WashU is launching two new funding programs to bolster research on how academic inquiry works and the role of collaboration in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.
The funding will help faculty explore new ideas, build partnerships across disciplines and examine what helps — or hinders — good scholarship. The programs reflect WashU’s commitment to strengthening both the practice of scholarship and the intellectual inquiry that makes discovery possible.
Together, the programs will provide up to $2 million for faculty scholarship and collaborative projects.
The Academic Inquiry Research Fund will pilot eight research studies over the next three years, with awards of up to $200,000 each. Faculty from any discipline can apply; after a selection process, funding would begin in spring 2027. Funding will be directed to projects that shape academic inquiry, including how internal and external pressures affect scholarship, and what conditions encourage innovation and intellectual risk-taking.
“Discovery depends not only on what we study, but also on how we pursue knowledge,” said Provost Mark West. “These projects will help us better understand how to enable scholars to pursue ambitious questions and contribute meaningfully to their fields.”
While the Academic Inquiry Research Fund will examine the conditions that inspire scholarship, the Provost’s Humanities Collaborative Fund will guide creation of new humanities and humanistic social science scholarship through collaborative research and partnership.
The fund will award $50,000 to as many as eight collaborative project teams over two years, either within or across disciplines. It also provides added resources for programming and events through the Center for the Humanities in WashU Arts & Sciences.
“The humanities help us make sense of the world and our place in it,” West said. “They encourage curiosity, critical thinking and deeper understanding across disciplines. At a moment when society is facing many challenges, this investment reflects our belief that humanistic scholarship has an essential role to play. I’m eager to see what new ideas and discoveries emerge from these collaborations.”
Submissions for both programs will be due in late January. Read more about the guidelines and proposal requirements on the Office of the Provost website.
The Office of the Provost will work with the Center for the Humanities on future events showcasing faculty research, discoveries and outcomes resulting from the funds.
