Office of Research
Schmidt Science Polymaths 2021
Achieving tenure should be a moment when professors feel a new sense of freedom that allows them to innovate and attempt new research paths as the head of their own teams. Unfortunately, this time is often coupled with a lack of resources and a pressure to continue producing within their established research portfolio. The key goal of the Schmidt Science Polymath program (“the program”) is to encourage the best “polymath” scientists to expand their research portfolio by exploring a substantive disciplinary shift soon after achieving tenure.
The program will make long-term bets on recently-tenured professors with remarkable track records and highly promising futures. Awards will consist of around USD $500K per year for 5 years to support part of a research group. These grants are intended for the exploration of new ideas across disciplines that use new technologies and insights that are generally too new or risky to garner regular support. They are not intended to relieve the researcher of pursuing other grants to continue their mainstream work, nor be large enough to fully support a modern lab.
The program will identify and support innovative scientific researchers at this pivotal moment (and potentially the most productive time of their careers) by providing the resources that allow them to explore substantive interdisciplinary shifts in their research. Instead of focusing on specific research ideas, the goal for the program is to bet on people, their special talents, and their teams – aligning with Schmidt Futures’ overall people-focused approach.
To learn more about Schmidt Science Polymaths and see our two 2020 Polymaths, please visit:
https://schmidtfutures.com/our-work/scientific-knowledge/schmidt-science-polymaths/
For a copy of the RFA, please email research@uw.edu.
Application Instructions
Self-nominations are not allowed. Deans or chairs are asked to please send:
- a 1-2 page nomination letter, endorsing the candidate, confirming eligibility, and indicating that the candidate is nationally competitive
- CV (not NIH format) of the candidate
to research@uw.edu by 5:00 PM Friday, October 22, 2021. Nominations are due from the Office of Research to the sponsor 11/1/21. If invited by the sponsor, proposals are due to the 12/3/21 so you will need to have your materials in to the Office of Sponsored Programs by 11/22/21for processing, if given the go ahead by the Proposal Review Committee.
Inquiries and Contact Information
Investigators who identify a grant, award or fellowship program that restricts the number of applications that can be submitted from an Institution should immediately contact their Chairperson, Associate Dean for Research (or Dean, if no ADR) and the Office of Research (see below) if they intend to prepare a response. Failure to do so, or to meet the deadlines for submission of pre-proposal, will preclude submission of the application through the Office of Sponsored Programs.
For general inquiries, or to request a listing of a limited submission opportunity that should be but is not already listed, please email us at limitedsubs@uw.edu.