and Ronald Schwartz when they are on campus or connect with them via telephone or email.

The Schwartz Research Fund is made possible by generous support from Joan Poyner Schwartz ’65 and Ronald H. Schwartz ’65, Chemistry majors in the College of Arts and Sciences. See Cornell Chronicle story.

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Contact Information

Office of Faculty Development and Diversity
122 Day Hall
Ithaca, NY 14853
Ph: 607.255.6867
Fax: 607.255.4672
ofdd@cornell.edu