Proposals are due on Friday, May 2, 2025 by 11:59pm PT.
Scope
A key goal of this seed grant program is to develop sustainable cities research that is partner-engaged, incorporates systems thinking, and takes note of the necessary and sufficient conditions to scale and spread effective solutions. Ideally, at the end of the grant period, teams would be well-positioned to meet the Integrative Project criteria and draft a proposal for an ambitious 3-5 year, $1.5-$3 million project. To this end:
- Proposed research must be clearly related to the goal of advancing sustainable urban development and must include one or more non-academic, city-focused partnerships relevant to the problem or knowledge gap being addressed.
- Proposals should adopt a systems perspective that maps connections between the project and relevant systems within the project location, and identifies potential unintended consequences of the project and how they will be monitored.
- Researchers are encouraged to contextualize the proposed project in terms of the geographic, socioeconomic, and/or political factors that will shape both the project outcomes and their relevance to other urban areas.
Priority Areas
In addition to the above criteria, preference will be given to high-impact projects that align with the following three broad areas. Additional high-impact areas will also be considered.
- Decarbonizing the Built Environment: Materials, technologies, practices, and policies to reduce the carbon footprint of constructing, operating, and maintaining urban infrastructure and buildings.
- Increasing Resilience to Climate Shocks and Long-term Change: Innovations that enhance cities’ ability to withstand and recover from extreme weather events, and to plan for and adapt to climatic changes over time.
- Managing Growth, Displacement, and Population Change: Strategies to protect vulnerable populations and ensure equitable access to resources and opportunities in the face of challenges such as aging infrastructure, federal regulatory constraints, and climate impacts.
Eligibility
Each proposal team must include a Stanford faculty or researcher who qualifies as a Principal Investigator (PI) according to Stanford University Policy. A PI may submit more than one proposal, but only one proposal is likely to receive funding in a given award cycle.
Award Amount & Duration
Proposals are invited for Tier 1 grants of up to $100,000, and Tier 2 grants of up to $250,000.
More information can be found in the full Request for Proposal.
Sustainable Cities Solution Area - RFP
Proposals are due on Friday, May 2, 2025 by 11:59pm PT.
Scope
A key goal of this seed grant program is to develop sustainable cities research that is partner-engaged, incorporates systems thinking, and takes note of the necessary and sufficient conditions to scale and spread effective solutions. Ideally, at the end of the grant period, teams would be well-positioned to meet the Integrative Project criteria and draft a proposal for an ambitious 3-5 year, $1.5-$3 million project. To this end:
- Proposed research must be clearly related to the goal of advancing sustainable urban development and must include one or more non-academic, city-focused partnerships relevant to the problem or knowledge gap being addressed.
- Proposals should adopt a systems perspective that maps connections between the project and relevant systems within the project location, and identifies potential unintended consequences of the project and how they will be monitored.
- Researchers are encouraged to contextualize the proposed project in terms of the geographic, socioeconomic, and/or political factors that will shape both the project outcomes and their relevance to other urban areas.
Priority Areas
In addition to the above criteria, preference will be given to high-impact projects that align with the following three broad areas. Additional high-impact areas will also be considered.
- Decarbonizing the Built Environment: Materials, technologies, practices, and policies to reduce the carbon footprint of constructing, operating, and maintaining urban infrastructure and buildings.
- Increasing Resilience to Climate Shocks and Long-term Change: Innovations that enhance cities’ ability to withstand and recover from extreme weather events, and to plan for and adapt to climatic changes over time.
- Managing Growth, Displacement, and Population Change: Strategies to protect vulnerable populations and ensure equitable access to resources and opportunities in the face of challenges such as aging infrastructure, federal regulatory constraints, and climate impacts.
Eligibility
Each proposal team must include a Stanford faculty or researcher who qualifies as a Principal Investigator (PI) according to Stanford University Policy. A PI may submit more than one proposal, but only one proposal is likely to receive funding in a given award cycle.
Award Amount & Duration
Proposals are invited for Tier 1 grants of up to $100,000, and Tier 2 grants of up to $250,000.
More information can be found in the full Request for Proposal.